RECENT AND PAST EVENTS

Los Angeles, California, 27 March 2006 - DAN CURTIS, Creator of Epic TV Miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, has died at the age of 78. Curtis, who also created the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows in the 1960s that became a pop culture touchstone, died Monday of brain cancer at his Brentwood home. The Winds of War, a 16-hour, $40-million dramatization of the beginning of World War II, was one of the most-watched miniseries of all time when it aired in 1983. ABC estimated that 140 million people tuned in to at least part of the series, which starred Robert Mitchum as Navy Capt. Victor "Pug" Henry. Both series also starred Barry Morse.

After spending more than four years on The Winds of War, Curtis was adamantly opposed to adapting a second Herman Wouk novel that picked up the story of the war after Pearl Harbor. He relented when ABC promised a big budget and free rein to truthfully depict the horrors of the Holocaust. When War and Remembrance began airing in 1988, the 30-hour, $104-million production was the biggest, longest and most expensive project in television history. Writing the script took more than a year, location scouting took two years, and production required 21 months with filming in 10 countries. Both miniseries received Emmys, but it was the sequel that brought Curtis his own, for outstanding miniseries.

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Barry attended the one day celebration of Space: 1999 "Destination: Moonbase Alpha" at Pinewood Studios, outside of London at Iver Heath, on September 4, 2005. Other guests included Gerry Anderson, Anton Phillips, and other Space: 1999 guests. He also attended the "Countdown to Disaster" convention held three weeks later on September 24-25, 2005 at Borehamwood.

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BARRY MORSE, SHANE RIMMER, and KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT were featured at the USA 30th Anniversary convention to be held in Tampa, Florida, July 22-24, 2005. Series Co-Creator and Producer SYLVIA ANDERSON, as well as actor Nick Tate partipated via a live telephone conference call. The convention included a dealer's room, video screenings, guest talks and autographing, panels, celebrity banquet, and performance of the science fiction play Contact starring actors RYAN CASE and BARRY MORSE.

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BARRY MORSE joined RENE AUBERJONOIS (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), DENISE CROSBY (Star Trek: The Next Generation), CORIN NEMEC (Stargate: SG1) and many other guests at the legendary and long-running Toronto Trek 19 convention July 15-17, 2005 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This show marked Barry's first appearance at a Canadian genre convention. Toronto Trek 19 is Canada's largest science fiction and fantasy gathering. Barry talked about Space: 1999, his career, and signed copies of his autobiography.

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Frederick Forsyth's Icon debuted on the Hallmark Channel with two consecutive airings on May 30th and aired again on June 11, 2005. Barry played the role 'Josef Cherkassov', the President of Russia. Synopsis: The manifesto of a new Russian presidential candidate has been found - a disturbing blueprint for returning his country to a military dictatorship. Only one ex-CIA operative is qualified to stop him and life and death fight to save the future of Russia and its people has begun.

Click HERE to view screen captures of Barry Morse from the series.

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MALTA - Journalist Charles Mifsud provided BarryMorse.com with a copy of his interview with Barry Morse that was published in the May 1, 2005 edition of The Sunday Times of Malta. He says, "For me it was a great honor to interview Mr. Morse. He shared with me his experiences of a lifetime... and it turned out to be my experience of my lifetime coming in touch with his artistic vision and experiences." The article is a wonderful piece and be found at either of the following links below. Thank you, Charles!

Right-click HERE and save this file to your hard drive.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - The new set of Twilight Zone collector's cards was released in 2005. This edition, Set 4, includes cards with the autograph of Barry Morse. Entitled Twilight Zone: Science and Superstition the trading cards feature an incredible four autograph cards per box, from 31 different actors! Barry played the role of 'Fortune Fitzgerald' in the classic episode "A Piano in the House". Signers include Barry Morse, Ron Howard, Mickey Rooney, Sydney Pollack, James Doohan, Arte Johnson, Orson Bean, Russell Johnson, Judy Strangis, Anne Francis, Patricia Barry, Joanne Linville, Natalie Trundy, Veronica Cartwright, Alan Sues and more. Click HERE for more information.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - At the age of 97, famed British actor Sir John Mills passed away after a short illness on April 23, 2005. Barry and John Mills starred together in the hit miniseries The Zoo Gang in the 1970s for ITV, along with Lilli Palmer and American actor Brian Keith.

