Simon MacCorkindale
Encyclopedia
Simon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale (12 February 195214 October 2010) was a British actor, film director, writer and producer. MacCorkindale spent much of his childhood moving around due to his father's commission with the Royal Air Force
. Poor eyesight prevented him from following a similar career in the RAF, so he instead planned to become a theatre director. Training at the Theatre of Arts in London, MacCorkindale started work as an actor, making his West End
debut in 1974. He went on to appear in numerous roles in television, including the series I, Claudius
and Jesus of Nazareth, before starring as Simon Doyle in the film Death on the Nile
(1978). This proved to be a breakthrough role and allowed MacCorkindale to move to the United States, where he appeared in a variety of films and TV series including Quatermass
(1979), The Riddle of the Sands (1979), The Sword and the Sorcerer
(1982) and Jaws 3-D
(1983).
In 1983, MacCorkindale starred in the short-lived series Manimal
as the lead character, Dr Jonathan Chase, before taking up the longer-running role of lawyer Greg Reardon in Falcon Crest
. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s he directed and produced many stage, TV and film productions through his company Amy International Artists, such as the film Stealing Heaven
(1988). Moving to Canada, MacCorkindale starred as Peter Sinclair in the series Counterstrike for three years. He returned to the UK in 2002 and joined the cast of the BBC
medical drama Casualty
, appearing in the role of Harry Harper for six years until 2008. He married actress Susan George
in 1984 and died of colorectal cancer
in 2010.
, England, to Scottish parents Gilliver Mary (née Pendered) and Peter Bernard MacCorkindale OBE
, who died in September 2007. He had a brother, Duncan, while his father was an RAF Group Captain
station commander. MacCorkindale spent some of his childhood in Edinburgh, where his father was stationed for a period, although Peter MacCorkindale's changing postings necessitated 17 moves to places across Europe. As a result, he became an "independent" child. MacCorkindale attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College
in Hertfordshire
from 1965–70, where he was Head Boy and a member of the Air Training Corps
. Originally intending to enlist in the RAF, he abandoned this plan at the age of 13 when his eyesight began to deteriorate. MacCorkindale considered joining the diplomatic corps
to become an ambassador, but instead opted to become a stage director after developing an interest in theatre. MacCorkindale had been a fan of theatre since writing a play at the age of eight, joking that it was "unproduceable" because "it required an enormous cast and a considerable amount of rum drinking." Making his acting debut at the same age, he went on to appear on stage and work behind the scenes of numerous school and theatre group productions throughout his childhood. Persuading his parents that he would find a "sensible job" if a career as a director was not sustaining him financially by the age of 25, MacCorkindale decided not to study at university and instead attended the Studio 68 drama school at the Theatre of Arts in London. In his time at drama school, he took acting classes so that he "could better understand actors and, hopefully, be a more competent director." A "star pupil", MacCorkindale continued to act after graduating from the Theatre of Arts "until [he] felt confident enough to" direct "a seasoned performer".
group. His first professional stage role arrived in a 1973 run of A Bequest to the Nation
at the Belgrade Theatre
in Coventry
. He made his West End theatre debut in a production of Pygmalion
in 1974, starring alongside Alec McCowen
and Diana Rigg
in the role of "Sarcastic Bystander". In 1973, the series Hawkeye, The Pathfinder had given MacCorkindale his first TV credit. He went on to appear in a number of other TV series, including Within These Walls
, Sutherland's Law
, I, Claudius
(as Lucius Caesar
) and Jesus of Nazareth. MacCorkindale's film debut came in 1974 with Juggernaut
, and his break when he was cast as Simon Doyle in the 1978 film adaptation of Agatha Christie
's Death on the Nile
at the age of 25. He became friends with co-star Bette Davis
, reflecting, "There was a feeling of being in awe of these people but I had a certain amount of pioneer courage, so I didn't let it get to me. But there were days when I thought, 'I'm about to do a scene with this cinema legend, am I up to it?' But people were very gracious. I was never the whipping boy because I was less experienced." MacCorkindale won the London Evening Standard Film Award
for Most Promising Newcomer for this part.
The following year, MacCorkindale played astronomer Joe Kapp in the fourth episode of Nigel Kneale
's Quatermass
TV serial, starring alongside John Mills
. He had previously starred in an episode of Kneale's series Beasts
and enjoyed appearing in the role of Kapp, finding it a change from the typecast
romantic roles that he had become accustomed to playing, while noting that it was "challenging" conveying the character's strong Jewish faith. Kneale later expressed disappointment with MacCorkindale's performance, commenting, "We had him in Beasts playing an idiot and he was very good at that". MacCorkindale also starred as sailor Arthur Davies in The Riddle of the Sands
(1979).
Following the success of Death on the Nile, MacCorkindale moved to the United States in 1980. Although warned that it would be a "negative", MacCorkindale refused to adopt an American accent for his work, believing that his British diction would help fill a "niche
". However, for two years he failed at the audition stage for all major parts on account of his nationality. The American Broadcasting Company
(ABC) told MacCorkindale that he was not an "eight o'clock actor", meaning that "at that time of night they didn't want viewers watching someone who sounded intellectual or who had an accent that was alien to their ears and, therefore, hard work when it came to listening." He was eventually cast in the adventure series Manimal
for NBC
in 1983, in which he played the lead character Professor Jonathan Chase, an Englishman who assists police in the fight against crime with his ability to transform into animals. The role impressed MacCorkindale, who considered Chase to be a "very cerebral individual". He also "found himself in the first wave of UK stars to make it big in America," along with Joan Collins
in Dynasty
, which led to a further influx of British actors finding work in the US. Filming would often run for as much as 14 to 16 hours per day, and MacCorkindale would sometimes be required to work at weekends to be made up with the prosthetics
necessary for Manimals transformation sequences. The low ratings that resulted in the cancellation of Manimal after one season and eight episodes was in part due to NBC broadcasting the series at the same time as Dallas
on CBS
, Manimal losing out to the more popular "soap". Budget cuts also contributed to the series' cancellation as it was the network's most expensive series. Manimal has since acquired a global cult following
.
