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Ed Bishop
Actor

Ed Bishop

11 Jun 1932Born
8 Jun 2005Died
72Age at death
113Credits

Biography

George Victor Bishop (11 June 1932 – 8 June 2005), known professionally as Ed Bishop or sometimes Edward Bishop, was an American actor. He was known for playing Commander Ed Straker in UFO, Captain Blue in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and for voicing Philip Marlowe in a series of BBC Radio adaptations of the Marlowe novels by Raymond Chandler.

Bishop made his film acting debut as an ambulance driver in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 movie Lolita. He played an American astronaut going to the Moon in the film The Mouse on the Moon (1963) and also appeared in The Bedford Incident (1965) and Battle Beneath the Earth (1967).

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He had small speaking roles in the James Bond films You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971), but was not included in the film credits for either. He appeared in a second Kubrick film, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), in which he played the Captain of the Aries 1B Moon shuttle. The role initially featured dialogue but this was later cut from his scenes.

Bishop appeared in various film and television projects created by producer Gerry Anderson. He provided narration, in addition to the voice of Captain Blue, for Anderson's Supermarionation puppet series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967), and appeared in Anderson's science-fiction film Doppelgänger (1969). Perhaps his most prominent screen role was that of Commander Ed Straker in Anderson's science-fiction series UFO (1970–71). Bishop's dark hair was initially dyed blond for the role, though he eventually wore a blond wig instead.

In later years, he appeared in films such as Twilight's Last Gleaming, Saturn 3, Silver Dream Racer, and The Lords of Discipline. He provided vocal work for the 1974 animated TV series of Star Trek, and appeared as Lieutenant Colonel Harrity in the final episode of the British World War II prisoner-of-war drama Colditz. In the 1980s, he made several appearances on The Kenny Everett Television Show, Whoops Apocalypse (he also appeared in the subsequent film), and had a role in the children's television series Chocky's Children.

He continued to act on film, TV and radio, usually in British and European productions, and was a frequent guest at science fiction conventions. He and fellow Anderson actor Shane Rimmer (a Canadian actor who often worked in the UK) joked about how frequently their professional paths crossed and termed themselves "Rent-a-yank". They appeared together as NASA operatives in the opening of You Only Live Twice and as United States Navy sailors in The Bedford Incident, as well as the 1983 film of the Harold Robbins novel The Lonely Lady. In 1989, Bishop was reunited with Rimmer and another Anderson actor, Matt Zimmerman, in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet. He and Rimmer also toured together in theatre shows, including Death of a Salesman in the 1990s, and they both appeared in the BBC drama-documentary Hiroshima (2005), one of Bishop's last TV projects.

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 113 credits.

