CineScope
Michael Bryant picture

Michael Bryant

Acting
Known For

74 Years Old

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Michael Dennis Bryant (5 April 1928 – 25 April 2002) was a British stage and television actor. Bryant attended Battersea Grammar School and after service in the Merchant Navy and Army, he attended drama school and appeared in many productions on the London stage. He made his film debut in 1955. His greatest role was Mathieu in BBC2's 1970 adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's Roads to Freedom trilogy. His guest star appearance as Wing Commander Marsh, who feigns insanity in the 'Tweedledum' episode of the BBC drama series, Colditz (1972), is still widely remembered. Bryant was chosen by Orson Welles to play the lead role in The Deep, Welles's adaptation of the Charles Williams novel Dead Calm. The production frequently ran out of money, and following the death of actor Laurence Harvey in 1973, Welles stopped production and announced the movie - which had been completed except for one special effects shot of a ship exploding - would not be released. (The novel was finally adapted to film in 1989.) In 1969 Bryant took his love of the stage on a strange trip into the realm of cult films, playing a clever male prostitute who outwits a delusional family of killers in the dark comedy Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly, an adaptation of a play by Maisie Mosco. Due to poor marketing and a lack of faith in the film by the distributor, the film quickly sank into obscurity even before it could develop a cult following. One of Bryant's most memorable performances was in the classic BBC television play The Stone Tape (1972), in which he plays the leader of a team of scientists who investigate ghost sightings in a brooding gothic mansion. Bryant also had a supporting role as a sadistic psychiatrist in the cult classic black comedy The Ruling Class, with Peter O'Toole and Alastair Sim. He also appeared in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) as a British diplomat. Having played Lenin in the film Nicholas and Alexandria, Bryant would later reprise the role in Robert Bolt's play State of Revolution (1977). He had previously co-starred in Bolt's unsuccessful Gentle Jack. The 1977 production of a Bolt play though was significant for featuring the first role he performed at the National Theatre where he was a constant presence for a quarter of a century. Bryant, described by Michael Billington as "rock-solid company man", had earlier performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1964, including the premiere production of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming (1965), in which he played Teddy, the returning academic. In 1980, Michael Bryant won the London Drama Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor, and his other theatrical performances were equally well thought of. Bryant won Laurence Olivier Awards in 1988 and 1990 and was nominated twice more. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Bryant (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Born

London, England, UK on 5th April 1928

Died

25th April 2002

All Credits

The BBC Television Shakespeare Image
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Doctor Caius
BBC Play of the Month Image
BBC Play of the Month
Vershinin
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Image
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
Playhouse Image
Playhouse
Sam McInstrey
Harbor Command Image
Harbor Command
ITV Play of the Week Image
ITV Play of the Week
Walter Luke
Telephone Time Image
Telephone Time
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok Image
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
Hallmark Hall of Fame Image
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Britannus
A Ghost Story for Christmas Image
A Ghost Story for Christmas
The Rev. Justin Somerton
Buffalo Bill Jr. Image
Buffalo Bill Jr.
The Millionaire Image
The Millionaire
McGinnis
Performance Image
Performance
Fool
Reilly: Ace of Spies Image
Reilly: Ace of Spies
Narrator (voice)
Talking to a Stranger Image
Talking to a Stranger
Colditz Image
Colditz
W / Cdr George Marsh
The Roads to Freedom Image
The Roads to Freedom
Mathieu Delarue
Gandhi Image
Gandhi
Principal Secretary
Fall of Eagles Image
Fall of Eagles
Ratchkowsky
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers Image
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers
Advocate
Hamlet Image
Hamlet
Priest
A Night to Remember Image
A Night to Remember
Sixth Officer James Moody
Late Call Image
Late Call
Howard Calvert
The Miracle Maker Image
The Miracle Maker
God/ The Doctor (voice)
The Ruling Class Image
The Ruling Class
Dr. Herder
Goodbye, Mr. Chips Image
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Max Staefel
Nicholas and Alexandra Image
Nicholas and Alexandra
Lenin
The Deadly Affair Image
The Deadly Affair
Gaveston (in Edward II)
Torture Garden Image
Torture Garden
Colin Williams (segment 1 "Enoch")
Heading Home Image
Heading Home
Derek Green
No Image
The Big M
Johnny Treherne
The Mind Benders Image
The Mind Benders
Dr. Danny Tate
Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' Image
Franz Kafka's 'The Trial'
Advocate
Uranium Boom Image
Uranium Boom
Peterson
The Stone Tape Image
The Stone Tape
Peter Brock
Passage Home Image
Passage Home
Stebbings
Life for Ruth Image
Life for Ruth
John's Counsel
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly Image
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly
New Friend
Sakharov Image
Sakharov
Syshchikov
The Merry Wives of Windsor Image
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Doctor Caius
Caravan to Vaccarès Image
Caravan to Vaccarès
Zuger
No Image
Anna Lee: Headcase
Commander Martin Brierly
The Curse Of Denton Rose Image
The Curse Of Denton Rose
Self
Orson Welles: The One-Man Band Image
Orson Welles: The One-Man Band
Self (segment "The deep") (archive footage)
My Homeland Image
My Homeland
Reader
The Three Sisters Image
The Three Sisters
Vershinin
King Lear Image
King Lear
Fool
The Deep Image
The Deep
John Ingram
No Image
If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them
Mr. Axelford's Angel Image
Mr. Axelford's Angel
Mr Axelford
No Image
The Explorer
Erik Petterson
The Duchess of Malfi Image
The Duchess of Malfi
Bosola
No Image
The Switch
Henry Martin
No Image
Short Back and Sides
John Hardy
No Image
The Professional
Duckworth
No Image
The Greeks and Their Gifts
Stuart Lindsay
No Image
Easier in the Dark
The Man
No Image
Mille Miglia
Stirling Moss
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas Image
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
The Rev. Justin Somerton
The Daedalus Equations Image
The Daedalus Equations
Sam McInstrey
A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton Image
A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton
Mike
Is It Something I Said? Image
Is It Something I Said?
Arthur