Walter Sparrow
Encyclopedia
Walter Leonard Sparrow was a British
film and television actor best known for his appearance as Duncan in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
starring Kevin Costner
.
Born in Eltham, London
in 1927, Sparrow began his career as a stand-up comic before moving to acting with a period with the Royal Shakespeare Company
. His first film role was in 1964, in Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
, with Christopher Lee
. Subsequent films, interspersed between countless TV appearances, included the 1969 sex fantasy Zeta One
, Young Sherlock Holmes
, and the acclaimed 1988 film The Accidental Tourist
with William Hurt
and Geena Davis
.
His career enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s, with Sparrow playing key roles in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
as the blinded retainer Duncan, The Secret Garden
as gruff gardener Ben Weatherstaff, the American
film Now and Then as tragic drifter 'Crazy Pete', and Prometheus
as Granddad, an ancient miner engaged in an argument with the Greek god
Hermes
.
Sparrow's even more prolific TV appearances included regular roles in the soap opera
Emmerdale Farm, as two different characters, and the comedy Paris, and guest spots on Hugh and I
, Adam Adamant Lives!
, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
, Z Cars, The Onedin Line
, All Creatures Great and Small, Alas Smith and Jones
, Rumpole of the Bailey
, One Foot in the Grave
, and The Bill
among many others.
Sparrow is also well-known for playing Maurice, a peasant who was threatened to be shipped to the Americas, in the 1998 Cinderella remake Ever After
.
One of his more notable guest appearances was in the 1989 episode Danger UXD
of the sitcom Only Fools and Horses
, which had 16.1 million viewers, as porn shop owner Dirty Barry. His last appearance was in 2000 in an episode of the BBC
's medical drama series Doctors.
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...
film and television actor best known for his appearance as Duncan in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American adventure film directed by Kevin Reynolds. Kevin Costner heads the cast list as Robin Hood...
starring Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
.
Born in Eltham, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1927, Sparrow began his career as a stand-up comic before moving to acting with a period with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. His first film role was in 1964, in Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is a 1965 British horror film from Amicus Productions, directed by veteran horror director Freddie Francis, written by Milton Subotsky, and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee....
, with Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
. Subsequent films, interspersed between countless TV appearances, included the 1969 sex fantasy Zeta One
Zeta One
Zeta One is a 1969 British comedy science fiction film directed by Michael Cort and starring James Robertson Justice, Charles Hawtrey and Robin Hawdon.-Cast:* James Robertson Justice - Major Bourdon* Charles Hawtrey - Swyne* Robin Hawdon - James Word...
, Young Sherlock Holmes
Young Sherlock Holmes
Young Sherlock Holmes is a 1985 mystery/adventure film directed by Barry Levinson, produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Chris Columbus, based on characters by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...
, and the acclaimed 1988 film The Accidental Tourist
The Accidental Tourist (film)
The Accidental Tourist is a 1988 American drama film starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Geena Davis. It was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and scored by John Williams. The film's screenplay was adapted by Kasdan and Frank Galati from the novel of the same name by Anne Tyler...
with William Hurt
William Hurt
William McGill Hurt is an American stage and film actor. He received his acting training at the Juilliard School, and began acting on stage in the 1970s. Hurt made his film debut as a troubled scientist in the science-fiction feature Altered States , for which he received a Golden Globe nomination...
and Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
.
His career enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s, with Sparrow playing key roles in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American adventure film directed by Kevin Reynolds. Kevin Costner heads the cast list as Robin Hood...
as the blinded retainer Duncan, The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden (1993 film)
The Secret Garden is a 1993 British drama film based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Agnieszka Holland.-Plot:...
as gruff gardener Ben Weatherstaff, the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film Now and Then as tragic drifter 'Crazy Pete', and Prometheus
Prometheus (film)
Prometheus is an upcoming science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green. The film was originally intended as a direct prequel to the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien...
as Granddad, an ancient miner engaged in an argument with the Greek god
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
Hermes
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
.
Sparrow's even more prolific TV appearances included regular roles 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,...
Emmerdale Farm, as two different characters, and the comedy Paris, and guest spots on Hugh and I
Hugh and I
Hugh and I was a highly successful black-and-white British sitcom that aired from 1962 to 1967. It starred Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd as two friends who shared lodgings with Terry's mother and was followed by a sequel called Hugh and I Spy...
, Adam Adamant Lives!
Adam Adamant Lives!
Adam Adamant Lives! is a British television series which ran from 1966 to 1967 on the BBC. Proposing that an adventurer born in 1867 had been revived from hibernation in 1966, the show was a comedy adventure that took a satirical look at life in the 1960s through the eyes of an Edwardian .- Character...
, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
, Z Cars, The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham.The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin...
, All Creatures Great and Small, Alas Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones is a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1984 to 1998...
, 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...
, One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
, and The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
among many others.
Sparrow is also well-known for playing Maurice, a peasant who was threatened to be shipped to the Americas, in the 1998 Cinderella remake Ever After
Ever After
Ever After: A Cinderella Story is a 1998 film inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston and Dougray Scott. The screenplay is written by Tennant, Susannah Grant, and Rick Parks. The original music score is composed by George Fenton...
.
One of his more notable guest appearances was in the 1989 episode Danger UXD
Danger UXD
"Danger UXD" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the second episode of series 6 and first broadcast on 15 January, 1989.-Synopsis:While continuing to follow the yuppy lifestyle, Del Boy encourages Rodney to join in the fun...
of the sitcom Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
, which had 16.1 million viewers, as porn shop owner Dirty Barry. His last appearance was in 2000 in an episode 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...
's medical drama series Doctors.