Eugene Neil McCarthy (26th July 1932 – 5th February 1985) was an English actor known for his dramatic physical appearance caused by

acromegaly Acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose. Othe ...

. He was also a talented

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

Early life

Born in Lincoln,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershir ...

, the son of

Sleaford Sleaford is a market town and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Centred on the former parish of New Sleaford, the modern boundaries and urban area include Quarrington to the south-west, Holdingham to the n ...

dentist Eugene Charles McCarthy (1899–1954) and Beatrice Annie (''née'' Corney, 1901–1978), McCarthy was educated at Stamford School (where his contemporaries included cricketer M. J. K. Smith and author

Colin Dexter Norman Colin Dexter (29 September 1930 – 21 March 2017) was an English crime writer known for his '' Inspector Morse'' series of novels, which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as an ITV television series, '' Inspector Morse'', ...

) before reading modern languages at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, and trained as a Latin and French teacher (he could also speak fluent Greek).''Who's Who on Television'', Independent Television Publications Ltd 1970

Career

After his teacher training, McCarthy appeared in repertory theatre in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

and in the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

. McCarthy's film credits include memorable roles as Welsh soldier Private Thomas in '' Zulu'' (1964), as Sergeant Jock McPherson in '' Where Eagles Dare'' (1967), as Gates in '' The Ruffians'' (1973), as the villain Calibos in '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) and as a robber in '' Time Bandits'' (1981). His television credits include: ''

Barnaby Rudge ''Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty'' (commonly known as ''Barnaby Rudge'') is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. ''Barnaby Rudge'' was one of two novels (the other was '' The Old Curiosity Shop'') that Dickens pub ...

'', '' Man of the World'', ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'', ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'', '' The Saint'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'', ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'', '' Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'', ''

Catweazle ''Catweazle'' is a British children's fantasy television series, starring Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and created by Richard Carpenter for London Weekend Television. The first series, produced and directed in 1969 by Quentin Lawrence, w ...

'', '' My Wife Next Door'' (A Sense of Movement), '' Softly, Softly: Taskforce'', '' Department S'', '' Who Pays the Ferryman?'', '' Return of the Saint'', '' Doctor Who'' (in the serials '' The Mind of Evil'' and '' The Power of Kroll''), ''

Enemy at the Door ''Enemy at the Door'' is a British television drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The series was shown between 1978 and 1980 and dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second Wor ...

'', ''

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...

'', '' The Professionals'', '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', '' Only When I Laugh'', '' The Gentle Touch'' and ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffa ...

Farm'', and the television adaptation of the

Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A dilettante who solves mysteries ...

novel, '' The Nine Tailors''. He died of

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

Fordingbridge Fordingbridge is a town and broader civil parish with a population of 6,000 on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England, near the Dorset and Wiltshire borders and on the edge of the New Forest, famed for its late mediev ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

in 1985, aged 52.

Selected filmography

* '' Breakout'' (1959) – Chandler's henchman (uncredited) * '' Sands of the Desert'' (1960) – Hassan * ''

'' (1960) – Hugh (TV mini-series) * ''

The Criminal A criminal is a person who commits a crime. Criminal or The Criminal may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Criminal'' (1916 film), an American film of 1916 * ''The Criminal'' (1926 film), a French silent film * ''The Criminal'' (196 ...

'' (1960) – O'Hara * ''

Offbeat Offbeat, originally a music term meaning "not following the standard beat", which has also become a general synonym for "unconventional" or "unusual", may refer to: Music *Syncopation *Off-beat (music), the musical term in more detail *Off Beat (l ...

'' (1961) – Leo Farrell * '' Solo for Sparrow'' (1962) – Dusty * '' The Pot Carriers'' (1962) – Bracket * '' We Joined the Navy'' (1962) – Sergeant * '' Two Left Feet'' (1963) – Ted (uncredited) * ''

The Cracksman ''The Cracksman'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott.Personal letter from Delia Derbyshire to Associated British Picture Corporation, dated 25 April 1963. Plot Charlie Drake plays honest but naive locksmith Ernest Wr ...

'' (1963) – Van Gogh * '' Zulu'' (1964) – Private Thomas * ''

The Hill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (1965) – Burton * '' Cuckoo Patrol'' (1967) – Superman No.2 * ''

'' (1967) – Joe Gargery (TV mini-series) * '' Seven Times Seven'' (1968) – Mr. Docherty * '' Where Eagles Dare'' (1968) – Sgt. Jock MacPherson * '' Follow Me!'' (1972) – Parkinson * ''The Zoo Robbery'' (1973) – Skipper * '' Steptoe and Son Ride Again'' (1973) – Lennie * ''

Operation Daybreak ''Operation Daybreak'' (also known as ''The Price of Freedom'' in the U.S. and ''Seven Men at Daybreak'' during production) is a 1975 war film based on the true story of Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of SS general Reinhard Heydrich in ...

'' (1975) – Man at Quarry (uncredited) * '' Side by Side'' (1975) – Alf (uncredited) * ''Fern, the Red Deer'' (1976) – Poacher * ''

Trial by Combat Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of th ...

'' (1976) – Ben Willoughby * ''

The Incredible Sarah ''The Incredible Sarah'' is a 1976 British drama film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Glenda Jackson. It presents a dramatization of the acting career of Sarah Bernhardt. Cast * Glenda Jackson as Sarah Bernhardt * Daniel Massey a ...

'' (1976) – Sergeant * ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'' (1979) – Abhorson * ''

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

'' (1980, TV series) – Spillbergen * '' George and Mildred'' (1980) – Eddie * '' The Monster Club'' (1980) – Watson – B-Squad Member * '' The Professionals'' (1980, TV series) – Sam Armitage * '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) – Calibos * '' Time Bandits'' (1981) – 2nd Robber * '' Nancy Astor'' (1982, TV series) – Reverend Neve

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Neil 1932 births 1985 deaths 20th-century English male actors Neurological disease deaths in England Deaths from motor neuron disease English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors People from Lincoln, England Male actors from Lincolnshire People with acromegaly People educated at Stamford School Alumni of Trinity College Dublin