Barry was saddened to learn of the death of his old friend, whom he last saw in 2004 at the Elstree Studio celebration. He notes that even through blindness and other states of varying health in recent years that, "Johnny Mills continued to work right up to the very end. He was a trouper and a real pro. My best wishes and thoughts are with his wife Mary, son Jonathan, and his daughters, Juliet and Hayley."

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TORONTO, CANADA - After a number of weeks of illness, the daughter of Barry Morse and his oldest child, Melanie Morse MacQuarrie, passed away on February 1, 2005 at the age of 59. "Celebration of Life" parties have been held in both Toronto (March) and London (June) to allow Canadian and British friends and family gather to show their respects, and to share their memories. Please click HERE to read a full biography. Our thoughts and prayers are with Barry and the entire family during this difficult time.

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Photo courtesy of Kit Bevan

LONDON, ENGLAND - A limited, special edition of the autobiography of Barry Morse was published in 2004. The book was written by Barry Morse, with Robert E. Wood and Anthony Wynn. The small run of this book completely sold-out and copies are no longer available to the public. The wide release of Barry's theatrical memoir, Remember with Advantages, was published by McFarland and Company in 2007.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - Vistors to London can sometimes find Barry out and about in the city, as Paul and Amanda relate their experience:

On Saturday 24th April 2004 my wife and I were in the centre of London... we happened across a 'specialist' off licence... and I noticed an old bearded man sitting behind the counter in a small armchair... and I said "You're Barry Morse aren't you?" The old chap replied "Yes, how nice of you to recognise me". Barry said that he had known the shop owner for about forty years and that he could often be found behind the counter. We then spent about ten minutes chatting about where we were all born and lived... and how he'd lost his East London accent and I hadn't. He asked me what I remembered him from, and when I told him he said "Oh yes, the space thing with lovely Martin and Barbara". Anyway, he was a delight to talk to and instructed the shopkeeper to take the attached photo when he found out that my wife had her camera with her.

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AYOT-ST-LAWRENCE, ENGLAND (July 2004) - Barry performed in a piece called Music from the Private Collection of George Bernard Shaw - A Birthday Celebration. Held outdoors on the grounds of Shaw's home at "Shaw's Corner," Ayot-St-Lawrence, it was a combination of musical pieces interspersed with Shaw's Musical Criticism. The official description read: "An evening of music and memories to celebrate the birthday of George Bernard Shaw." Four performances were held: Saturday and Sunday, 24 & 25 July 2004 at 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm on both days.

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LONDON, ENGLAND (June 2004) - Barry played in a performance celebrating playwright George Bernard Shaw entitled Shaw and Wells, which was based on the correspondence between Shaw and famed writer H.G. Wells. This performance was presented at the 30 June 2004 Meeting of The Shaw Society, Conway Hall, at 7:00 pm.

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SARASOTA, FLORIDA, USA (March 2004) - Barry and his son, actor Hayward Morse, starred in the USA premiere of Bernard and Bosie: A Most Unlikely Friendship by Anthony Wynn. It was presented at the International Shaw Conference, hosted by the International Shaw Society, at the University of South Florida on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 8:00 pm. Barry played 'Bernard' and Hayward played 'Bosie' in a very well-received performance.

