British Actor Richard Johnson Dies Aged 87

Richard Johnson, long-standing stage and screen actor, has died at the age of 87, his family have announced.

Born in 1927, Johnson studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and went on to be a member of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and BAFTA, although he is probably best remembered today for his few notable horror film roles.

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First and foremost of these was Robert Wise’s 1963 chiller ‘The Haunting,’ quite rightly revered to this day as one of the finest horror films ever made. An adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s novel ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ Johnson stars as Dr Markway, a parapsychologist investigating the supposedly haunted Hill House - a role later taken by Liam Neeson in the sub-par 1999 remake.

Hugely influenced by Wise’s mentor Val Lewton, ‘The Haunting’ is a masterpiece of understated, implied horror - and, as such, the polar opposite of Johnson’s other most revered horror film, Italian goremeister Lucio Fulci’s 1979 cult classic ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters,’ also known simply as ‘Zombie’ or ‘Zombi II’ (presented in some regions as an unofficial sequel to George A Romero’s ‘Dawn of the Dead’).

Notorious for its graphic gore, the film was banned in Britain during the ‘video nasty’ panic of the 1980s, and was not passed uncut by the BBFC until 2005.

Many British and American actors who appeared in similarly low-brow Italian productions at the time would later express regret at doing so, but happily Johnson remained unrepentant about ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters,’ even telling the audience at Aberystwyth’s Abertoir Horror Festival in 2013 that he was hugely proud when the BBFC banned the film.

Johnson’s other films included ‘Julius Caesar,’ ‘Antony and Cleopatra,’ ‘The Four Feathers,’ ‘The Monster Club’ and more recently ‘The Boy with the Striped Pyjamas.’

However, outside of these Johnson may be best known for the role he turned down: James Bond. He was ‘Dr No’ director Terence Young’s first choice for 007, but declined over reluctance to sign a long-term contract (lack of interest in the material may also have been a factor).

Still, Johnson would play another 1960s spy role, Bulldog Drummond, in ‘Deadlier Than The Male’ and ‘Some Girls Do.’ He would also go on to share the screen with a future James Bond, Daniel Craig, in 2001′s ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.’

Outside of his stage and screen career, Johnson also taught acting, founded production company United British Artists, and wrote travel articles for The Mail on Sunday.

Johnson passed away on 6th June 2015 at Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea following a short illness, and is survived by his wife and four children, to whom we offer our deepest condolences.

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Picture Credit: MGM-UA,  Variety Film Production/Arrow Video, Abertoir Horror Festival/Matt Hardwick