The world has lost another charismatic actor and another great Bond villain, Trinidad born actor Geoffrey Holder passed away on October 5th at the age of 84. Mr. Holder has had a wide and diverse career from directing stage shows to being a villain in one of the most beloved movie franchises.
My first experience with Mr. Holder was in a now rather obscure movie, Doctor Dolittle (1966, dir. Richard Fleischer) where he played the leader of Sea-Star Island named Willie Shakespeare, yes really. He was able to portray this rather silly character with grace and dignity, which given how he was subjected to casual racism from a co-star's then wife I give him all the more credit.
But without a doubt his most notable role was that of Baron Samedi in Roger Moore's debut Bond film, Live and Let Die (1973, dir. Guy Hamilton). I'll be honest and I remember this guy a lot more than I do the main villain, and that is not me disrespecting Yaphet Kotto. Holder's 6' 6" stance and memorable laugh will make anyone and everyone stop and stare in amazement. I also wouldn't be surprised if his design helped inspire the design for Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009, dir. Ron Clements, John Musker).
_-_Profile.jpg)
Holder has also had a remarkable career on the stage as well. He starred as the title character in a modernized version of William Shakespeare's Othello, and was the stage director and costume designer of the 1975 production of The Wiz. He received two Tony Awards for his work in the latter.
Rest in Peace Mr. Holder, you will be sorely missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment