About

Known credits:
36
Birthday:
1925-10-30
Place of birth:
Naples, Campania, Italy
Website:
N/A

George Murcell

Overview

Arthur George Murcell (30 October 1925 – 3 December 1998) was a British character actor.

Born in Italy, he made his film debut in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Battle of the River Plate (1956), Murcell went on to develop a career playing snarling villains in both film and television. These could either be stupid, brutish henchmen, as in Hell Drivers and Campbell's Kingdom (both 1957), or sophisticated rogues, such as Needle in "You Have Just Been Murdered", an episode of The Avengers.

He specialised in playing foreign characters, including Germans, Russians and South Americans. A number of these roles were in ITC adventure TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, such as Danger Man, The Baron, The Saint, The Champions (Reply Box No.666 episode, 1967) Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Persuaders! and Jason King. His film roles included Sea of Sand (1958), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), The Heroes of Telemark (1965), Kaleidoscope (1966), The Fixer (1968), A Dandy in Aspic (1968), The Assassination Bureau (1969), A Walk with Love and Death (1969), Penny Gold (1973), Special Branch (1974), Inside the Third Reich (1982, as Hermann Göring), Year of the Gun (1991), and Cutthroat Island (1995).

He enjoyed a long stage career, which involved working with Tyrone Guthrie and Peter Brook, and was active in the Royal Shakespeare Company.In the 1970s, he acquired a Victorian church in North London, which he converted into an Elizabethan-style theatre in collaboration with director Adrian Brown. In 1973, he opened it as "St George's Theatre", intending that it present little-seen classical plays.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he continued to work at St George's Theatre as both an actor and a director, often with his wife, Elvi Hale.

Known for

Acting

1995 Cutthroat Island Actor Mordachai Fingers 58
Average
1991 Year of the Gun Actor Pierre Bernier 57
Average
1988 Pascali's Island Actor Herr Gesing 59
Average
1986 Peter the Great Actor 70
Good
1982 Inside the Third Reich Actor Herman Goering 59
Average
1981 Smuggler Actor Silas Kemble 69
Fair
1975 Rime of the Ancient Mariner Actor 59
Average
1975 Penelope Pulls It Off Actor Owen 58
Average
1973 Penny Gold Actor Doctor Merrick 58
Average
1973 Mafia Junction Actor 58
Average
1971 The Horsemen Actor Mizrar 59
Average
1970 A Sound from the Sea Actor George N/A
N/A
1969 A Walk with Love and Death Actor The Captain 58
Average
1969 The Possessed Actor Liputin N/A
N/A
1969 The Assassination Bureau Actor Zeppelin pilot 59
Average
1968 The Year of the Sex Olympics Actor Grels 58
Average
1967 The Naked Runner Actor 58
Average
1967 You Only Live Twice Actor Russian Diplomat (uncredited) 64
Fair
1966 Kaleidoscope Actor Johnny 58
Average
1965 The Heroes of Telemark Actor Sturmfuhrer 61
Fair
1964 The Fall of the Roman Empire Actor Victorinus 60
Fair
1962 In Search of the Castaways Actor Ayerton's Assistant 59
Average
1962 The Cherry Orchard Actor Yermolai Alexeyevich Lopahin 59
Average
1961 The Pursuers Actor Freddy 58
Average
1961 Supercar Actor 69
Fair
1960 Crossroads to Crime Actor Diamond 58
Average
1960 There Was a Crooked Man Actor Receptionist at 'The McKillup Arms' 59
Average
1960 The Angry Silence Actor Jones 59
Average
1959 Don't Panic Chaps! Actor Meister 58
Average
1958 Sea of Sand Actor Cpl. Simms 59
Average
1958 Sea Fury Actor Loudon 59
Average
1958 Blood of the Vampire Actor First Guard 58
Average
1957 Campbell's Kingdom Actor Max, a worker 58
Average
1957 Hell Drivers Actor Tub 59
Average
1956 The Battle of the River Plate Actor Chief Officer, Newton Beach 59
Average
1955 The Merry Christmas Actor Mr. Fezziwig N/A
N/A