Edwardian Woodward

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The policeman is then placed inside a massive, hollow wicker effigy of a man above the cliffs and the pyre is lit. Born in Croydon, Surrey, in 1930, the son of a metal worker, Woodward attended the town's Eccleston Road and Sydenham Road Schools, the Elmwood School, Wallingford, Hinchley Wood School and Kingston Commercial School. Edward Woodward, left, as the uptight police officer Howie with Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, 1973.

With his first wife, Venetia Collett – who acted under the name Venetia Barrett – Woodward had two sons, Tim and Peter, and a daughter, Sarah, who all followed their parents into acting. Edward Woodward married first, in 1952, Venetia Mary Collett, with whom he had two sons and a daughter, all of whom became successful actors. On the big screen he also played Sergeant Neil Howie, alongside Christopher Lee and Diane Cilento, in The Wicker Man (1973); Commander Powell in Who Dares Wins (1982); Saul in King David; the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol; Merlin in Merlin and the Sword; Captain Haldane in The Young Winston; the racehorse trainer Josh Gifford in Champions; and Sergeant Wellbeloved in Stand Up Virgin Soldiers. Crouchback was the central character in Waugh's three novels set against the background of Britain's involvement in World War II. His casting as Guy Crouchback in the 1967 adaption of Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy, dramatised by Giles Cooper and directed by Donald McWhinnie, established him as an actor of quality and standing.Woodward was a prominent endorser of the Labour Party in the 1970 general election, featuring in publicity material. His career continued with TV guest-star roles, including an appearance in The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Mr. Every now and again he and his brother would get access to the galleries before they opened to the public. They had two sons: Tim Woodward (1953–2023) and Peter Woodward (born 1956), both of whom became actors, as well as a daughter, the Tony Award-nominated actress Sarah Woodward (born 1963). Later feature films included a top-billed role in the horror film The Appointment (1982); a top brass role in the action thriller The Final Option (1982); a featured role in the horse-racing biopic Champions (1984); as King Saul in the biblical story King David (1985); another Bruce Beresford directed film with Mister Johnson (1990); the ghost of a murderer in the black comedy Deadly Advice (1994); the 18th century patriarch of The House of Angelo (1997), which he produced and also featured his three children; a lord in the action adventure The Abduction Club (2002); a featured part in the comedy action Hot Fuzz (2007) and, his last, a reverend in the drama A Congregation of Ghosts (2009).

He later appeared on the small screen in Saturday, Sunday, Monday (alongside Laurence Olivier, 1978), the sitcom Nice Work (1980, as Edward Thornfield), Arthur the King (1985, as Merlin), both series of the comedy-drama Common as Muck (1994, 1997, as the binman Nev) and CI5: The New Professionals (1999, as Harry Malone, boss of the fictional CI5 in an updated version of the popular action programme). The cynical, former secret agent offered his services for free to those seeking revenge and had no qualms about using his gun to "equalize" matters for the aggrieved. But he explained that at the Old Vic – where the National Theatre was then located – he would have the right to fail, a concept foreign to the Americans, whose attitude was "enough to drive anyone right round the bend". His most popular songs include "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", and "The Streets of London".TV appearances included recurring/regular roles in the British series: Nice Work (1980), Five Days (2007) and EastEnders (1985); plus the American series Over My Dead Body (1990) and the Canadian series La Femme Nikita (1997). Perhaps his most well-known performance came on the small screen when he starred in "The Equalizer" (CBS, 1985-89), a role that earned him a cult following as well as five consecutive Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe Award.

He made occasional appearances until taking the role of Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the thriller The Wicker Man in 1973. Earlier this year, despite suffering from ill health, he starred as the Rev Frederick Densham in A Congregation of Ghosts.He is survived by his wife, Michele Dotrice and their daughter, and the three children of his first marriage.

Each eligible item is clearly marked with the Own Art logo (please bare with us while we implement this). We kindly ask you look closely at all our photos, using the zoom facility, as these naturally form part of the item's description. Then came a stint at Olivier's National Theatre as Flamineo in Webster's The White Devil and as Cyrano de Bergerac at the Old Vic in 1970. Other London stage credits included Robin Hood in Babes in the Wood (Palladium, 1972); George Szabo, the monocled lover of Judi Dench, in Molnar's The Wolf (Oxford Playhouse, Queen's and New London, 1974); and the Duke of Bristol in Lonsdale's On Approval (Haymarket, 1975).

Among his film credits, Woodward starred as Police Sergeant Howie in the 1973 cult British horror film The Wicker Man, and in the title role of the noted 1980 Australian biopic Breaker Morant. His capability as tenor enabled him to record 12 albums of romantic songs, as well as three albums of poetry and 14 books to tape. At the end of the decade, he delivered one of his finest performances in "Breaker Morant" (1980), which made him an international star.