Bryan Marshall

Biography

Bryan Marshall (born in Battersea, south London, in 1938; died 2019) was a British actor whose career unfolded in both Britain and Australia. He trained at RADA, graduating in 1963, and then worked at the Bristol Old Vic and in repertory theatre before moving into film and television.

His best-remembered film role is Councillor Harris in The Long Good Friday (1980), though he also appeared in Alfie (1966) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). On television he took leading parts in literary adaptations, including Dobbin in the 1967 Vanity Fair and Wentworth in the 1971 Persuasion, and he appeared in long-running British series such as The Forsyte Saga and The Avengers.

In Australia he worked on productions including Prisoner, Neighbours and Home and Away, and on films such as The Punisher (1989). In 1989 he was the original host of Australia's Most Wanted, a local version of a show focused on unsolved crimes. On stage, he played Captain von Trapp in the first British national tour of The Sound of Music in 1986.

Marshall died in 2019, aged 81. His legacy is that of a dependable character actor, familiar to audiences in Britain and Australia.

Key films

• The Long Good Friday (1980): Councillor Harris, his most remembered film role.
• Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966): a role in an English-language film about the Russian mystic.
• Quatermass and the Pit (1967): a British science fiction title of the period in which he appeared.
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977): a appearance in one of the 1970s James Bond films.