Eric Porter

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A highly respected Shakespearean for five decades until his death of colon cancer in 1995, classical actor Eric Porter's claim to international fame would, ironically, be outside of that realm, with one superb portrayal in one superb miniseries, The Forsyte Saga(1967), in which he won the BAFTA award. The son of Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall, Porter first attended Wimbledon Technical College before stepping onto the stage as a walk-on in a production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" in February 1945 at the Arts Theatre in Cambridge. He continued in repertory until joining the National Service with the RAF during the war years. Early post-war credits would include touring with Sir Donald Wolfit and Sir Barry Jackson in their prestigious companies. Favorite roles in his repertoire would eventually include "Macbeth", "King Lear" and "Uncle Vanya". He won London's Evening Standard Award for "Rosmersholm" in 1959. Joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960, he became a prime, esteemed resident for decades. Porter made his film debut in mid-career with The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) at age 36, but it was the BBC that made him an international favorite as the ever-proper but intensely emotional and unhinged "Soames Forsyte". Taboos were broken on that series with a violent rape scene that had people talking for months. Along with the newly acquired fame came leads in lesser films such as The Lost Continent(1968) and Hands of the Ripper (1971), adding class to both those atmospheric horrors. On the plus side, Porter engaged himself frequently in quality TV miniseries fare includingAnna Karenina (1977), The Jewel in the Crown (1984) and Oliver Twist (1985) (as Fagin), while transferring many classics to TV as well, with "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Man and Superman" and "Macbeth" being but a few.

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  • wc Gender: Male
  • calendar_month Birth Date: 1928-04-08
  • event Death Date 1995-05-15
  • school Known for: Acting
  • star Popularity: 4.2
  • info Birth Place Shepard's Bush, London, UK
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smart_display Movies and TV shows by Eric Porter

7.5

The Day of the Jackal

1973-05-16

5.6

The Lost Continent

1968-06-19

4.8

Kaleidoscope

1966-07-01

6.7

The Thirty Nine Steps

1978-11-04

6.5

The Fall of the Roman Empire

1964-03-24

6.2

Hands of the Ripper

1971-10-17

6.9

Callan

1974-05-23

5.6

Antony and Cleopatra

1972-03-18

6.1

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

1980-03-30

7.2

The Belstone Fox

1973-01-01

0

Message for Posterity

1994-10-28

5

Oliver Twist

1985-01-01

0

Macbeth

1970-09-20

7.2

The Shetland Experience

1977-01-01

7.3

Little Lord Fauntleroy

1980-12-01

8

The Winslow Boy

1977-01-16

0

The Best of Morecambe and Wise

2001-10-01

6.1

Hitler: The Last Ten Days

1973-04-19

4.7

Hennessy

1975-12-31

6.9

The Heroes of Telemark

1965-11-12

1

The Crucible

1980-01-01

0

Churchill and the Generals

1979-09-23

6.1

Hamlet

1980-05-25

0

The Sin Bin

1981-03-17

0

Separate Tables

1970-03-15

6.9

Nicholas and Alexandra

1971-11-29

8.5

The Wars of the Roses

1965-04-08

0

The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway

2003-10-31

0

Morecambe & Wise: Christmas Specials

2007-11-12

0

The Last Invasion

1966-08-24

0

Emma

1948-05-23

0

A Shilling Life

1982-02-12

6.7

The Jewel in the Crown

1984-01-09

5.9

Play for Today

1970-10-15

5.6

Oliver Twist

1985-10-13

5

BBC Play of the Month

1965-10-19

5

Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

1981-09-06

5.8

Anna Karenina

1977-09-25

5.2

BBC Television Shakespeare

1978-12-03

8.2

The Forsyte Saga

1967-01-07

8.2

Civilisation

1969-02-23

5

BBC Play of the Month

1965-10-19

5

BBC Play of the Month

1965-10-19

5

BBC Play of the Month

1965-10-19

0

The Perfect Morecambe & Wise

8.1

Sherlock Holmes

1984-04-24

0

Morecambe & Wise: Christmas Specials

1969-12-25