Robert Eddison

Born: 1908-06-10

Robert Leadam Eddison, OBE (10 June 1908 – 14 December 1991) was an English actor, who is probably most widely remembered in the role of the Grail Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He also played the tragic ferryman in The Storyteller episode "The Luck Child". Born in Japan to English parents, Edwin Eddison and Hilda Muriel Leadham, he had a twin brother Talbot Leadam Eddison. Through his paternal grandmother, Anna Paulina Tatham of Philadelphia, he was related to the Tatham Brothers Iron pipe manufacturers of Philadelphia. As his paternal great-grandfather Henry Billington Tatham's name suggests, he was a descendant of the Billington family who came to America from England on the Mayflower. Eddison was known for his resonant, baritone voice and long, lean figure. He performed William Shakespeare and other classics, was noted for his Hamlet at the Old Vic, and later playing the comic roles of Feste and Sir Andrew Aguecheek inTwelfth Night, and King Lear on the New York stage. He was also a familiar figure in plays by Ibsen, Chekhov, andSophocles, and played Canon Chasuble in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Eddison also made his mark in radio, in countless BBC dramas through the decades, with some of his last roles includingDeath in The Canterbury Tales and parts in an adaptation of Japanese Noh plays. His film career was limited, but included a supporting role in Peter Ustinov's 1948 comedy Vice Versa, the electrical 'Nick' in The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972), the college president in American Friends (1991), and a notable cameo in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusadeas the ancient Grail Knight, warning adventurers to choose wisely.


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as Grail Knight
Released: 1989-05-24

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a...

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Theban Plays: Antigone

as Chorus
Released: 1986-09-19

In a final battle for the control of Thebes, Oedipus's two sons kill each other. Creon issues an...

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American Friends

as Rushden - The President
Released: 1991-03-22

Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford don on holiday alone in the Alps, meets holidaying American...

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Henry IV Part 2

as Justice Robert Shallow
Released: 1979-12-16

The death of King Henry the Fourth and the coronation of King Henry the Fifth.

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Sixty Glorious Years

as Lanternist Professor
Released: 1938-11-18

Continuing the story of 'Victoria the Great'.

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The Tragedy of King Richard II

as Duke of York
Released: 1970-07-30

The Tragedy of King Richard II, by William Shakespeare. The actions and repercussions of a proud...

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Vice Versa

as Mr. Blinkhorn
Released: 1948-01-28

Businessman Paul Bultitude is sending his son Dick to a boarding school. While holding a magic...

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A TV Dante

as Charon
Released: 1990-06-13

A TV Dante is an experimental mini-series directed by Tom Phillips and legendary filmmaker Peter...

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The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp

as uncredited
Released: 1954-09-09

An angel finds that she needs money to fulfill her mission on Earth. Her only solution to this...

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The Boy Who Turned Yellow

as Nick
Released: 1972-09-16

John and his class go on a school trip to the Tower of London. While he is there he loses his...

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Theban Plays: Oedipus the King

as Chorus
Released: 1986-09-16

Plagues are ravaging Thebes, and the blind fortune-teller Tieresias tells Oedipus, the King,...

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The Adventures Of Don Quixote

as Duke
Released: 1973-01-07

A self-proclaimed "knight" and his hapless squire travel the Spanish countryside, attacking...

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An Affinity with Dr. Still

as Dr. Still
Released: 1979-11-28

A tragic event shatters the complacent calm of a great university. Haunted by it, Peter Molyneux...

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Edward II

as Lightborn/Archbishop of Canterbury
Released: 1970-08-06

The reign of Edward II, King of England, is troubled from the start when he brings his male...

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Scoop

as Troutbeck
Released: 1987-04-26

Scoop is a 1987 TV film directed by Gavin Millar, adapted by William Boyd from the 1938...

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Uncle Silas

as Silas Ruthyn
Released: 1968-11-04

After her father's death, Maud, a young heiress, is sent to live with her Uncle Silas. She finds...

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Selkirk of Red River

as Lord Selkirk
Released: 1964-01-01

This film tells the story of the Red River settlement, now the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The...

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BBC Television Shakespeare

as uncredited
First aired: 1978-12-03

The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of...

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The Storyteller

as Ferryman
First aired: 1988-05-15

The Storyteller aided by his cynical dog, narrates classic folk tales, fables, and legends.

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BBC Play of the Month

as Prince Andronikov
First aired: 1965-10-19

Play of the Month is a BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and...

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Campion

as Robert Skinn
First aired: 1989-01-22

Campion is a television show made by the BBC, adapting the Albert Campion mystery novels written...

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Mystery and Imagination

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-01-29

Mystery and Imagination is a British television anthology series of classic horror and...

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The Legend of King Arthur

as Merlin
First aired: 1979-10-07

This 8-part drama brings high romance, low treachery and magical adventure via a host of...

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Sky

as Goodchild
First aired: 1975-04-07

Sky is a mystically-oriented children's science fantasy television serial made for ITV by HTV...

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