MacCorkindale appeared in the films Caboblanco
(1980) and The Sword and the Sorcerer
(1982, as Prince Mikah). Later, he starred as Philip FitzRoyce in the third part of the Jaws film series, Jaws 3-D
(1983), but subsequently his film career stalled to a certain extent as he appeared in more TV roles. Following Manimal, he was given parts in series such as Dynasty, Fantasy Island
, Hart to Hart
, Matt Houston
and The Dukes of Hazzard
. He also played David Clement, an aristocrat, in the mini-series Manions of America
. In the 1980s he directed three performances of the play Sleuth
, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Howard Keel
and James Whitmore
, and a Los Angeles
production of The Merchant of Venice
, and starred in the one-man show The Importance of Being Oscar
at the Globe Playhouse in 1981. He received another substantial TV acting role in 1984 when he was cast as Angela Channing's (Jane Wyman
) lawyer Greg Reardon in the soap opera
Falcon Crest
, without requiring an audition. MacCorkindale asked for the character, originally an American named Brad, to be rewritten as English, and also directed one episode. He rejected a contract extension after appearing in 59 episodes and left the series in 1986 because he "felt that the work I was doing was fun and lucrative but not as stretching as I felt I wanted or needed. I also was finding fault with much of the work, not only Falcon Crest, but everything. I was actually ready to quit acting and try producing so I could put myself on the line."
In the mid-1980s he was considered for the role of James Bond
as a possible successor to actors Sean Connery
and Roger Moore
, but was not cast.
, with his wife Susan George
, and also Anglo Films International. He subsequently directed, wrote and produced a number of projects for Amy International, including the 1988 film Stealing Heaven
(concerning the medieval French philosopher Abelard
and his passion for Heloise), and the 1989 film Djavolji Raj (That Summer of White Roses), which stars George and features romantic theme music composed by MacCorkindale. MacCorkindale and George purchased the rights to each project because they wished to "make the pictures that we just totally and literally believe in", regardless of their commercial success. MacCorkindale continued to act and became involved in a number of projects in Canada, which he felt "could be at the crossroads of international production." From 1990 to 1993, MacCorkindale played former Scotland Yard
inspector Peter Sinclair on the USA Network
series Counterstrike, filmed in Toronto
. He was offered the part by producer Robert Lantos
, who wanted to work with MacCorkindale while for his part the actor wished to return to acting after three years running Amy International. With production complete on several episodes, feeling that the show was "too plot-driven rather than character-driven", MacCorkindale thereafter became a writer for the series. He was appointed an executive production consultant that ensured that he "could make quicker [on-set] judgments on behalf of the production." Following Counterstrike, MacCorkindale appeared in the final episode of Canadian TV drama E.N.G.
, whereafter his "media tycoon" character was planned to be the star of a spin-off
alongside actress Sara Botsford
, but the project was abandoned. MacCorkindale then wrote the screenplay for a biopic of the missing peer
Lord Lucan
, which he also planned to produce and act in, although financial problems resulted in the cancellation of the project in 1996. He starred in numerous TV films throughout the 1990s, including a part as the villain in the Canadian series The Girl Next Door. MacCorkindale was glad to "gradually [switch] to villains" as "that's more fun than [playing] the straitlaced hero." MacCorkindale also reprised the role of Dr Chase from Manimal in an episode of Night Man
in 1998, which incorporated computer-generated imagery
for the transformations as opposed to prosthetic makeup, and also directed an episode of the series. Other late-1990s appearances include the TV series Earth: Final Conflict
and the 2000 TV film The Dinosaur Hunter. Working in partnership with Chris Bryant
, MacCorkindale wrote and directed the TV film The House That Mary Bought in 1995, and with Paul Stephens co-produced the 1998 film Such a Long Journey, for which he was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Motion Picture
. He served as co-executive producer for the 2000 syndicated TV series Queen of Swords, and as co-producer for the 2002 series Adventure Inc.
. MacCorkindale also co-produced the third series of Relic Hunter
in 2002.
Having rejected an offer to play Captain Jonathan Archer
in the science-fiction TV series Star Trek: Enterprise
, MacCorkindale returned again to the UK and in 2002 joined the cast of the BBC One
medical drama Casualty
, in the role of clinical lead consultant Harry Harper
. Following his casting, he said in an interview with the Daily Record
that he was a long-time fan of the series, commenting that it was "great to be joining an established show with a great bunch of people." In contrast, Neil Bonner of the Liverpool Daily Post
quoted him as stating that he had never seen an episode of the show in its then-16-year history. MacCorkindale was surprised to be offered the role of Harper given the many years that he had spent working in North America, but having settled in Exmoor
found Bristol
to be an accessible production base. MacCorkindale was "never too comfortable as a young actor" and "always felt that [his] best time in the business would be around [the age of 50]." Wanting to return to a TV acting role, he signed on for Casualty. MacCorkindale commented that he "loved [his] time on Casualty," and spent time researching all the medical terminology that his character used to ensure that he understood it. He also appeared as Harper in the Casualty spin-off series Holby City
and Casualty@Holby City
. Many reviewers were disparaging of MacCorkindale's performances in Casualty: Rupert Smith of The Guardian
deemed MacCorkindale "fantastically wooden", while fellow Guardian journalists Sarah Dempster and Jim Shelley
commented on MacCorkindale's "loud" delivery of his lines. Shelley described the character of Harper as a "human Foghorn Leghorn", while according to Dempster, Casualty was "above all [...] about Simon MacCorkindale, shouting. Then panting, alarmingly, as he peers through some blinds. And then shouting again."