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ELSTREE, ENGLAND (July 2003) - More than a dozen stars of the silver screen celebrated Borehamwood's golden age of movies at the BBC Elstree Centre on Saturday, July 5th. Movie star Richard Todd, who in 1954 starred in The Dambusters as 'Wing Cmdr Guy Gibson', former EastEnder Tony Caunter, who played 'Roy Evans' in the soap, rubbed shoulders with Barry Morse, who spent four years playing 'Lt. Philip Gerard' in the 1960s American drama The Fugitive. Mr Todd was the guest of honour, and movie buffs at the evening listened to the BBC Elstree Concert Band perform a medley of movie hits, including the theme to The Dambusters, and watched a tribute to his work, spanning more than 40 years. "I really am touched and honoured to be the subject of this tribute. It is wonderful that Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council have supported this event," he said, adding: "I have so many wonderful memories of Elstree when I was under contract to the Associated British Picture Corporation." Tony Caunter, who played 'Roy Evans' in the hit soap EastEnders, said he was glad to be able to attend the film evening, as for almost a decade he had been unable to accept the organisers' invitations because of work commitments. He said as a life-long movie buff he was thrilled to meet Mr Todd, and added: "I am delighted to see Barry Morse here tonight, because I was a great fan of The Fugitive." Former Carry On star Liz Frazer was also at the event, and said: "I am delighted to be here — it means I am still alive. Every year I get the invitation, and it is an evening that I enjoy." The youngest star to speak during the night was 33-year-old Andrew Lancel, who has worked on the hit shows Cardiac Arrest, The Vice, and Queer as Folk, and recently completed filming a new drama, The Face at the Window. "I get asked to go to a lot of so-called trendy events, but this is the one that I keep coming back to. Where else would I get to stand in front of Richard Todd?" he asked. Organiser Paul Welsh said: "I think Richard Todd was overwhelmed by it, but we felt it was overdue as he had done so much work at Elstree in the 1940s and 1950s."

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PORTLAND, OREGON (July 2003) - Barry Morse was in the recording studio to record the audio book of Resurrection, which is to be the first Space: 1999-related audio release and the first recorded by one of the original series actors.

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LONDON, ENGLAND (February 2003) - Henry VI, Part 3 presented by the London Shakespeare Prison Project, took place at Pentonville Prison Chapel with a blend of theatrical professionals and prison inmates who worked together at the highest level. The cast included Barry Morse, Rupert Mason, Julian D'Silva and others. It was one of a series of ventures by the group which gets inmates to work alongside skilled professionals in an intense, two-week rehearsal period, and shows how Shakespeare can be used to foster collective self-esteem. The 100-minute production was played on a large, carpeted open space and proved that Shakespeare's histories can work with minimal props and without the usual rivers of Kensington gore. Impressive was the commitment of the entire company and the way a peculiarly savage section of English history, in which kingship depended on brute force, was acted out with a rare passion for language. Clearly prison is one place where people learn to love Shakespeare.

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LONDON, ENGLAND (November 2003) - The London Shakespeare Prison Project held the latest in its series of prisoner workshops at Pentonville Prison (just one of the dozen facilities they work in), bringing together actors along with prisoners to study the work of the Bard. In 2002, the group did a total 51 workshop sessions in 13 prisons involving 1,071 inmates, 147 prison officers and 602 professional actors. Well-known performers such as Gayle Hunnicutt, Fiona Shaw, Barry Morse, Ruthie Henshall and Jonathan Miller have all been involved, and keep coming back for more.

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LONDON, ENGLAND (July 2002) - A Celebration of George Bernard Shaw hosted by The National Trust, took place over the dates of July 24 -31, 2002 to honor the life and times of George Bernard Shaw (1856 -1950), one of the most celebrated writer and dramatist or the English language. This was an opportunity for interested people to visit the haunts and encounter some of the individuals that were woven into the tapestry of Shaw's life. Special guests included Shaw's former parlor maid Violet Liddle (with fond remembrances of her days with the Shaws) and actor Barry Morse, who fondly recalled being shown by Shaw himself just how to play the Lion in Androcles and the Lion. Highlights included dinner at Cliveden, Lord Astor's country house, where Shaw was a frequent visitor, and a visit to Shaw's Corner at Ayot St. Lawrence.

