LONDON (AP) - David Hemmings, the British actor who attained international stardom as the existential fashion photographer in the 1966 film “Blow Up,” has died at age 62, his agent said Thursday. Hemmings, who also forged a successful career behind the camera directing for cinema and TV, died of a heart attack Wednesday while filming a movie role in Romania, said agent Liz Nelson.
Born Nov. 18, 1941 in Guildford, England, Hemmings began his career as a singer, with nightclub appearances in his early 20s, before moving onto the stage and gradually into films. His early British movie roles usually saw him cast as misunderstood youths and belligerent “Teddy Boys,” leading to his role in Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow Up.” His boyish good looks were also put to use in science-fiction romp “Barbarella” and the film version of the stage musical “Camelot.” His most recent appearance was in the 2003 Sean Connery movie “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”
Just rediscovered Blowup last year, sent me off on an Antonioni spree. Looks like it shoulda sent me off on a Hemmings spree. Will have to dig out my copy of Barbarella; forgot he’d been in that. And another reason to see League, on which I’ve been waffling.
How sad. I first noticed him playing Mordred in that awful screen version of Camelot (high on my list of When Bad Films Happen to Great Actors) and most recently in episodes of Waking the Dead and Murder in Mind. While he seemed to care more about working than about choosing quality roles, he always added a bit of class to whatever project in which he found himself. Even his multi-episode stint on Magnum, P.I. was a joy to watch.
Great exit. I had an acting teacher go out in a similar way, although not actually on the boards. He came home late after a long rehearsal, kissed his wife, told her the show was coming along just fine, and went off to bed. Apparently, he was dead within 5 minutes.
RIP, Mr. Hemmings. I saw a rerun of The Blow Up on TV when I was about 13. I SO wanted to be that guy. He was cool, had a great flat, girls coming and going…
Difficult to believe it’s the same guy, isn’t it? A truly startling metamorphosis. This small photo is the only one I’ve found in which you can see that young Hemmings and old Hemmings are, or sadly were, the same man.
His age came as a shocker; I’d have placed him (based from his appearances on Northern Exposure (as a rogue post-Glasnost KGB agent peddling dossiers), LA LAW (as the washed up actor father of Amanda Donohoe) and Gladiator I’d have pegged him as at least 70 by now.
He starred in a movie I have always wanted to see but that has never made it to video: Alfred the Great . I love that period of European history (the demise of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy and the not coincidental rise of the Vikings) and particularly that English king (the only English monarch to be routinely referred to as “the great”, and with some reason).
Former fashion photographer Thomas, now 62, is taking a slow walk through the park when he is blindsided by an invisible tennis ball hit by nearby mimes. Unnoticed, he lies prone on the grass for a long time until Vanessa Redgrave nervously walks over, takes a few snapshots, and runs off.
He died while screwing? That’s MY take on the phrase “died with his boots on.” (Yes, I know the history of the phrase. I am amused ny Erroll Flynn’s appearance in They Died With Their Boots On as it seemed like it was his ultimate goal.)