In January 2007, MacCorkindale was given a five-month sabbatical from Casualty because a plotline required that his character be temporarily removed from the series. He took the opportunity to tour the UK in a revival of the Agatha Christie
murder mystery play The Unexpected Guest
. He then returned to Casualty, but having re-discovered his "taste" for theatre, left the series permanently in 2008 to appear as Andrew Wyke in a UK tour Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth
. By the time that MacCorkindale quit Casualty, he had appeared in 229 episodes of the series. In August 2008, he replaced Simon Burke
as Captain Georg Ludwig von Trapp in the London Palladium
production of The Sound of Music
, remaining with the show until its closure in February 2009. After small parts in the films 13 Hrs and A Closed Book
, he returned to TV as Sir David Bryant in the 2010 series of New Tricks, in what proved to be his final TV appearance.
; the couple married in 1976 and divorced in 1982. Following his divorce from Fullerton, MacCorkindale re-connected with an old friend, actress Susan George
, whom he had first met in 1977; they married secretly in Fiji
on 5 October 1984, and later held a second ceremony with family and friends in Berkshire, England. They had no children. With George, MacCorkindale lived on and managed an Arabian stud farm
based on Exmoor.
, and died on 14 October 2010 at a clinic in London.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. Poor eyesight prevented him from following a similar career in the RAF, so he instead planned to become a theatre director. Training at the Theatre of Arts in London, MacCorkindale started work as an actor, making his West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
debut in 1974. He went on to appear in numerous roles in television, including the series I, Claudius
I, Claudius (TV series)
I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time...
and Jesus of Nazareth, before starring as Simon Doyle in the film Death on the Nile
Death on the Nile (1978 film)
Death on the Nile is a 1978 film based on the Agatha Christie mystery novel Death on the Nile, directed by John Guillermin. The film features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot played by Peter Ustinov plus an all-star cast. It takes place in Egypt, mostly on the Nile River...
(1978). This proved to be a breakthrough role and allowed MacCorkindale to move to the United States, where he appeared in a variety of films and TV series including Quatermass
Quatermass (TV serial)
Quatermass is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, Quatermass was written by Nigel Kneale...
(1979), The Riddle of the Sands (1979), The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. A mercenary with a three-bladed sword rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant and a powerful...
(1982) and Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D is a 1983 thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson and Louis Gossett, Jr...
(1983).
In 1983, MacCorkindale starred in the short-lived series Manimal
Manimal
Manimal is an American action–adventure series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC. The show centers on the character Dr Jonathan Chase , a shape-shifting man who possessed the ability to turn himself into any animal he chose...
as the lead character, Dr Jonathan Chase, before taking up the longer-running role of lawyer Greg Reardon in Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s he directed and produced many stage, TV and film productions through his company Amy International Artists, such as the film Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven is a 1988 film, a costume drama based on the French 12th century medieval romance of Peter Abelard and Héloïse and on a historical novel by Marion Meade...
(1988). Moving to Canada, MacCorkindale starred as Peter Sinclair in the series Counterstrike for three years. He returned to the UK in 2002 and joined the cast of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
medical drama Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
, appearing in the role of Harry Harper for six years until 2008. He married actress Susan George
Susan George (actress)
Susan Melody George is an English film and television actress, and film producer.-Career:She trained at the Stage School, Corona Theatre School and has acted since the age of four, appearing on both television and film...
in 1984 and died of colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
in 2010.
Early life
MacCorkindale was born on 12 February 1952 in Ely, CambridgeshireEly, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
, England, to Scottish parents Gilliver Mary (née Pendered) and Peter Bernard MacCorkindale OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, who died in September 2007. He had a brother, Duncan, while his father was an RAF Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
station commander. MacCorkindale spent some of his childhood in Edinburgh, where his father was stationed for a period, although Peter MacCorkindale's changing postings necessitated 17 moves to places across Europe. As a result, he became an "independent" child. MacCorkindale attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
from 1965–70, where he was Head Boy and a member of the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
. Originally intending to enlist in the RAF, he abandoned this plan at the age of 13 when his eyesight began to deteriorate. MacCorkindale considered joining the diplomatic corps
Diplomatic corps
The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body.The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission who represent their countries in another state or country...
to become an ambassador, but instead opted to become a stage director after developing an interest in theatre. MacCorkindale had been a fan of theatre since writing a play at the age of eight, joking that it was "unproduceable" because "it required an enormous cast and a considerable amount of rum drinking." Making his acting debut at the same age, he went on to appear on stage and work behind the scenes of numerous school and theatre group productions throughout his childhood. Persuading his parents that he would find a "sensible job" if a career as a director was not sustaining him financially by the age of 25, MacCorkindale decided not to study at university and instead attended the Studio 68 drama school at the Theatre of Arts in London. In his time at drama school, he took acting classes so that he "could better understand actors and, hopefully, be a more competent director." A "star pupil", MacCorkindale continued to act after graduating from the Theatre of Arts "until [he] felt confident enough to" direct "a seasoned performer".
Early career and the United States
MacCorkindale started his acting career touring the UK with a repertory theatreRepertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
group. His first professional stage role arrived in a 1973 run of A Bequest to the Nation
A Bequest to the Nation
A Bequest to the Nation is a 1970 play by Terence Rattigan, based on his 1966 television play Nelson . It recounts the events surrounding Horatio Nelson, his mistress Emma Hamilton, and his wife Frances Nisbet in the events immediately before, during and after the Battle of Trafalgar...
at the Belgrade Theatre
Belgrade Theatre
The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue seating 858 and situated in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built after the Second World War in Britain and as such was more than a place of entertainment...
in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
. He made his West End theatre debut in a production of Pygmalion
Pygmalion (play)
Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts is a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of...
in 1974, starring alongside Alec McCowen
Alec McCowen
Alexander Duncan "Alec" McCowen CBE is an English actor. He is known for his work in numerous film and stage productions. He was awarded the CBE in the 1985 New Year's Honours List.-Personal:...
and Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
in the role of "Sarcastic Bystander". In 1973, the series Hawkeye, The Pathfinder had given MacCorkindale his first TV credit. He went on to appear in a number of other TV series, including Within These Walls
Within These Walls
Within These Walls is a British television drama programme made by London Weekend Television for ITV and shown between 1974 and 1978. It portrayed life in HMP Stone Park, a fictional women's prison...