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LONDON, ENGLAND (June 2002) - Barry performed as a member of the cast in a live performance of the new play Voices at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, on Tuesday, June 25, 2002. This follows two previous productions of the piece earlier this year at Cambridge and Oxford, respectively. To learn more about this stage show and about this landmark project, go to LSW Prison Project.

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LONDON, ENGLAND (June 2002) - Barry's episode of the BBC Four TV series Diners has aired in the United Kingdom. A viewer in the UK wrote the following about the show: "It's a pretty offbeat programme, broadcast late evening on a new BBC satellite and cable channel - BBC Four. The show lasts for half an hour and each one eavesdrops on three or four pairs of diners in a busy restaurant... Barry was on chatting with Bruce (Bruce Wall, founder of the Shakespeare Prison Project) about teaching prisoners how to appreciate Shakespeare, and about theatre in general. He was on very good form."

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ORLANDO, FLORIDA (March 2002) - Barry was a guest of Vulkon Orlando, a science fiction convention held March 22-24 at the Orlando Hilton North hotel. He autographed, greeted fans, and performed his one-man show Merely Players. The show received great response and all proceeds from the show and autograph sessions was donated to The Parkinson's Society in memory of his late life, Sydney Sturgess. On Friday evening, Barry, Robert Wood, Charlene Scott (pictured above) and others gathered to dine at one of Orlando's hot spots, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

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THESSALONIKI, GREECE (November 2001) - The 42nd International Thessaloniki Film Festival presented a special screening of the 1970 film Puzzle of a Downfall Child starring Barry Morse and Faye Dunaway. The screening was held during the Festival, November 9-18, 2001 in Greece. Synopsis: Lou Andreas Sand was once a famous model. Her friend, Aaron Reinhardt, wants to make a film about her. At her house by the sea, she tells him her life story: flashbacks, recreations, and ghosts from her past glory and vacuous existence. Lou talks about how she was raped at an early age, her relationship with her agent, Pauline Galba, her marriage to Mark the publicist, her suicide attempt in Paris, the end of her successful career as a model, and the depression that ensued. Today, having sought refuge in this seaside villa, she tries to live a different life. Directed by Jerry Shatzberg, the film also stars Barry Primus, Viveca Lindfors, Roy Scheider, Ruth Jackson, John Hefferman, and Sydney Walker. (35mm, Color, 104 minutes, USA.)

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TORONTO, ONTARIO (October 2001) - On October 17, in Glenn Gould Studio of the CBC in Toronto, Barry Morse and many other of Lister Sinclair's friends, fans, and colleagues gathered to celebate the man who has taught us, entertained us, and inspired us all for decades. A CELEBRATION OF LISTER SINCLAIR, a two-hour network special, aired from 8 to 10 pm on Monday, October 29th. The program is a celebration of Lister Sinclair's many passions and careers, of his erudition and humility, his talent and humour and his generosity of spirit over more than 50 years at CBC. Michael Holroyd, biographer of George Bernard Shaw, said, "All authors fear the vacuous interviewer who asks, 'What is your book about?' and in my case, 'Who is Bernard Shaw?'" Lister stands at the other extreme, someone who stimulates and frees the mind. Sinclair and the CBC share a long history. In the early days of CBC Radio, Sinclair performed in, wrote and directed hundreds of dramas. He moved to television to become one of the first producer/ hosts of The Nature of Things. He produced many television dramas, documentaries and human affairs shows, was a frequent guest panelist on Front Page Challenge, appeared on Telescope, Horizon, Festival, Court of Opinion, Wayne and Shuster and Morningside. For a man of so many passions and so much knowledge, it was perhaps not surprising that he found his true broadcast home most recently as the host of Ideas on CBC Radio One. Along the way, he has inspired and taught many of the people who are making radio and television, doing science and making music today. A CELEBRATION OF LISTER SINCLAIR is hosted by his friend and former colleague Don Harron. Special guests who pay tribute to Sinclair include author Pierre Berton, actor Barry Morse, pianists Gloria Saarinen and Anton Kuerti, and broadcaster Patrick Watson. Here is the text of Barry's tribute to Lister Sinclair:

"It’s considerably more than 50 years since my late wife and I came to Canada. We had heard that – although there was no television in Canada – there was quite splendid radio. So, first chance we had we settled down to listen to a CBC radio drama. It was staggering! It was something of a power and a quality that I never expected to find anywhere — least of all in Canada! But, this play Socrates by Lister Sinclair was so memorable that I wrote the first and only fan letter I’ve ever written in the whole of my life to young Lister. And, one thing leads to another, it wasn’t long before we moved down to Toronto and I was appearing in all sorts of things virtually every day of the week with Lister. It wasn’t long before I was able to boast ‘I was British by the accident of birth, but became Canadian by the exercise of choice.’ Well, Lister and I went on to work in scores, probably hundreds, of dramas and other sorts of shows in the theatre, on the radio, and in television. Particularly I remember that wonderful theatrical drama called The World of the Wonderful Dark in which I played a rascally chief of this band of Kwakiutl Indians with John Dranie, dear Bill Needles, and a whole host of wonderful Canadian actors. Remembering – as I do – so many, many wonderful occasions, I can truthfully say that dear Lister Sinclair is one of the best things to have happened to Canada, and one of the best things to happen to me."

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PORTLAND, OREGON (October 2001) - Lending his support to another cause, Barry Morse went to work for Esther's Pantry, a local Portland-area charitable organization providing food and personal items to people with AIDS on October 11, 2001. He performed his one-man show Merely Players for the event -- titled "Out on Broadway" -- and was joined by The Dick Saunders Band and singer Julianne Johnson, as well as authors Grethe Cammermeyer and Mary Ann Humphrey-Keever. The event brought in several thousand dollars and is slated to become an annual event in celebration of "National Coming Out Day".

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PORTLAND, OREGON (October 2001) - Barry Morse was Keynote Speaker at the annual Fall Parkinson's Symposium hosted by Oregon Health Sciences University and The Parkinson's Center of Oregon on October 7, 2001. He was well-received and his remarks, given from the perspective of a care-giver to a Parkinson's sufferer, were very timely and heartfelt.

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Photo and stungun by Dave "Fritz" Katz

TAMPA, FLORIDA (July 2001) - Barry Morse was special guest at SpaceCon:2001 in Tampa, Florida over the weekend of July 27-29, 2001. He signed copies of the new book Space:1999 - The Future is Fantastic! written by Robert E. Wood and he also spoke on a number of topics including Space:1999, The Fugitive, his love of Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, and the history of the theatre.

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CAMDEN, UK (July 2001) - Veteran TV and Film actor Barry Morse - who was in the long-running TV series The Fugitive - joined Camden Mayor Roger Robinson to celebrate the re-opening of the historic men's public toilets outside Camden Town Tube Station. The conveniences, which originally cost £890 to build, were first opened in 1889 due to the efforts of George Bernard Shaw who was an Alderman in Camden at the time. Counsellor John Thane, Chair of Environment Committee said "George Bernard Shaw would have been flushed with pride." Shaw was also responsible for the building of the nearby ladies' public toilets in Parkway which were the first ladies' conveniences in the country. When they were opened in 1905 local men demonstrated as they did not believe women should have such a facility. They were regarded "as a feature so gross as to contaminate the value of all property in the neighbourhood". The men's toilets have been revamped with new wall tiles, glazing and timber with a natural wood finish. A new baby-changing unit and hand washing facilities have also been added. The toilets are open between 8am and 7pm, seven days a week.

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LONDON, UK (June 2001) - Barry's recently filmed miniseries for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) called Waking The Dead aired in the United Kingdom during the month of July. He reports that he played the role of "a dotty priest" in the series, who "zipped about in a motorized wheelchair."

