R.I.P. Richard Johnson

[Reza]

Actor Richard Johnson dies, aged 87

The actor was a veteran of stage and screen, but is perhaps most famous for turning down the part of James Bond.

By London Telegraph reporters 6:20PM BST 06 Jun 2015

Richard Johnson, the star of several British films in the Sixties, has died at the age of 87, his family have announced.

Johnson made his name in movies such as Robert Wise’s The Haunting of 1963. This was followed by Khartoum, in which he co-starred with Laurence Oliver and Charlton Heston.

He is perhaps most famous, however, for the film role he did not take.

Johnson was contracted in the Sixties to the motion picture studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). This contract was one of exclusivity, meaning he was forced to decline a role he was offered by director Terence Young (and producers, Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman) in the first James Bond film, Dr No. As Bond himself. The part would end up going to Sean Connery.

Johnson was also a renowned theatre actor, working with Peter Hall at the newly formed Royal Shakespeare Company, where he played a number of roles, including Anthony in 'Anthony & Cleopatra' on two occasions (in the 1970s and 1990s).

More recently, he appeared in such films as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas.
He also has many small-screen credits to his name, in such TV series as Midsomer Murders, Waking the Dead, Silent Witness and Doc Martin, where his charismatic presence won over many viewers.

Born in Upminster, Essex, in 1927, Johnson began his career at RADA. He toured with Sir John Gielgud’s Repertory Company before the start of the Second World War, during which he served in the Royal Navy.
His film debut came opposite Frank Sinatra and Gina Lollobrigida in MGM's Never So Few, in 1959. opposite Frank Sinatra and Gina Lollobrigida in MGM's Never So Few, in 1959.