, Sutherland's Law
Sutherland's Law
Sutherland's Law is a television series made by BBC Scotland between 1973 and 1976.The series had originated as a stand alone edition of the portmanteau programme Drama Playhouse in 1972 in which Derek Francis played Sutherland and was then commissioned as an ongoing series.Sutherland's Law dealt...
, I, Claudius
I, Claudius (TV series)
I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time...
(as Lucius Caesar
Lucius Caesar
Lucius Julius Caesar , most commonly known as Lucius Caesar, was the second son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. He was born between 14 of June and 15 July 17 BC with the name Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa, but when he was adopted by his maternal grandfather Roman Emperor Caesar...
) and Jesus of Nazareth. MacCorkindale's film debut came in 1974 with Juggernaut
Juggernaut (film)
Juggernaut is a 1974 British thriller film. It was produced by David V. Picker Productions and released in 1974 by United Artists. The film was directed by Richard Lester, who took over after directors Bryan Forbes and Don Medford each left the project in pre-production.On taking over the film,...
, and his break when he was cast as Simon Doyle in the 1978 film adaptation of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
's Death on the Nile
Death on the Nile (1978 film)
Death on the Nile is a 1978 film based on the Agatha Christie mystery novel Death on the Nile, directed by John Guillermin. The film features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot played by Peter Ustinov plus an all-star cast. It takes place in Egypt, mostly on the Nile River...
at the age of 25. He became friends with co-star Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, reflecting, "There was a feeling of being in awe of these people but I had a certain amount of pioneer courage, so I didn't let it get to me. But there were days when I thought, 'I'm about to do a scene with this cinema legend, am I up to it?' But people were very gracious. I was never the whipping boy because I was less experienced." MacCorkindale won the London Evening Standard Film Award
Evening Standard British Film Awards
The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous...
for Most Promising Newcomer for this part.
The following year, MacCorkindale played astronomer Joe Kapp in the fourth episode of Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale was a British screenwriter from the Isle of Man. Active in television, film, radio drama and prose fiction, he wrote professionally for over fifty years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and was twice nominated for the British Film Award for Best Screenplay...
's Quatermass
Quatermass (TV serial)
Quatermass is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, Quatermass was written by Nigel Kneale...
TV serial, starring alongside John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
. He had previously starred in an episode of Kneale's series Beasts
Beasts (TV series)
Beasts is a series of six television plays by Manx writer Nigel Kneale, unconnected but for a bestial horror theme, made by ATV for ITV in the United Kingdom and broadcast in 1976.-Episodes:-External links:* at the BFI's Screenonline...
and enjoyed appearing in the role of Kapp, finding it a change from the typecast
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
romantic roles that he had become accustomed to playing, while noting that it was "challenging" conveying the character's strong Jewish faith. Kneale later expressed disappointment with MacCorkindale's performance, commenting, "We had him in Beasts playing an idiot and he was very good at that". MacCorkindale also starred as sailor Arthur Davies in The Riddle of the Sands
The Riddle of the Sands
The Riddle of the Sands: A Record of Secret Service is a 1903 novel by Erskine Childers. It is an early example of the espionage novel, with a strong underlying theme of militarism...
(1979).
Following the success of Death on the Nile, MacCorkindale moved to the United States in 1980. Although warned that it would be a "negative", MacCorkindale refused to adopt an American accent for his work, believing that his British diction would help fill a "niche
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
". However, for two years he failed at the audition stage for all major parts on account of his nationality. The American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC) told MacCorkindale that he was not an "eight o'clock actor", meaning that "at that time of night they didn't want viewers watching someone who sounded intellectual or who had an accent that was alien to their ears and, therefore, hard work when it came to listening." He was eventually cast in the adventure series Manimal
Manimal
Manimal is an American action–adventure series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC. The show centers on the character Dr Jonathan Chase , a shape-shifting man who possessed the ability to turn himself into any animal he chose...
for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 1983, in which he played the lead character Professor Jonathan Chase, an Englishman who assists police in the fight against crime with his ability to transform into animals. The role impressed MacCorkindale, who considered Chase to be a "very cerebral individual". He also "found himself in the first wave of UK stars to make it big in America," along with Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
in Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, which led to a further influx of British actors finding work in the US. Filming would often run for as much as 14 to 16 hours per day, and MacCorkindale would sometimes be required to work at weekends to be made up with the prosthetics
Prosthetic makeup
Prosthetic makeup is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects...
necessary for Manimals transformation sequences. The low ratings that resulted in the cancellation of Manimal after one season and eight episodes was in part due to NBC broadcasting the series at the same time as Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Manimal losing out to the more popular "soap". Budget cuts also contributed to the series' cancellation as it was the network's most expensive series. Manimal has since acquired a global cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
.
MacCorkindale appeared in the films Caboblanco
Caboblanco
Caboblanco is an American drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Charles Bronson, Dominique Sanda and Jason Robards. The film has often been described as a remake of Casablanca.-Plot:...
(1980) and The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. A mercenary with a three-bladed sword rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant and a powerful...
(1982, as Prince Mikah). Later, he starred as Philip FitzRoyce in the third part of the Jaws film series, Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D
Jaws 3-D is a 1983 thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson and Louis Gossett, Jr...
(1983), but subsequently his film career stalled to a certain extent as he appeared in more TV roles. Following Manimal, he was given parts in series such as Dynasty, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, Matt Houston
Matt Houston
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.-Synopsis:...
and The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
. He also played David Clement, an aristocrat, in the mini-series Manions of America
Manions of America
Manions of America is a 6 hour mini-series for American television made in 1981. The subject of the series were Irish immigrants to the United States during the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. It was the first American role for actor Pierce Brosnan, co-starring Kate Mulgrew, David Soul and...
