Edward de Souza
Encyclopedia
Edward James de Souza is a British
character actor
and graduate of RADA
with ethnic Portuguese India
n and English
origins.
Graduate of Portuguese
descent. De Souza was raised primarily by his mother, as his father died when De Souza was just 14.
and The Kiss of the Vampire
, both made for Hammer Studios in 1962. Perhaps his most famous role, however, has been as The Man in Black for BBC Radio 4
. He also appeared in the television version of After Henry
, Farrington
and, earlier, took the part of Soveral (the Portuguese Ambassador to Britain) in Edward the Seventh
.
In 1965, he appeared as the lead in the Doctor Who
story Mission to the Unknown
– the only story ever broadcast in the series not to feature the Doctor
in any capacity. From 1961 to 1966, he starred in the popular sitcom Marriage Lines
, and in 1977 he played Sheik Hosein in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me
. He was solicitor "Bonny Bernard" in the first series of Rumpole of the Bailey
. In 1982 he appeared in the final Sapphire & Steel
adventure, credited only as "The Man".
One of his less-known works, was his role in The Golden Compass, in 2007, playing the Second High Councillor.
He joined the British soap opera
Coronation Street
as Colin Grimshaw, where he made his first appearance on 12 December 2008. His character died in May 2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
and graduate of RADA
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
with ethnic Portuguese India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
n and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
origins.
Early life
De Souza was the only child of Annie Adeline Swift (née Calvert) and Edward Valentine De Souza Jr. (1881–1947), a CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
Graduate of Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
descent. De Souza was raised primarily by his mother, as his father died when De Souza was just 14.
Career
He is well-known for the films The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1962 film)
The Phantom of the Opera is a 1962 British film based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. The film was made by Hammer Film Productions.-Plot:The film opens in Victorian London on a December night in 1900....
and The Kiss of the Vampire
The Kiss of the Vampire
The Kiss of the Vampire also known as Kiss of Evil, is a 1963 British vampire film made by the film studio Hammer Film Productions...
, both made for Hammer Studios in 1962. Perhaps his most famous role, however, has been as The Man in Black for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. He also appeared in the television version of After Henry
After Henry (TV series)
After Henry is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1988 to 1992. Starring Prunella Scales and Joan Sanderson, it had started on BBC Radio 4 in 1985, finishing in 1989. It was written by Simon Brett...
, Farrington
Farrington of the F.O.
Farrington of the F.O. was a British television comedy series by Dick Sharples about the staff of the British Consulate in "one of the armpits of Latin America". It was produced by Yorkshire Television and broadcast from 1986 to 1987...
and, earlier, took the part of Soveral (the Portuguese Ambassador to Britain) in Edward the Seventh
Edward the Seventh (television)
Edward the Seventh is a 1975 television drama series, made by ATV in 13 one-hour episodes.Based on the biography of Edward VII by Philip Magnus, it starred Timothy West as the elder Edward VII and Simon Gipps-Kent and Charles Sturridge as Edward in his youth, Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria,...
.
In 1965, he appeared as the lead in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story Mission to the Unknown
Mission to the Unknown
"Mission to the Unknown", sometimes known as "Dalek Cutaway", is an episode in the television series Doctor Who. It is a standalone episode, serving as an introduction to the 12 part story The Daleks' Master Plan...
– the only story ever broadcast in the series not to feature the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
in any capacity. From 1961 to 1966, he starred in the popular sitcom Marriage Lines
Marriage Lines
Marriage Lines was a popular black-and-white British sitcom that aired from 1961 to 1966 which launched the careers of its lead stars, Richard Briers and Prunella Scales. It was originally entitled The Marriage Lines...
, and in 1977 he played Sheik Hosein in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me
The Spy Who Loved Me (film)
The Spy Who Loved Me is a spy film, the tenth film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum...
. He was solicitor "Bonny Bernard" in the first series of Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
. In 1982 he appeared in the final Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel is a British television science-fiction fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The...
adventure, credited only as "The Man".
One of his less-known works, was his role in The Golden Compass, in 2007, playing the Second High Councillor.
He joined the British soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
as Colin Grimshaw, where he made his first appearance on 12 December 2008. His character died in May 2009.