Ronald Lacey

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors
  1. Murray Melvin, The Prince and the Pauper(US: Crossed Swords), 1976. The switch of Lacey for Melvin did not prevent this film becoming the straw that breaking  the back of the 1967 Oliver!star Mark Lester.  He was blamed fior the flop. Well , being 18 instead of the required nine didn’t help! But the entire project was too Stateside: Ernest Borgnine, Charlton Heston, George C Scott…  and Raquel Welch!
  2. Russell Hunter, Doctor Who #90: The Robots of Death, 1976.      Both Lacey and Hunter (the standout Lonely in Callan, TV, 1967-1972) were bizarre notions for the tough Uvanov, of Storm Mine 4. They were a match, the same way Jerry Lewis was for Hamlet. Although often solicited for the Whoverse, Lacey was always too busy with 162 screen roles between 1959-1993, including movies for directors as diverse as Milos Forman and Steven Spielberg.
  3. Emrys James, Doctor Who #112: State of Decay, 1980.    There were 21 potential Aukons and all – except James – had been this way before, standing at the Whoverse portal, awaiting a callback. Lacey, Peter Arne, Colin Baker, Steven Berkoff, John Carson, David Collings, Peter Gilmore, Michael Gothard, John Hallam, Donald Houston, Martin Jarvis, Michael Jayston, William Lucas, Ian McKellen, John Normington, Patrick Stewart, Anthony Valentine, Peter Vaughan, David Warner, Peter Wyngarde.
  4. David Weston, Doctor Who #113: Warriors’ Gate, TV, 1981.     Both Lacey and Michael Gothard were approached for Biroc of the leonine Tharil race – opposite Doc4 Tom Baker. Weston was selected because he more resembled a lion.
  5. Stratford Johns, Doctor Who #117: Four To Doomsday, TV, 1981.   The burly TV cop went agreed to a total make-over – as the frog-like Monarch of Urbanka. Lacey, Robert Hardy, Leonard Sachs and Nigel Stock did not.
  6. Michael Gothard, Lifeforce, 1984.
  7. Aubrey Morris, Lifeforce, 1984.
  8. Ian McCulloch, Doctor Who #130: Warriors of The Deep, 1984.    The 13 possible Nilsons were Peter Arne, Ian Holm, Dennis Lill, Alfred Lynch, Ian McKellen, Clive Merrison (BBC Radio’s Sherlock Holmes), John Normington plus five of the astonshing army of 203 candidates for just 18 roles in that year’s Lifeforce movie mess: Lacey, Nicholas Ball, Tom Chadbon, Michael Gothard, Edward Peel.
  9. Forbes Collins, Doctor Who # 138: Vengeance on Varos, TV, 1984.     Lacey was also among the 20 names rung up the flagpole for the treacherous Chief Officer… Lacey, Collins, Tony Caunter, Tom Chadbon, Peter Childs, Michael Culver, James Ellis, Tom Georgeson, John Hallam, Terrence Hardiman, Don Henderson, John Hollis, , Edward Peel, Clifford Rose, John Savident, George Sewell, Patrick Stewart, Donald Sumpter, Malcolm Tierney – and Stephen Yardley, who played Arak.
  10. John Stratton, Doctor Who #140: The Two Doctors, TV, 1985.      The two Time Lords were Doc2 Patrick Troughton and Doc 6, the short lived Colin Baker. Shockeyes were more plentiful: Lacey, Stratton, Joss Ackland, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Brian Blessed, Denholm Elliott, James Ellis, Frank Finlay, Ronald Fraser, Michael Gothard, Don Henderson, Donald Houston, Freddie Jones, Jeremy Kemp, Roy Kinnear, TP McKenna, Aubrey Morris, Donald Pleasence, Peter Sallis, George Sewell, Peter Vaughan.

  11. Paul Darrow, Doctor Who #141: Timelash, TV, 1985.     Lacey, Darrow, Steven Berkoff, Andrew Burt, Tom Chadbon, Michael Gothard, Patrick Mower and David Warner.were in the frame for Tekker opposite Doc6 Colin Baker. Producer John Nathan-Turner suggested Darrow play Tekker like his Blakes 7 character, Avon. Darrow had a loftier notion. Richard III.
  12. Clive Swift, Doctor Who #142: Revelation of the Daleks, 1985.      Top character stars Lacey and Roy Kinnear were also in the mix for Jobel during Doc6 Colin Baker’s visit to Necros. A tale greatly influenced by Evelyn Waugh’s novel, The Loved One, no less.
  13. Don Henderson, Doctor Who #146: Delta and The Bannermen, TV, 1987.    Chimeron Queen Delta escapes the baddies and heads to Disneyland (!), arriving instead at… a Welsh holiday camp! Director Chris Clough chose Henderson for Bannerman boss Gavrok from producer John Nathan-Taylor’s familiar dartboard list: Lacey, Nicholas Ball, Kenneth Colley, Michael Elphick, Michael Gothard, Bernard Hill, Jeremy Kemp, TP McKenna, Clifford Rose, Peter Vaughan, Simon Ward, David Warner.
  14. Edward Peel, Doctor Who #147: Dragonfire, TV, 1987.      The usual suspects were up for Kane, the icy director of Iceworld, on the dark side of planet Svartos… Lacey, Nicholas Ball, John Alderton, Tom Chadbon, Michael Gothard, Ian Holm, David Jason, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna, Clifford Rose, Simon Ward, David Warner. The Doctor was Doc7 Sylvester McCoy.
  15. George Sewell, Doctor Who #148: Remembrance of the Daleks, 1988.       Aunty searched for fascist leader Ratcliffe among Joss Ackland, Kenneth Cope, Peter Gilmore, Bernard Hill, Glyn Houston, Stratford Johns… and survivors of that 1984 Lifeforce regiment: Lacey, George Baker, Keith Barron, Steven Berkoff, John Carson, Kenneth Colley, Del Henney, TP McKenna, David Warner, Frank Windsor. The difference being Who was science fiction; Lifeforce was science fart.
  16. Bill Wallis, War and Remembrance, TV, 1988.         The role of Werner Beck was first offered to the (too) busy UK character actor.
  17. James Ellis, Doctor Who #152: Battlefield, 1989.      Also short-listed for Peter Warmsly opposite Doc7 Sylvester McCoy in the final episode of Nicholas Courtney’s Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart were Lacey, Joss Ackland, George Baker, Geoffrey Bayldon, John Carson, Kenneth Colley, Freddie Jones and David Warner. But producer John Nathan-Taylor had been determined to land the Irish Ellis sincce the 1980 start of his here ending tenure.

 Birth year: 1935Death year: 1991Other name: Casting Calls:  17