. In the 1980s he directed three performances of the play Sleuth
Sleuth (play)
Sleuth is a 1970 play written by Anthony Shaffer. The play is set in the Wiltshire, England manor house of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. His home reflects Wyke's obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing...
, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Howard Keel
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel , known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s...
and James Whitmore
James Whitmore
James Allen Whitmore, Jr. was an American film and stage actor.-Early life:Born in White Plains, New York, to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., a park commission official, Whitmore attended Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, before graduating from The Choate School in...
, and a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
production of The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
, and starred in the one-man show The Importance of Being Oscar
The Importance of Being Oscar
The Importance of Being Oscar is a one man show devised by the soi-disant Irish actor Micheál MacLiammóir and based on the writings of Oscar Wilde....
at the Globe Playhouse in 1981. He received another substantial TV acting role in 1984 when he was cast as Angela Channing's (Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman was an American singer, dancer, and character actress of film and television. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades...
) lawyer Greg Reardon in the 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,...
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
, without requiring an audition. MacCorkindale asked for the character, originally an American named Brad, to be rewritten as English, and also directed one episode. He rejected a contract extension after appearing in 59 episodes and left the series in 1986 because he "felt that the work I was doing was fun and lucrative but not as stretching as I felt I wanted or needed. I also was finding fault with much of the work, not only Falcon Crest, but everything. I was actually ready to quit acting and try producing so I could put myself on the line."
In the mid-1980s he was considered for the role of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
as a possible successor to actors Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
and Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
, but was not cast.
Canada and return to the United Kingdom
After his departure from Falcon Crest, MacCorkindale returned to the UK in 1986 to form a production company. The following year, he established Amy International Artists, based at Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
, with his wife Susan George
Susan George (actress)
Susan Melody George is an English film and television actress, and film producer.-Career:She trained at the Stage School, Corona Theatre School and has acted since the age of four, appearing on both television and film...
, and also Anglo Films International. He subsequently directed, wrote and produced a number of projects for Amy International, including the 1988 film Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven is a 1988 film, a costume drama based on the French 12th century medieval romance of Peter Abelard and Héloïse and on a historical novel by Marion Meade...
(concerning the medieval French philosopher Abelard
Peter Abelard
Peter Abelard was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, theologian and preeminent logician. The story of his affair with and love for Héloïse has become legendary...
and his passion for Heloise), and the 1989 film Djavolji Raj (That Summer of White Roses), which stars George and features romantic theme music composed by MacCorkindale. MacCorkindale and George purchased the rights to each project because they wished to "make the pictures that we just totally and literally believe in", regardless of their commercial success. MacCorkindale continued to act and became involved in a number of projects in Canada, which he felt "could be at the crossroads of international production." From 1990 to 1993, MacCorkindale played former Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
inspector Peter Sinclair on the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
series Counterstrike, filmed in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He was offered the part by producer Robert Lantos
Robert Lantos
-Life and career:Lantos was born in Budapest, the son of Agnes and László Lantos, a mechanic and truck company owner. Lantos spent much of his childhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, where his family had fled after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956...
, who wanted to work with MacCorkindale while for his part the actor wished to return to acting after three years running Amy International. With production complete on several episodes, feeling that the show was "too plot-driven rather than character-driven", MacCorkindale thereafter became a writer for the series. He was appointed an executive production consultant that ensured that he "could make quicker [on-set] judgments on behalf of the production." Following Counterstrike, MacCorkindale appeared in the final episode of Canadian TV drama E.N.G.
E.N.G.
E.N.G. is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto television news station . The show aired on CTV from 1988 to 1994...
, whereafter his "media tycoon" character was planned to be the star of a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
alongside actress Sara Botsford
Sara Botsford
Sara Botsford is a Canadian television and film actress. She is probably best known for her role of Ann Hildebrand in the television series E.N.G. for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role...
, but the project was abandoned. MacCorkindale then wrote the screenplay for a biopic of the missing peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
Lord Lucan
Richard Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan
Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan , popularly known as Lord Lucan, as Lord Bingham before 1964, and sometimes colloquially called "Lucky" Lucan, was a British peer, who disappeared in the early hours of 8 November 1974, following the murder of Sandra Rivett, his children's nanny, the previous...
, which he also planned to produce and act in, although financial problems resulted in the cancellation of the project in 1996. He starred in numerous TV films throughout the 1990s, including a part as the villain in the Canadian series The Girl Next Door. MacCorkindale was glad to "gradually [switch] to villains" as "that's more fun than [playing] the straitlaced hero." MacCorkindale also reprised the role of Dr Chase from Manimal in an episode of Night Man
Night Man
Night Man is an American action/adventure/sci-fi series that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997 to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and was created by Steve Englehart and developed for television by Glen A...
in 1998, which incorporated computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
for the transformations as opposed to prosthetic makeup, and also directed an episode of the series. Other late-1990s appearances include the TV series Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
and the 2000 TV film The Dinosaur Hunter. Working in partnership with Chris Bryant
Chris Bryant (writer)
Chris Bryant was an English screenwriter and occasional actor ....
, MacCorkindale wrote and directed the TV film The House That Mary Bought in 1995, and with Paul Stephens co-produced the 1998 film Such a Long Journey, for which he was nominated for the Genie Award for Best Motion Picture
Genie Award for Best Motion Picture
The Genie Award for Best Motion Picture is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian motion picture.-1st Genie Awards:*The Changeling *Cordélia...
. He served as co-executive producer for the 2000 syndicated TV series Queen of Swords, and as co-producer for the 2002 series Adventure Inc.
Adventure Inc.
Adventure Inc. is a dramatised adventure television series produced primarily in Canada which aired from September 30, 2002 to May 12, 2003. It was a co-production of Fireworks Entertainment , Tribune Entertainment Tribune Entertainment , M6 , Amy International , and Tele München...
