Robert Hardy

[poliphilo]

 As a way of tipping my hat to Robert Hardy- who has just died at an advanced age- I watched a couple of clips of the TV show Manhunt (1969-70)- in which he played the anti-hero- Gratz- a chippy, love-lorn Nazi policeman- a sort of powder keg on legs- who succeeds in alienating our sympathies from the British bulldogs who might have been supposed to be the heroes. His performance is every bit as riveting as I remember. He started out in the classics- but came into his own on television- most famously in a popular show about vets which I never watched- and as a serial impersonator of Winston Churchill. He wasn't quite a star or quite a character actor but something in-between- as so many of the best-loved performers are. Millennials will remember him as Cornelius Fudge- a memorable performance in the huge mosaic of memorable performances that is the Potter franchise.

Comments

[cmcmck]

Also an expert on the English warbow- but as a historian, I suppose I would say that! :o)

[poliphilo]

A man of many gifts.

[sovay]

the TV show Manhunt (1969-70)- in which he played the anti-hero- Gratz- a chippy, love-lorn Nazi policeman- a sort of powder keg on legs- who succeeds in alienating our sympathies from the British bulldogs who might have been supposed to be the heroes.

That sounds fascinating.

[qatsi]

I sighed when I read the sub-headlines about "best known for his role in the Harry Potter films". It made me feel old, and also to realise how Alec Guinness must have felt about Star Wars (though no doubt the money helped).