RIPs

[Ghost MacRoth]

Damn....if the rumours of doing another series are true, they better hurry up before they are all gone!

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Terry Richards: UK stunt man dies aged 81

One of the UK's top stunt men, Terry Richards, who starred in more than 100 films including Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark has died aged 81.

He played the Cairo Swordsman in the first Indiana Jones film, famously trying to goad Harrison Ford into a sword fight only to be shot dead.

In a 50-year career, Richards worked on nine 007 films, opposite four different Bonds, before retiring in 1999.

He also doubled for Donald Sutherland, Tom Selleck and Christopher Lee.

"He fought Indiana Jones, James Bond, Luke Skywalker and Rambo - there's not many people who can say that," his son Terry Richards Junior told the BBC.

Stuntman Terry Richards
Terry Richards also toured the world with a jousting show
His final film was Bond adventure Tomorrow Never Dies, which saw him beating up Pierce Brosnan in a recording studio, while other films included The Avengers, The Princess Bride, Zulu and The Dirty Dozen.

"He was a great character, a good story teller, very charming and full of humour, and was well loved and respected in the film industry," said his family.

Stunt career
Richards was born David Terence Richards in south London in 1932, but was known to everyone as Terry.

He joined the film industry in 1957, when a friend in the Welsh Guards told him they needed extras with military training.

"He was paid extra to fall off some scaffolding in a riot scene, which he did for a few extra pounds, and that was the beginning of his stunt career," said his daughter in law, Lisa Thomas.

Richards was soon working with stars like Kirk Douglas in The Vikings (1958) and became a founding member of The Stunt Register in 1960.

His family revealed he died suddenly last Saturday 14 June, and his funeral is scheduled to take place in Ruislip, north west London, later.

"He was still in good health but he was more ill than he thought," said Mr Richards.

Mr Richards said his father had enjoyed "a good life" travelling all over the world.

"He'd been dragged behind cars, fallen off buildings, shot, punched. He always used to get up, but this time sadly he wasn't getting up."

Sword fighting
Richards also taught Ray Winston to sword fight for Robin Hood and toured the world with a jousting show as the black knight, followed by 10 years jousting at the Beefeater Restaurant at the Tower of London.

At a 30th anniversary screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 2011, Harrison Ford revealed details of Richards' most famous role as the Cairo Swordsman.

Terry Richards
Terry Richards appeared in nine Bond films including Goldfinger
Ford said it was his idea not to duel with Richards, but to shoot him instead, as the Indiana Jones actor had fallen ill during the shoot.

"I was no longer capable of staying out of my trailer for more than it took to expose a role of film, which was 10 minutes, and then I would have to flee back there for sanitary facilities," said Ford.

He added that Richards, who had "trained and trained" for the role, was disappointed to lose the chance to show off his newly acquired sword skills.

The Cairo Swordsman did get its own action figure and has even appeared in Lego form.

Reflecting on the role and his career in an interview with Red Carpet TV in 2012, Richards said the stunt industry had changed a lot.

"Now it's all CGI. After a day's stunting when I was doing it, you really knew you did a day's work, you were covered in bruises.

"I was doing a jousting thing and I broke my wrist, I've broken ribs, sternum, cheek bone.

"Now they've got all this body armor that they can wear, it's a different ball game altogether," he added..

One of the UK's top stunt men, Terry Richards, who starred in more than 100 films including Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark has died aged 81.

He played the Cairo Swordsman in the first Indiana Jones film, famously trying to goad Harrison Ford into a sword fight only to be shot dead.

In a 50-year career, Richards worked on nine 007 films, opposite four different Bonds, before retiring in 1999.

He also doubled for Donald Sutherland, Tom Selleck and Christopher Lee.

"He fought Indiana Jones, James Bond, Luke Skywalker and Rambo - there's not many people who can say that," his son Terry Richards Junior told the BBC.

Stuntman Terry Richards
Terry Richards also toured the world with a jousting show
His final film was Bond adventure Tomorrow Never Dies, which saw him beating up Pierce Brosnan in a recording studio, while other films included The Avengers, The Princess Bride, Zulu and The Dirty Dozen.

"He was a great character, a good story teller, very charming and full of humour, and was well loved and respected in the film industry," said his family.

