Maurice Colbourne (actor born 1939)

Roger Middleton (24 September 1939 – 4 August 1989), known professionally as Maurice Colbourne, was an English stage and television actor who starred as Tom Howard in the BBC television series Howards' Way. He is also known for roles in other television series such as Gangsters, The Onedin Line, The Day of the Triffids and Doctor Who. He was usually cast as a villain in his career.

Early life

Roger Middleton was born in Sheffield, three weeks after Britain and France declared war on Germany upon the outbreak of the Second World War, and studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He took his stage name from that of an earlier actor called Maurice Colbourne, who shared the same birthday (in a different year) as his.

Career

In 1972, Colbourne co-founded, together with Michael Irving and Guy Sprung, the Half Moon Theatre near Aldgate, east London. This was a successful, radical theatre company, performing initially in an 80-seat disused synagogue in Half Moon Passage, E1. In 1985, the company moved to a converted chapel in Mile End Road, near Stepney Green. He performed in many productions at Half Moon Theatre, including In the Jungle of the Cities, Will Wat, If Not, What Will?, Heroes of the Iceberg Hotel, Sawdust Caesar, Dan Dare and Chaste Maid in Cheapside. He also directed several productions, including Silver Tassie, Alkestis, The Shoemakers and Pig Bank. He returned in 1979 to perform in Guys and Dolls.

Colbourne first became well known when he played the lead role of John Kline in a BBC drama series, Gangsters, from 1975–78, and afterwards appeared regularly on television. This included a guest appearance in a 1977 episode of Van der Valk, "Everybody Does It". He played Charles Marston, the love interest of Lady Fogarty, in the seventh series of The Onedin Line screened from 22 July to 23 September 1979. He played a mercenary in an episode of the Return of the Saint called "Duel in Venice". He played the character Jack Coker in the BBC's television miniseries adaptation of John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids (1981). He also twice appeared in Doctor Who as the character Lytton (in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984) and Attack of the Cybermen (1985)).

Colbourne played lead character Tom Howard in 61 episodes of the successful BBC television drama Howards' Way from 1985 to 1989. During a break in filming of the fifth series, he died aged 49 from a heart attack while renovating a holiday home in Dinan, Brittany, France, leaving behind his wife of 10 years Chan Lian Si, and their daughter Clara. Howard's Way continued to the end of series five and for a sixth series, to tie up the storylines, with Colbourne's character being written out of the scripts.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1970 Cry of the Banshee Villager 1970 Times For 1976 Escape from the Dark (aka The Littlest Horse Thieves) Luke Armstrong 1977 The Duellists Tall Second 1979 Bloodline Jon Swinton 1980 Hawk the Slayer Axe Man 1 Dead Man's Kit Lt Commander Kohbal 1981 Venom Sampson

Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1975Play for TodayJohn KlineEpisode: GangstersChurchill's PeopleDr. DredgeEpisode: "A Bill of Mortality"1976-1978Gangsters John Kline12 episodes1977Van der ValkNick ScholtzEpisode: "Everybody Does It"1978Return of the SaintJed BlacketEpisode: "Duel in Venice"1979The Onedin LineCharles MarstonSix episodes1980Armchair ThrillerLieutenant Commander KobahlEpisode: "Dead Man's Kit"Shoestring PriestEpisode: "The Dangerous Game"Strangers John RutterTwo episodes1981The Day of the Triffids Jack CokerFour episodes1983Johnny JarvisJakeMini-series1984-1985Doctor WhoCommander Gustave LyttonSerials Resurrection of the Daleks and Attack of the Cybermen1985Hitler's SS: Portrait in EvilSS OfficerTV Movie1985-1989Howards' WayTom Howard61 episodes

Theatre +YearTitleRoleNotes1972In the Jungle of CitiesJohn GargaHalf Moon TheatreAlkestisHeraklesWill Wat, If Not, What Will?John BallDan DareSondar/TreenPunch GorillaThe Silver Tassie DirectorSawdust CaesarNarrator/Genie of the Lamp/Third Conspirator1973Ripper!Heroes of the Iceberg HotelPoliceman/ChairmanThe ShoemakersSajetanGet Off My BackDickTom KingA Chaste Maid in CheapsideDirector1974The Pig-BankHenry IV, Part 1 and Part 2John FalstaffSaint Joan of the StockyardsMeat Traders/Communist LeaderThe HammersStakeout/Homeworker1979Guys and DollsNathan Detroit1980Tom FoolTranslator

References

External links

Maurice Colbourne on Stages of Half Moon