Ian Abercrombie

Ian Abercrombie
Born (1934-09-11)11 September 1934
Grays, Essex, England
Died 26 January 2012(2012-01-26) (aged 77)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, voice actor
Years active 1955–2012
Notable work
Television
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth Romano
(m. 1956; div. 1978)

Gladys Abercrombie
(m. 1984; d. 2012)

Ian Abercrombie[1] (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor.[2]

He played Alfred Pennyworth on Birds of Prey, Justin Pitt (Elaine Benes's boss) during the sixth season of Seinfeld, Rupert Cavanaugh (Ian Hainsworth's butler) on Desperate Housewives, Professor Crumbs on Wizards of Waverly Place, and Palpatine on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Early life

Abercrombie was born on 11 September 1934 in Grays, Essex, England.[3] He began his theatrical career during the Blitz in World War II. After his footwork years during which he earned Bronze, Silver and Gold medals in stage dancing, he performed in London, Scotland, Ireland, and the Netherlands. He moved to the United States at age 17.[3]

He made his American stage debut in 1955 in a production of Stalag 17 with Jason Robards and Jules Munshin. Many plays in summer stock, regional, and off-Broadway followed in a variety of theatrical offerings, from revues to Shakespeare (in a particularly low period, he worked as a magician's assistant for $10 a performance).

In 1957, he was drafted into the United States Army and stationed in West Germany as part of Special Services, where he directed the continental premiere of Separate Tables.

In the United States, he went to California for a backers' audition, which went nowhere, but he began a long film and television career. He received awards for his work in Sweet Prince with Keir Dullea; Teeth 'N'smiles; A Doll's House with Linda Purl; and The Arcata Promise, opposite Anthony Hopkins. He received acclaim for the one-man show Jean Cocteau—A Mirror Image.

Career

Abercrombie was known to cult film audiences as Wiseman in the comedy horror film Army of Darkness (1993). He guest-starred on many television series such as Seinfeld, The Nanny, Wizards of Waverly Place, Airwolf, Babylon 5 and NewsRadio.

On radio, he was heard in several productions of the Hollywood Theater of the Ear. Abercrombie voiced Ambrose in Oscar-nominated Rango (2011). He also portrayed Ganthet on Green Lantern: The Animated Series, completing his work on the latest episode of Cartoon Network show just before his death.[4]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Abercrombie voiced Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in the 2008 film The Clone Wars, the television continuation, and two spin-off video games (Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes[5] and Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels). Supervising director Dave Filoni said that Ian was very excited that Darth Sidious finally was going to be seen in person and not as a hologram anymore; during Celebration VI, Filoni also mentioned that before his death, Ian did record for most of Season Five as the character, but did not finish, so actor Tim Curry was brought in to voice Palpatine. However, Abercrombie also voiced the character in the Clovis story arc of the Lost Missions (Season Six) since it was originally a part of the Season Four, and later the Season Five, line-up. Thus, it was finished before his death. This was his final released work both on the series and in his life, shown in 2014. He was honored with a message of "In memory of Ian Abercrombie" at the beginning of Season 5, Episode 16 "The Lawless".

Death

Abercrombie died in Los Angeles, California on 26 January 2012, twenty days after the Wizards of Waverly Place finale, from kidney failure. He was 77.[3]

Star Wars Celebration VI included the panel "Vocal Stars of The Clone Wars", hosted by James Arnold Taylor and featuring cast members Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, Dee Bradley Baker and Tom Kane. The cast dedicated the panel to Abercrombie. Additionally, The Clone Wars episode "The Lawless" includes a dedication to Abercrombie in the opening titles.

Filmography

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
1974Young FrankensteinSecond VillagerUncredited
1977–1983Fantasy IslandMcShane / Inspector Lestrade / Bartender3 episodes
1978Battlestar GalacticaForger 7
1979The Prisoner of ZendaJohann
1978SextetteRex Ambrose
1983Journey's End
1984The Ice PiratesHymie
1985KicksBarnes
1986FirewalkerBoggs
1986Last ResortMaître d'
1987It's Garry Shandling's ShowHimself
1989WarlockMagistrate #1
1988CatacombsBrother Orsini
1990Tales from the CryptFultonEpisode: "The Switch"
1990The FlashGhost HenchmanEpisode: "Ghost in the Machine"
1991ZandaleeLouis Medina
1991Puppet Master IIIDr. Hess
1992Twin PeaksTom Brockman
1992The Public EyeMr. Brown
1993Army of DarknessWiseman
1993Addams Family ValuesDriver
1994Clean SlateLeader
1994Babylon 5CorrelilmurzonEpisode: "Acts of Sacrifice"
1994–1998SeinfeldJustin Pitt7 episodes[3]
1997The Lost World: Jurassic ParkButler
1997–2002Days of Our LivesHotel Manager/Jeweller/Mr. Simkins/Lawyer
1997MouseHuntAuctioneer
1998Buffy the Vampire SlayerOld Man/German bossEpisode: "Homecoming"
1998Beyond_Belief: Fact or FictionEmileSeason 2 Episode 7
1999-2000Star Trek: VoyagerAbbot / MiloEpisodes: "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Spirit Folk"
2000Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer SnowmanPsychiatristDirect-to-video
2002James Bond 007: NightfireAlexander Mayhew (voice)Video game
2002-2003Birds of PreyAlfred Pennyworth14 Episodes
2004CharmedAramis (member of The Tribunal)Season 6 Episode 19: "Crimes and Witch-Demeanors"
2004RalliSport Challenge 2NarratorVideo Game
2005Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm SchoolEvrin Sezgin
2005Area 51Dr. Cray (voice)Video Game
2005The Grim Adventures of Billy & MandyF (voice)Episode: "Scythe 2.0"
2005Agatha Christie: And Then There Were NoneThomas Rogers / General Mackenzie (voice)Video Game
Based on the novel of the same name.
2006The BatmanEwan (voice)Episode: "The Icy Depths"
2006Inland EmpireHenry the Butler
2006Garfield: A Tail of Two KittiesSmithee
2007–2012Wizards of Waverly PlaceProfessor Crumbs
2008How I Met Your MotherBenjamin FranklinSeason 3 Episode 17: "The Goat"
2008Star Wars: The Clone WarsChancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious (voice)
2008Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber DuelsDarth Sidious (voice)Videogame
2008Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic HeroesChancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious (voice)Videogame
2008–2014Star Wars: The Clone Wars29 Episodes
His death is honored at the beginning of the episode "The Lawless" – S5E16.
2011RangoAmbrose (voice)
2011Childrens HospitalButlerEpisode: "Run, Dr. Lola Spratt, Run"
2011Happily DivorcedVictorEpisode: "Spousal Support"
2011-2013Green Lantern: The Animated SeriesGanthet (voice)5 Episodes
His death is honored at the end of the episode "Regime Change" – S1E10.

References

  1. ↑ "U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895–1956". Ancestry.com.
  2. ↑ "Ian Abercrombie". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Barnes, Mike (27 January 2012). "Ian Abercrombie, Elaine's Boss on 'Seinfeld', Dies at 77". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  4. ↑ Minovitz, Ethan (28 January 2012). "Ian Abercrombie, 77, was boss Mr. Pitt on Seinfeld". Big Cartoon News. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  5. ↑ Krome Studios (6 October 2009). Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes. LucasArts. Scene: Closing credits, 2:30 in, Voice Talent.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.