  1. 2026Target: Captain Black!Film: Captain Blue (voice)
  2. 2026Spectrum is 20: The Death and Life of New Captain ScarletFilm: Captain Blue (archive audio) / Himself (archive footage)
  3. 2014This Is SupermarionationFilm: Captain Blue (voice)
  4. 2005HiroshimaFilm: Stimson
  5. 2001Waking the DeadSeries: Tyler (2 episodes)
  6. 2001500!Film: Padre Jones
  7. 1999Captain Scarlet and the Return of the MysteronsFilm: Captain Blue (voice)
  8. 1999The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Spring Break AdventureFilm: Sentry
  9. 1999The Unexpected Mrs. PollifaxFilm: Carstairs
  10. 1996Broken GlassFilm: Stanton Case
  11. 1996The Demon HeadmasterSeries: TV Supremo (4 episodes)
  12. 1995White ChristmasFilm
  13. 1994Funny ManFilm: Card Player
  14. 1994CalliopeFilm: Lewis Belvedere
  15. 1992Highlander: The SeriesSeries: Edward Banner (1 episode)
  16. 1992Nudism: The Inside StoryFilm: Narrator (voice)
  17. 1991PerformanceSeries: Stanton Case (1 episode)
  18. 19912Point4 ChildrenSeries: Chet (1 episode)
  19. 1991Born to RideFilm: Dr. Tate
  20. 1990The Serpent of DeathFilm: Grant
  21. 1989The Candy ShowFilm: Geoffrey
  22. 1988TestimonyFilm: American Commentator
  23. 1988Judgment in BerlinFilm: Dyson Wilde
  24. 1987Three Wishes for JamieFilm: Proddy
  25. 1987TurnaroundFilm: Gerald
  26. 1987The Two Mrs. GrenvillesSeries: Strasser (2 episodes)
  27. 1986Worlds BeyondSeries: Mr Hitchcock (1 episode)
  28. 1986Whoops ApocalypseFilm: Wink Persiman (TV interviewer)
  29. 1986The Fifth MissileFilm: Adm. Stewart Cullinane
  30. 1985Restless NativesFilm: Reporter
  31. 1985Going for the Gold: The Bill Johnson StoryFilm
  32. 1985Wynne and PenkovskyFilm: Alexander
  33. 1985Chocky's ChildrenFilm: Dr. Deacon
  34. 1985Chocky's ChildrenSeries: Dr. Deacon (6 episodes)
  35. 1984ThreadsFilm: US President (voice) (uncredited)
  36. 1984The Master of BallantraeFilm: Pinkerton
  37. 1983The Lonely LadyFilm: Dr. Baker
  38. 1983Just Good FriendsSeries: Vernon (1 episode)
  39. 1983The Mad DeathSeries: Tom Siegler (1 episode)
  40. 1983Philip Marlowe, Private EyeSeries: District Attorney (1 episode)
  41. 1982NutcrackerFilm: Sam Dozier
  42. 1982Whoops ApocalypseSeries: Jay Garrick (6 episodes)
  43. 1982The Kenny Everett Television ShowSeries: Various (3 episodes)
  44. 1982American PlayhouseSeries: General Tom Farrell (1 episode)
  45. 1981London Is DrowningFilm: American reporter
  46. 1981Take a Letter, Mr JonesSeries: Joe Bradley (1 episode)
  47. 1981Amin: The Rise and FallFilm: Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
  48. 1981Stainless Steel and the Star SpiesFilm: Stainless Steel (voice)
  49. 1981Revenge of the Mysterons from MarsFilm: Captain Blue (voice)
  50. 1980OppenheimerSeries: General Tom Farrell (1 episode)
  51. 1980Silver Dream RacerFilm: Al Peterson
  52. 1980S.O.S. TitanicFilm: Henry Harris
  53. 1980Saturn 3Film: Harding (uncredited)
  54. 1980BreakawaySeries: Scott Douglas (6 episodes)
  55. 1980Captain Scarlet vs. The MysteronsFilm: Captain Blue (voice)
  56. 1980Invasion: UFOFilm: Cmdr. Ed Straker
  57. 1979Kelly MonteithSeries (1 episode)
  58. 1979Children of the GodsFilm: Brother Bethlehem
  59. 1979Butch Minds the BabyFilm: Damon Runyon (voice)
  60. 1978Brass TargetFilm: Col. Stewart
  61. 1978Dylan: The Life and Death of a PoetFilm: Prof. Goonmeyer
  62. 1978Wilde AllianceSeries: Wingman (1 episode)
  63. 1977The ProfessionalsSeries: Dr. Ernest Harbinger, Braddock (1 episode)
  64. 19771990Series (1 episode)
  65. 1977Madame ClaudeFilm: Smith
  66. 1977Twilight's Last GleamingFilm: Maj. Fox
  67. 1975The Day After Tomorrow: Into InfinityFilm: TV Announcer
  68. 1975Death in Deep WaterFilm: Gang Boss (voice)
  69. 1975Two's CompanySeries: Jack (1 episode)
  70. 1975QuillerSeries: Frank Ilroy (1 episode)
  71. 1975Nurse Will Make It BetterFilm: Carson
  72. 1974UFO: Radar contact... They're landing!Film
  73. 1973PetsFilm: Victor Stackman
  74. 1973Star TrekSeries: Asmodeus (voice) (uncredited) (1 episode)
  75. 1973Orson Welles' Great MysteriesSeries: The Millionaire (1 episode)
  76. 1973WarshipSeries (1 episode)
  77. 1973ThrillerSeries: Carson, Gang Boss (voice) (1 episode)
  78. 1972The Baron: Mystery IslandFilm: Operations Officer
  79. 1972ColditzSeries: Lt. Col. Harrity (1 episode)
  80. 1972The ProtectorsSeries: Colonel John Hunter (1 episode)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.