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LONDON, UK (June 2001) - The Theatre Museum in Covent Garden will celebrate some great British actors of the last century in a series of talks which begins on June 3rd. The actors are Sir John Gielgud, Dame Edith Evans, Sir Michael Redgrave and Sir Laurence Olivier. Each talk will include a presentation by the theatre historian Frances Hughes and a discussion chaired by writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth. Special guests joining these discussions include Corin Redgrave, Dulcie Gray, Barry Morse, Bryan Forbes, Peter Barkworth, Alan Strachan and Edward Petherbridge.

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LONDON, UK (May 2001) - In honor of Sydney Sturgess, Barry's wife of more than 60 years, a memorial bench was dedicated in her memory at St. James's Square Park! This park is located near their London flat and is a peaceful oasis where Sydney and Barry spent quite a bit of time enjoying the flowers and greenery when they were at home. Sydney's ashes were scattered in this park in 2000. Please see the photos of the bench on The Sydney Sturgess Webpage.

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LONDON, UK (November 2000) - BBC 4 radio presented The Master and the Boy about the unusual friendship which developed between playwright George Bernard Shaw and heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney. The champion's son, Jay Tunney, plays the role of his father and actor Barry Morse is 'Shaw'. The show was presented on November 6, 2000 with a re-broadcast on November 8, 2000. The piece was based on the correspondence between the two men, and Shaw, a lover of boxing, was always impressed with Tunney, who applied himself scientifically and logically to the defear of each opponent.

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NEW YORK, NY (September 2000) - Barry Morse was host of an all-star George Bernard Shaw Centenary Evening on Saturday, September 9, 2000. The show included excerpts from The Apple Tree, musical performances, and a radio production of Shaw's Pygmalion.

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LONDON, UK (July 1999) - A team of twelve professional actors from the London Shakespeare Workshop (LSW) celebrated in union with thirty North Westminster students ranging in age from eleven to fifteen. The children were drawn from a vast number of differing nationalities. The LSW performers themselves in many instances were as intrigued and excited as their targeted charges. Here, Shakespeare was the glue which stirred and fused the melting pot. LSW's celebratory union was a wholly interactive one. Amongst our number we were delighted and honoured to have, Barry Morse, himself a youngster of 81, who, outside of his long and hugely celebrated career on Broadway, in the West End and upon the world's stages, was immediately recognised by the adults for his award winning performance in The Fugitive on television and by the kids for Space 1999, now it seems in frequent syndication. Barry thrilled at the eager enthusiasm of the youngsters for Shakespeare. I'm intrigued," Mr. Morse exposited, "to see so many young people for whom English is their second, or indeed third language, responding so immediately to texts which many native speaking adults might find troublesome. It is a lesson to us all: A lesson in universality."

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LONDON, UK (August 1998) - Barry Morse attended the gala reception following the premiere screening of The Avengers film in London. The motion picture starred Sean Connery, Uma Thurman, and Ralph Fiennes as 'Steed', with a special appearance by Patrick MacNee.
(Note: Rare photo above of Barry drinking white wine!)

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TORONTO, ONTARIO (January 1986) - The audio version of Ken Follett's best-selling book On Wings of Eagles, performed by Barry Morse, is released. Audiofile says, "Set against the backdrop of the Islamic revolution, Follett presents the factual account of Ross Perot's daring plot to rescue two of his corporate employees from an Iranian prison. Morse's dramatization demonstrates an impressive range--no scripted voice goes uncharacterized (whether it's Perot's or some anonymous Iranian captor's). Morse enacts many of the novel's unvoiced narrative passages with broad emotional strokes colored by the fear, excitement or dread of the particular situation." This title is available through select sites on the internet and from time to time on Ebay.

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (October 1959) - The New England Theatre Conference Eighth Annual Convention was held on October 17, 1959 at Boston University where the Broadway composers Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein were presented the Third Annual NETC National Award for creative achievement in the American theatre. Other speakers and guests included Dame Peggy Wood (who would later be cast in the film version of The Sound of Music as the Mother Abbess), Barry Morse, Floyd Rinker and Dr. Mary Agnella Gunn.

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