Stunt career
Richards was born David Terence Richards in south London in 1932, but was known to everyone as Terry.

He joined the film industry in 1957, when a friend in the Welsh Guards told him they needed extras with military training.

"He was paid extra to fall off some scaffolding in a riot scene, which he did for a few extra pounds, and that was the beginning of his stunt career," said his daughter in law, Lisa Thomas.

Richards was soon working with stars like Kirk Douglas in The Vikings (1958) and became a founding member of The Stunt Register in 1960.

His family revealed he died suddenly last Saturday 14 June, and his funeral is scheduled to take place in Ruislip, north west London, later.

"He was still in good health but he was more ill than he thought," said Mr Richards.

Mr Richards said his father had enjoyed "a good life" travelling all over the world.

"He'd been dragged behind cars, fallen off buildings, shot, punched. He always used to get up, but this time sadly he wasn't getting up."

Sword fighting
Richards also taught Ray Winston to sword fight for Robin Hood and toured the world with a jousting show as the black knight, followed by 10 years jousting at the Beefeater Restaurant at the Tower of London.

At a 30th anniversary screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 2011, Harrison Ford revealed details of Richards' most famous role as the Cairo Swordsman.

Terry Richards
Terry Richards appeared in nine Bond films including Goldfinger
Ford said it was his idea not to duel with Richards, but to shoot him instead, as the Indiana Jones actor had fallen ill during the shoot.

"I was no longer capable of staying out of my trailer for more than it took to expose a role of film, which was 10 minutes, and then I would have to flee back there for sanitary facilities," said Ford.

He added that Richards, who had "trained and trained" for the role, was disappointed to lose the chance to show off his newly acquired sword skills.

The Cairo Swordsman did get its own action figure and has even appeared in Lego form.

Reflecting on the role and his career in an interview with Red Carpet TV in 2012, Richards said the stunt industry had changed a lot.

"Now it's all CGI. After a day's stunting when I was doing it, you really knew you did a day's work, you were covered in bruises.

"I was doing a jousting thing and I broke my wrist, I've broken ribs, sternum, cheek bone.

"Now they've got all this body armour that they can wear, it's a different ball game altogether," he added..[/url]

[Dunk!]

Surprised no-one else picked up on this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27972771

Feliz Dennis - anyone who calls their poetry tour "Did I mention the free wine" can't be that dumb.

[Professor Bear]

Terry Richards: UK stunt man dies aged 81

That is a shame.
Strange but true: as a longtime fan of action cinema, I was so immersed in the behind-the-scenes stuff that when I read the first Big Dave strip where he teams up with "Terry", I instinctively assumed Millar/Morrison were making a reference to Richards, not Waite (the two Terrys even look the same).

[ZenArcade]

God rest him.

[ThryllSeekyr]

Did anybody mention the lead singer of Masters-Apprentices?

[Daveycandlish]

That was a life well lived. RIP Terry.

[radiator]

Gary Oldman's career.

[ZenArcade]

Eli Wallach, the man who played Tuco Benidicto Juan maria Ramirez (the rat) one of my favourite charachters amongst very many other classic roles has passed on. A sad start to the day. RIP

[Dunk!]

and Mr Freeze.

Hell of a career - the definitive Mexican Bandito played by a Polish Jew from Brooklyn, sheer brilliance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-28012230

[CrazyFoxMachine]

Gutted about Eli Wallach but 98 is pretty good innings!

Aye it may be a little standard but Tuco for me was what made the Good the Bad and the Ugly so phenomenal -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvSZ_HQmZgQ

[Tiplodocus]

I was surprised he was still here but RIP Eli.

[Frank]

I only realised he played a crusty WASP master of the universe in the Whoopi Goldberg capitalist satire The Associate when I saw his name in the credits. After The Magnificent Seven and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, I genuinely thought he was a Mexican actor rather than one of the many Jewish actors who found a niche playing ethnicities other than their own. I loved Tuco as a kid, and the relationship between him and Eastwood's character seems like a forerunner of that between Ukko and Sláine.

[Goaty]

Aww RIP Eli.

Best thing about The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

[ZenArcade]

Apologies: Tuco Benidicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez. He has left many with a warm feeling in their hearts and lifelong fond memories. I guess you can't go out better than that. Z