On the 2nd
of December, 2015; English actor Anthony Valentine passed away after living
with Parkinson’s disease for several years. He was 76. The news shocked me
because on that very day I was watching a few videos of a show he starred in
many years ago and afterwards researched the cast members to see what they’ve
been up to since then.
Valentine
played a notable antagonist in the 1980s British T.V series Robin of Sherwood, the sinister sorcerer
and devil worshipper Baron De Belleme; who sought Lady Marion’s (Judi Trott)
hand in marriage from her guardians but in actually wanted to sacrifice her. My
brothers and I loved that series as children so we remember just how scared we
were of that particular character from the moment we saw him. But that’s just
to show what a brilliant actor Valentine was; I believe it takes more hard work
and effort to play a villain than a hero and Valentine played it very well.
In Robin of Sherwood, Valentine had a
presence from his very first scene,
slowly moving across the room like a serpent as he listened to a bewitched Little
John’s (Clive Mantle) prophecy of “the
hooded man, Herne’s son” seeking the silver’s arrow and the “Master” demanding the sacrifice of a young virgin
(Marion). He spoke in a quiet, cold voice; only raising his voice occasionally;
even the hot tempered Sheriff of Nottingham(Nikolas Grace), his brother Hugo (Phillip
Jackson) and Sir Gisburne (late Robert Addie) were intimidated by him.
And the part where Robin Hood (Michael Praed)
stabs him in the stomach, he let out the most terrifying scream we ever heard;
I can never forget that scream in a
million years! It was so realistic we even had to cover our ears as we watched
that death scene; I’m yet to see another actor scream like that.
Valentine starred
in other T.V shows which included the World War II drama series Colditz.
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