Edward Woodward came to wider attention from 1967 in the title role of the British television spy drama Callan, earning him the 1970 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.
35 Facts About Edward Woodward
2.
From 1985 to 1989, Edward Woodward starred as ex-secret agent and private investigator Robert McCall in the American television series The Equalizer, earning him the 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Actor.
3.
Edward Woodward attended Eccleston Road, Sydenham Road, and E Wallington, as well as Kingston Day Commercial School and Elmwood High School, Hackbridge, all in Surrey.
4.
Edward Woodward was torn between becoming an actor and a professional footballer, and was on the books of Leyton Orient FC and Brentford FC, making three appearances in the football league for the latter, but a serious knee injury kept him out of the game for over a year.
5.
Edward Woodward's professional acting debut was in the Castle Theatre, Farnham, in 1946.
6.
Edward Woodward first appeared on Broadway in Rattle of a Simple Man and the musical comedy High Spirits, which won three Tony Awards, followed by the 1966 comedy The Best Laid Plans.
7.
In 1970, after Edward Woodward played Sidney Carton in the West End musical Two Cities, based on Dickens's novel, Laurence Olivier invited him to choose his own role in the Royal National Theatre, and he chose Cyrano de Bergerac.
8.
Edward Woodward played Dr Watson opposite Keith Baxter as Sherlock Holmes in the play Murder Dear Watson in 1983.
9.
Edward Woodward made occasional appearances until taking the role of Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the thriller The Wicker Man in 1973.
10.
Edward Woodward was offered a cameo role in the 2005 remake, but declined.
11.
Edward Woodward appeared in the 1982 film Who Dares Wins, known as The Final Option on the film's release history.
12.
Edward Woodward played the title role in the 1980 Australian biographical film drama Breaker Morant, which was highly acclaimed, and his presence brought the film worldwide attention.
13.
Edward Woodward had a supporting role in the 2007 action comedy Hot Fuzz.
14.
In 1990, Edward Woodward was the narrator for the official FIFA film of the 1990 World Cup entitled Soccer Shoot-Out.
15.
Edward Woodward's casting as Guy Crouchback in the 1967 adaption of Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy, dramatised by Giles Cooper and directed by Donald McWhinnie, established him as an actor of quality and standing.
16.
In 1967, Edward Woodward played the eventual victim in an episode of The Saint TV series.
17.
Edward Woodward's performance assured the series success from 1967 to 1972, with a film appearing in 1974.
18.
Edward Woodward appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in a 1978 adaptation of Saturday, Sunday, Monday in the Laurence Olivier Presents anthology series.
19.
In 1994 and 1997, Edward Woodward starred in the BBC drama Common As Muck, in which he played a binman called Nev.
20.
In 1993, Edward Woodward appeared in the Welsh language drama, Tan ar y Comin.
21.
Versions were made in both English and Welsh, and Edward Woodward appeared in both, being specially coached in the latter since he did not speak a word of the language.
22.
In 1999, Edward Woodward appeared alongside his son Peter in The Long Road, an episode of the Babylon 5 spin-off, Crusade, on which Peter was a regular cast member.
23.
Edward Woodward's career continued with TV guest-star roles, including an appearance in The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Mr Jones in the series La Femme Nikita.
24.
Edward Woodward guest-starred with his son Tim and grandson Sam as a London gangster family in a special storyline for The Bill in 2008.
25.
Edward Woodward was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions; in February 1971, he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the bar of London's White House Hotel, and in February 1995, Michael Aspel surprised him during a photoshoot at Syon House in West London.
26.
Edward Woodward had two top 100 albums in Australia; Edwardian Woodward and A Romantic Hour.
27.
Edward Woodward left Barrett for actress Michele Dotrice, the daughter of his contemporary Roy Dotrice, and married her in New York City in January 1987.
28.
Edward Woodward was in Cyprus during the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974.
29.
Edward Woodward was a prominent endorser of the Labour Party in the 1970 general election, featuring in publicity material.
30.
Edward Woodward suffered a massive heart attack in 1987 and another one in 1994.
31.
Edward Woodward underwent triple bypass surgery in 1996 and quit smoking.
32.
Edward Woodward died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, Cornwall, on 16 November 2009, at the age of 79, near his home at Hawker's Cove.
33.
Edward Woodward was buried at Padstow Cemetery and was survived by his wife, their daughter, and three children from his first marriage.
34.
Edward Woodward won the 1970 BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his title role in Callan.
35.
Edward Woodward was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1978.