. MacCorkindale also co-produced the third series of Relic Hunter
Relic Hunter
Relic Hunter is an anglophone Canadian television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt. Actress Lindy Booth also starred for the first two seasons; Tanja Reichert replaced her for the third...
in 2002.
Having rejected an offer to play Captain Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, where he is played by Scott Bakula...
in the science-fiction TV series Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
, MacCorkindale returned again to the UK and in 2002 joined the cast of the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
medical drama Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
, in the role of clinical lead consultant Harry Harper
Harry Harper (fictional character)
Harry Harper is a fictional character from the BBC One medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actor Simon MacCorkindale. He made his first appearance in the series sixteen episode "Denial", broadcast on 8 June 2002. He ran Holby City Hospital's emergency department for five years, before being...
. Following his casting, he said in an interview with the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
that he was a long-time fan of the series, commenting that it was "great to be joining an established show with a great bunch of people." In contrast, Neil Bonner of the Liverpool Daily Post
Liverpool Daily Post
The Liverpool Daily Post is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Friday and is published in Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Wales editions, and is a morning paper...
quoted him as stating that he had never seen an episode of the show in its then-16-year history. MacCorkindale was surprised to be offered the role of Harper given the many years that he had spent working in North America, but having settled in Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
found Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to be an accessible production base. MacCorkindale was "never too comfortable as a young actor" and "always felt that [his] best time in the business would be around [the age of 50]." Wanting to return to a TV acting role, he signed on for Casualty. MacCorkindale commented that he "loved [his] time on Casualty," and spent time researching all the medical terminology that his character used to ensure that he understood it. He also appeared as Harper in the Casualty spin-off series Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
and Casualty@Holby City
Casualty@Holby City
Casualty@Holby City is the name given to special crossover episodes of BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City. While Casualty was launched on 6 September 1986, and its spin-off Holby City was first aired on 12 January 1999, the first full crossover episode between the two programmes was not...
. Many reviewers were disparaging of MacCorkindale's performances in Casualty: Rupert Smith of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
deemed MacCorkindale "fantastically wooden", while fellow Guardian journalists Sarah Dempster and Jim Shelley
Jim Shelley (TV critic)
Jim Shelley is a British television critic who writes a column for the Daily Mirror each Monday titled Shelleyvision. Prior to writing for the Daily Mirror he wrote for The Guardian and his collection of reviews "Interference: Tapehead vs. Television" was published by Atlantic Books...
commented on MacCorkindale's "loud" delivery of his lines. Shelley described the character of Harper as a "human Foghorn Leghorn", while according to Dempster, Casualty was "above all [...] about Simon MacCorkindale, shouting. Then panting, alarmingly, as he peers through some blinds. And then shouting again."
In January 2007, MacCorkindale was given a five-month sabbatical from Casualty because a plotline required that his character be temporarily removed from the series. He took the opportunity to tour the UK in a revival of the Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
murder mystery play The Unexpected Guest
The Unexpected Guest (play)
The Unexpected Guest is a 1958 play by crime writer Agatha Christie.The play opened in the West End at the Duchess Theatre on 12 August 1958 after a previous try-out at the Bristol Hippodrome. It was directed by Hubert Gregg.-Plot summary :...
. He then returned to Casualty, but having re-discovered his "taste" for theatre, left the series permanently in 2008 to appear as Andrew Wyke in a UK tour Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth
Sleuth (play)
Sleuth is a 1970 play written by Anthony Shaffer. The play is set in the Wiltshire, England manor house of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. His home reflects Wyke's obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing...
. By the time that MacCorkindale quit Casualty, he had appeared in 229 episodes of the series. In August 2008, he replaced Simon Burke
Simon Burke
Simon Burke is an Australian actor. Burke began his acting career as a 13 year-old in the Australian film, The Devil's Playground for which he was awarded Best Actor at the 1976 Australian Film Institute Awards....
as Captain Georg Ludwig von Trapp in the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
production of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, remaining with the show until its closure in February 2009. After small parts in the films 13 Hrs and A Closed Book
A Closed Book (film)
A Closed Book is a 2010 British film based on the novel of the same name by Gilbert Adair, about a blind author who employs an assistant to help him write his novels. Throughout the film the assistant starts to play crueler and crueler tricks on her employer. The film is directed by Raúl Ruiz, and...
, he returned to TV as Sir David Bryant in the 2010 series of New Tricks, in what proved to be his final TV appearance.
Personal life
MacCorkindale was married twice. His first wife was actress Fiona FullertonFiona Fullerton
Fiona Elizabeth Fullerton is a Nigerian-born British actress.She is perhaps best known for her role as KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill and as Alice in the 1972 film Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.Fullerton made her film debut in 1969 with a role in Run Wild, Run...
; the couple married in 1976 and divorced in 1982. Following his divorce from Fullerton, MacCorkindale re-connected with an old friend, actress Susan George
Susan George (actress)
Susan Melody George is an English film and television actress, and film producer.-Career:She trained at the Stage School, Corona Theatre School and has acted since the age of four, appearing on both television and film...
, whom he had first met in 1977; they married secretly in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
on 5 October 1984, and later held a second ceremony with family and friends in Berkshire, England. They had no children. With George, MacCorkindale lived on and managed an Arabian stud farm
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
based on Exmoor.
Death
MacCorkindale was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006, and underwent an operation to remove a section of his bowel during a two-week break from filming Casualty. Although the cancer was excised and MacCorkindale went into remission following the surgery, one year later doctors discovered that the cancer had metastasised to his lungs. MacCorkindale continued to act during his treatment, returning to film his final series of Casualty in late 2007; he did not disclose his illness to his colleagues, and found it surreal when scripts required his character to inform patients that they had cancer or another incurable disease. MacCorkindale spent much of his fortune on private cancer treatment in the United States, but to no avail. In November 2009, he publicly revealed that the disease was terminalTerminal illness
Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...
