Peter Firth

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors

 

  1. Mark Hamill, Star Wars: Episode VI – A New Hope, 1976.

  2. Malcolm McDowell, Caligula,  1978.
  3. Simon MacCorkindale, Jaws 3-D, 1982.        Bruce goes Jurassic and invades a marine park.  David Warner was also up for the true Brut biologist Philip Fitzroyce in the worst of the Jaws sequels. The original producers should have had their way – National Lampoon’s Jaws 3, People 0 – but Spielberg went apoplectic and threatened to quit Universal if they did!
  4. Ken Marshall, Marco Polo, TV, 1982.        Michael Ontkean and Mandy Patinkin also passed on the mini-series on the life and times of the 13th Century explorer. Firth waited two decades to make a hit show – 86 chapters of the superb Spooks, 2002-2011.
  5. Michael Cochrane, Doctor Who #120: Black Orchid, TV, 1982.       Not a rehash of Sophia Loren’s 1958 Hollywood melo, but an adventure (with cricket!) in 1925 England for for Doc5 Peter Davison. In the baker’s dozen list for Lord Cranleigh were Firth, Cochrane, Nicholas Ball, Michael Cashman, Christopher Cazenove, Keith Drinkel, Nigel Havers, Paul Jerricho, Martin Potter, Jeff Rawle, Patrick Ryecart, James Warwick and   Simon Williams, often a lord or knight.
  6. James Warwick, Doctor Who #121: Earthshock, 1982.       In Doc5 Peter Davison’s Cybermen encounter, circa 2526, Scott was offered to Firth, Colin Baker (to be Doc6 in 1984-1986), Nicholas Ball, Andrew Burt, Del Henney, Martin Jarvis, Tim Pigott-Smith, Patrick Ryecart, Patrick Stewart, David Warner, Simon Williams. Plus Gareth Hunt (aka Mike Gambit) from TV’s 1976-1977 New Avengers. And the more successful 1977-1983 Professionals: Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw, aka Bodie and Doyle.
  7. Nicholas Ball, Lifeforce, 1984.
  8. Del Henney, Doctor Who #133: Resurrection Of The Daleks, TV, 1984.      Firth, Henney, Nicholas Ball, Michael Byrne, Tom Chadbon, Tim Pigott-Smith, Patrick Ryecart, Patrick Stewart, David Warner… most of the eleven actors up for Colonel Archer in the Doc5 Peter Davison adventure were were from the astonshing army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in that year’s Lifeforce movie mess. The difference being Who was science fiction, Lifeforce was science fart. Firth was in the US Total Recall 2070 but never in the Whoverse.

 

 

 

 Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls:  8