John Hollis

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John Hollis
Born Bertie Wyn Hollis
(1931-01-24)24 January 1931
Fulham, London, England, UK
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
London, England, UK
Occupation Actor
Years active 1959–1999
Spouse(s) Sheila Hollis

John Hollis (24 January 1931 – 18 October 2005) was a British actor of TV and film.

Early life

John Hollis was born to Bertie Wyn Hollis in 1931.

Career

He played the role of Lobot in The Empire Strikes Back and the German porter at the chateau in The Dirty Dozen. He appeared in the Christopher Reeve Superman films Superman and Superman II as an elder of Krypton, and in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace as a Russian General.

He also played the role of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the cold open of the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, going uncredited due to the controversy over the film rights and characters of Thunderball. In this sequence, his character was famously lifted from a wheelchair and dropped to his death down a chimney stack by Bond (Roger Moore)[1] after he had attempted to kill Bond by using a remote control link to Bond's MI6 helicopter.[2]

Hollis' other film work included minor roles in Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter for Hammer Films and Gene Wilder's The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. In television, Hollis took the role of Sondergaard in the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who in the story The Mutants, and appeared in The Avengers episode The Cybernauts as a sensei and also in The Tomorrow People. He also appeared as "Kaufmann" with a young Julie Christie in the BBC classic 'lost series' A for Andromeda.

John Hollis was a versatile character actor for BBC Radio. Notable roles include Magwitch in Great Expectations, Leonard Bast in Howards End, Conan Doyle's Inspector Lestrade and Shakespeare's Bardolph. He also took part in some commercial recordings, in parts as various as the March Hare in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the Murderer of the Duke of Clarence in Richard III.

He broadcast his own recollections of a cockney childhood, for the BBC in the 1970s.

Selected filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1967 The Dirty Dozen German Porter at Chateau Uncredited
1967 Casino Royale Fred (Temple Priest) Uncredited
1971 Freelance Hartley
1973 Ghost in the Noonday Sun Kanaris
1974 Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter Barman
1975 The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother Moriarty's Gunman
1978 Superman 4th Elder
1980 The Empire Strikes Back Lobot
Flash Gordon Klytus Observer No. 2
Superman II Krypton Elder
1981 For Your Eyes Only Ernst Stavro Blofeld Uncredited
1987 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Russian General

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1962 The Andromeda Breakthrough Kaufman 6 episodes
1963–67 The Saint Maximillian Tordoff/West 2 episodes
1963–68 The Avengers Various 4 episodes
1972 Doctor Who: The Mutants Sondergaard 4 episodes
1980 Blake 7 Lorn 1 episode, Powerplay
1984 Badger Girl Mr Barker 8 episodes

References

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External links


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