, and died on 14 October 2010 at a clinic in London.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Juggernaut Juggernaut (film) Juggernaut is a 1974 British thriller film. It was produced by David V. Picker Productions and released in 1974 by United Artists. The film was directed by Richard Lester, who took over after directors Bryan Forbes and Don Medford each left the project in pre-production.On taking over the film,... |
No. 1 Helmsman | |
| 1978 | Death on the Nile Death on the Nile (1978 film) Death on the Nile is a 1978 film based on the Agatha Christie mystery novel Death on the Nile, directed by John Guillermin. The film features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot played by Peter Ustinov plus an all-star cast. It takes place in Egypt, mostly on the Nile River... |
Simon Doyle | |
| 1979 | Arthur Davies | ||
| 1979 | Joe Kapp | ||
| 1980 | Caboblanco Caboblanco Caboblanco is an American drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Charles Bronson, Dominique Sanda and Jason Robards. The film has often been described as a remake of Casablanca.-Plot:... |
Lewis Clarkson | |
| 1981 | Macbeth | Macduff | |
| 1982 | Kayerts | ||
| 1982 | Prince Mikah | ||
| 1983 | Jaws 3-D Jaws 3-D Jaws 3-D is a 1983 thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson and Louis Gossett, Jr... |
Philip FitzRoyce | |
| 1987 | Shades of Love: Sincerely, Violet Shades of Love: Sincerely, Violet Shades Of Love: Sincerely, Violet is a 1987 film from the Shades of Love romance series. The cast includes Simon MacCorkindale, Patricia Phillips, Brian Dooley, Kevin Fenlon, Myron Galloway, Joan Heney, Barbara Jones and Jennifer McKeown... |
Mark Jamieson | Direct-to-video release |
| 1988 | Stealing Heaven Stealing Heaven Stealing Heaven is a 1988 film, a costume drama based on the French 12th century medieval romance of Peter Abelard and Héloïse and on a historical novel by Marion Meade... |
N/A | Producer |
| 1989 | N/A | Producer, composer and writer | |
| 1998 | Such A Long Journey Such a Long Journey Such a Long Journey is a film based on the novel of the same name written by Rohinton Mistry. It is directed by Sturla Gunnarsson from a screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala.-Plot:... |
N/A | Producer |
| 1999 | Wing Commander Wing Commander (film) Wing Commander is a science fiction film based on the same titled video game series, released in 1999. It was directed by Chris Roberts, the creator of the game series, and stars Freddie Prinze, Jr., Matthew Lillard, Saffron Burrows, Tchéky Karyo, Jürgen Prochnow, David Suchet and David Warner... |
Flight Boss | |
| 2010 | Andrew Boles | ||
| 2010 | 13Hrs 13Hrs 13Hrs is a 2010 British horror film directed by Jonathan Glendening. The film stars Isabella Calthorpe as the main female lead, and also features Gemma Atkinson, John Lynch and Tom Felton.-Plot:... |
Duncan Moore |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Hawkeye, the Pathfinder | Lieutenant Carter | Appeared in three episodes |
| 1974 | Play of the Month Play of the Month Play of the Month is a BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles... |
Rolf | Episode 9.8: "The Skin Game" |
| 1975 | Sutherland's Law Sutherland's Law Sutherland's Law is a television series made by BBC Scotland between 1973 and 1976.The series had originated as a stand alone edition of the portmanteau programme Drama Playhouse in 1972 in which Derek Francis played Sutherland and was then commissioned as an ongoing series.Sutherland's Law dealt... |
Ian Sutherland | Episode 4.5: "No Second Chance" |
| 1976 | Romeo and Juliet | Paris Count Paris In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Count Paris is a suitor of Juliet Capulet. He is handsome, somewhat self-absorbed, very wealthy, and is a kinsman of Prince Escalus... |
TV film |
| 1976 | Hunter's Walk | Houseman | Episode 3.1: "Intent" |
| 1976 | I, Claudius I, Claudius (TV series) I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time... |
Lucius Lucius Caesar Lucius Julius Caesar , most commonly known as Lucius Caesar, was the second son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. He was born between 14 of June and 15 July 17 BC with the name Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa, but when he was adopted by his maternal grandfather Roman Emperor Caesar... |
Episode 1.2: "Waiting in the Wings" |
| 1976 | Beasts Beasts (TV series) Beasts is a series of six television plays by Manx writer Nigel Kneale, unconnected but for a bestial horror theme, made by ATV for ITV in the United Kingdom and broadcast in 1976.-Episodes:-External links:* at the BFI's Screenonline... |
Peter Gilkes | Episode 1.4: "Baby" |
| 1976–78 | Within These Walls Within These Walls Within These Walls is a British television drama programme made by London Weekend Television for ITV and shown between 1974 and 1978. It portrayed life in HMP Stone Park, a fictional women's prison... |
Dr. Dady | Appeared in three episodes |
| 1977 | Romance | Paul Verdayne | Episode 1.2: "Three Weeks" |
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | Lucius | TV miniseries |
| 1977 | Just William Just William (1970s TV series) Just William was an ITV television series based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series.-Cast:-Series One:# William and the Begging Letter# William the Great Actor# The Outlaws and the Tramp... |
Charlie | Episode 1.12: "William and the Sleeping Major" |
| 1978 | Lt. Cmdr. Madock | Episode 1.1: "Court of Shame" | |
| 1978 | Will Shakespeare Will Shakespeare (TV series) Will Shakespeare, also known as Life of Shakespeare, was a 1978 historical drama series created and written by John Mortimer. Broadcast in six parts, the series is a dramatisation of the life of William Shakespeare, and was co-produced by Lew Grade's ATV and RAI and distributed internationally by ITC... |
Sir Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (literary patron) Sir Thomas Walsingham was a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I and literary patron to such poets as Thomas Watson, Thomas Nashe, George Chapman and Christopher Marlowe. He was related to Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham and the employer of Marlowe's murderer Ingram Frizer... |
