Michael Gough

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors

 

  1. John Stratton, Quatermass and the Pitt, TV, 1958.      Gough was shortlisted but scheduled elsewhere. Therefore, Stratton inherited Captain Potter (ex-Archer) in the third and final BBC TV Quatermass tale by Nigel Kneale.  
  2. Denis Lill, Doctor Who # 94: Image of the Fendahl, TV, 1977.    The Tony Award winner was in the mix with Lill, Anthony Bate, John Franklin-Robbins and William Lucas for scientist Dr Fendelman (researching a 12million-year-old skull) in the adventure with Doc4 Tom Baker. Gough had played the title role in #24: The Celstial Toymaker, with Doc1 William Hartnell,1966 – and wuld be Councillor Hedin in  #123: Act of Infinity, with Doc5 Peter Davison,1983.
  3. Charles Gray, The Legacy, 1977.  Failing to be Harry Liebnecht, immolated in Jimmy Sangster’s literal horror – with Hollywood leads, of course (Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott) in an English country house, of course – were the obviously much relieved Gough (the future Batman’s man, Alfred), Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Peter Cushing, Patrick Troughton (the second Doctor Who, 1966-1969), Peter Vaughan. Plus two Donalds: Houston and Pleasence.  Gray was totally mis-cast. Better German accents would have from the also listed Peter Arne, Anton Diffring, Christopher Lee and Herbert Lom. Elliott (who wed Ross in 1984) warned the Associated Press: “I wouldn’t rush out to see it. It’s about 15 years behind its time.”
  4. John Fraser, Doctor Who #115: Logopolis, TV, 1981.      Age apparently, didn’t matter. The Monitor was 60 but producer John Nathan-Taylor’s usual suspects ranged from Harry Andrews at 77 to Hywel Bennett at…37! Plus Maurice Denham, 72; Marius Goring, 69; Peter Cushing, 68; Bernard Archard, Michael Gough, 65; Nigel  Stock, 62; Geoffrey Bayldon, 57; William Lucas, 56; Frank Finley, 55; Barry Foster, Frank Windsor, 54; Johm Fraser, 50; Peter Wyngarde, 48. This as the episode that Brian Epstein would not let The Beatles to appear in. But he OKed Top of the Pops footage of Ticket To Ride.
  5. Nigel Stock, Doctor Who #122: Time-Flight, TV, 1982.   After several invites, Nigel Stock finally joined the Whoverse – when winning Professor Hayter from Gough, Bernard Archard, Geoffrey Bayldon, John Carson, Peter Cushing, Maurice Denham and William Lucas… in The Case of the Missing Concorde!

  6. Patrick Stewart, Lifeforce, 1984.
  7. Aubrey Morris, Lifeforce, 1984.
  8. Frank Finlay, Lifeforce, 1984.

  9. Terence Alexander, Doctor Who #139: The Mark of the Rani, 1984.     Gough, Joss Ackland, Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Robin Bailey, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Geoffrey Bayldon, John Carson, Peter Cushing, Allan Cuthbertson, Frank Finlay, Robert Flemyng, Dinsdale Landen, TP McKenna, Donald Pickering, Peter Sallis, John Standing, Patrick Stewart, Peter Vaughan… and the Z Cars cops James Ellis and Jeremy Kemp – 23 contenders for Lord Ravenworth. Phew! Standing was the most suitable as he was the the fourth baronet in his family’s line.
  10. Patrick Macnee, Waxwork, 1987.    Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Christopher Lee and Donald Pleasence were the inevitables in London auteur Anthony Hickox’s mind for Sir Wilfrid  – in a horror trip unleashig havoc with wax models  of the Marquis De Sade, The Mummy, The Werewolf… and allowing Miles O’Keefe to be the only actor to portray both Tarzan and, as here, Dracula.  I still have the tee-shirt.  It lights up in the dark.  More than the movie ever did. 

  11. Anton Diffring, Doctor Who #150: Silver Nemesis, TV, 1988.         Pinewood’s top Nazi was obviously on the list for the Nazi De Flores in the 25th anniversary episode. Along with: Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Peter Cushing, Frank Finlay Robert Flemyng, Charles Gray, Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Donald Pleasence and Peter Vaughan. Although baffled by the script, and in poor health, Diffring accepted what was his final rôle   in order to be in London and able to watch the Wimbledon tennis. He then returned to his French home and was dead within a year.
  12. Royal Dano, The Dark Half, 1992.   “I’m indebted to the late Richard Bachman,” Steophen King wrote. “This novel could not have been written without him.”Misery was by Bachman. But that cat was out of the bag. Stephen King owned up, killed off Bachman and used all that, two books later, in this tale of a college professor and serious author in Maine (no!), with a strong wife (no!), bringing home the bacon with  pulp horror (no!) as George Stark… the twin brother ingested by his body when they were in the uterus.  It worked better on the page despite (or because) George Romero was directing the 38th of King’s staggering 313 screen credits. But why he craved two great Brit characters (Gough and John Hurt) as Maine guys, is beyond me.  And, apparently, them.  This was  Dano’s 195th and final film.  (Gough reached198).
  13. Tony Goldwyn, The 6th Day, 2000.      Batman’s butler of the 1990s was the least expensive of the names (Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson) kicked around as the villain of the ever-expensive Arnold Schwarzenegger piece.
  14. Jeremy Irons, Justice League, 2017.      For ten years, Warner exercised extreme cowardice, until Marvel showed them how to make superhero summits with Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. In October 2007, Mad Max’s dad, George Miller, found his Bat/Supermans, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aqua Man, Green Lantern, even the Martian Manhunter, after auditioning about 40 youngsters. And one oldster, Gough, to continue as Alfred. (And if not: Stephen Tobolowsky). Four months later, everything was “tabled.” Dumped! By 2010, Miller had gone and who could blame him. Besides, he wanted to go to the Max again. (Gough died in 2011, aged 94).

 Birth year: 1917Death year: 2011Other name: Casting Calls:  14