Episode 1.1: "Dead Shepherd" |
| 1979 | Quatermass Quatermass (TV serial) Quatermass is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, Quatermass was written by Nigel Kneale... |
Joe Kapp | TV serial; appeared in all four episodes |
| 1979 | Gaylord Duke | 2.13: "Duke of Duke" | |
| 1980 | Hammer Film Productions | Harry Wells | Episode 1.11: "Visitor from the Grave" |
| 1981 | Manions of America Manions of America Manions of America is a 6 hour mini-series for American television made in 1981. The subject of the series were Irish immigrants to the United States during the Great Famine of the mid-19th century. It was the first American role for actor Pierce Brosnan, co-starring Kate Mulgrew, David Soul and... |
David Clement | TV mini-series |
| 1981 | Fantasy Island | Gaston du Brielle | Episode 5.3: "Cyrano/The Magician" |
| 1982 | Hart to Hart Hart to Hart Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg... |
Arthur Roman | Episode 4.3: "Million Dollar Harts" |
| 1982 | Dynasty Dynasty (TV series) Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado... |
Billy Dawson | Episode 3.4: "The Will" |
| 1982 | Falcon's Gold | Hank Richards | TV film |
| 1983 | Manimal Manimal Manimal is an American action–adventure series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC. The show centers on the character Dr Jonathan Chase , a shape-shifting man who possessed the ability to turn himself into any animal he chose... |
Dr. Jonathan Chase | Appeared in all eight episodes |
| 1984 | Obsessive Love | Glenn Stevens | TV film |
| 1984 | Matt Houston Matt Houston Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.-Synopsis:... |
Robert Tyler | Episode 3.3: "Eyewitness" |
| 1984–86 | Falcon Crest Falcon Crest Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced.... |
Greg Reardon | Appeared in 59 episodes |
| 1989 | Pursuit | Manley-Jones | TV film |
| 1990–93 | Counterstrike | Peter Sinclair | Appeared in 65 episodes |
| 1994 | E.N.G. E.N.G. E.N.G. is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto television news station . The show aired on CTV from 1988 to 1994... |
Maxwell Harding | Episode 5.14: "Cutting Edge" |
| 1995 | The Way to Dusty Death | Johnny Harlow | TV film |
| 1995 | At the Midnight Hour | Richard Keaton | TV film |
| 1995 | Family of Cops | Adam Novacek | TV fim |
| 1995 | N/A | Director and writer | |
| 1996 | No Greater Love No Greater Love (1996 film) No Greater Love, also known as Danielle Steel's No Greater Love, is a 1996 television film directed by Richard T. Heffron. The film is based upon the 1991 novel of the same name written by Danielle Steel.- Plot :... |
Patrick Kelly | TV film |
| 1997 | While My Pretty One Sleeps | Jack Campbell | TV film |
| 1997 | La Femme Nikita | Alec Chandler | Episode 1.4: "Charity" |
| 1998 | La guerre de l'eau | Peter Gregory | TV film |
| 1998 | Running Wild | Walton Baden Smythe | TV film |
| 1998 | Night Man Night Man Night Man is an American action/adventure/sci-fi series that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997 to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and was created by Steve Englehart and developed for television by Glen A... |
Professor Jonathan Chase | Episode 2.6: "Manimal" |
| 1999 | Steve Vandermeer | TV film | |
| 1999 | Poltergeist: The Legacy Poltergeist: The Legacy Poltergeist: The Legacy is a Canadian horror television series which ran from 1996 to 1999. The series tells the story of the members of a secret society known as the Legacy, and their efforts to protect humankind from occult dangers... |
Reed Horton | Appeared in five episodes |
| 1999 | Mentors | Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s... |
Episode 1.6: "Wilde Card" |
| 2000 | Earth: Final Conflict Earth: Final Conflict Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death... |
Dennis Robillard | Episode 3.14: "Scorched Earth" |
| 2000 | Jack | TV film | |
| 2001 | Dark Realm Dark Realm Dark Realm is an anthology series hosted by Eric Roberts. The series aired in syndication in the United States for a total of 13 episodes, from May to December 2001.-Episodes:... |
Brad Collins | Appeared in two episodes |
| 2001 | Queen of Swords | Captain Charles Wentworth | Episode 1.15: "Runaways"; also series co-executive producer |
| 2001–02 | Relic Hunter Relic Hunter Relic Hunter is an anglophone Canadian television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt. Actress Lindy Booth also starred for the first two seasons; Tanja Reichert replaced her for the third... |
Fabrice De Viega | Appeared in three episodes; also co-executive producer |
| 2002–2003 | Adventure Inc. Adventure Inc. Adventure Inc. is a dramatised adventure television series produced primarily in Canada which aired from September 30, 2002 to May 12, 2003. It was a co-production of Fireworks Entertainment , Tribune Entertainment Tribune Entertainment , M6 , Amy International , and Tele München... |
N/A | Co-producer |
| 2002–08 | Casualty Casualty (TV series) Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The... |
Dr. Harry Harper Harry Harper (fictional character) Harry Harper is a fictional character from the BBC One medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actor Simon MacCorkindale. He made his first appearance in the series sixteen episode "Denial", broadcast on 8 June 2002. He ran Holby City Hospital's emergency department for five years, before being... |
Appeared in 229 episodes |
| 2004–05 | Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999... |
Dr. Harry Harper | Appeared in two episodes |
| 2005 | Casualty@Holby City Casualty@Holby City Casualty@Holby City is the name given to special crossover episodes of BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City. While Casualty was launched on 6 September 1986, and its spin-off Holby City was first aired on 12 January 1999, the first full crossover episode between the two programmes was not... |
Dr. Harry Harper | Appeared in three specials |
| 2010 | New Tricks | Sir David Bryant | Episode 9.5: "Good Morning Lemmings" |