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Christopher Neame

Christopher Neame is a British actor whose screen career has ranged from Hammer horror and major BBC dramas to American action films and science-fiction television. Born in London on September 12, 1947, he became a familiar presence in British film and television through roles that often made good use of his controlled, imposing manner. His early film credits include No Blade of Grass, Lust for a Vampire and Dracula AD 1972, placing him squarely within a particularly adventurous period of British genre cinema. On television, he played Lieutenant Dick Player in Colditz and Flight Lieutenant John Curtis in the first season of Secret Army. Historical drama also gave him substantial parts: Kaiser Wilhelm II in the 13-part Edward the Seventh and Mark Antony in The Cleopatras. Science-fiction viewers may know Neame best as Skagra, the villain of the unfinished 1979 Doctor Who serial Shada. Decades later, he returned to provide his voice when the story was completed with animation in 2017. His wider genre résumé is unusually broad, with appearances across Blake's 7, Star Trek: Enterprise, Babylon 5 and Earth 2. He also played the principal villain in the live-action sequences of the 1997 video game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. After emigrating to the United States, Neame appeared regularly in American film and television. His movie credits include Steel Dawn, D.O.A., Bloodstone, Licence to Kill, Ghostbusters II, Suburban Commando, Hellbound and The Prestige. Television brought appearances in MacGyver, Dallas, Dynasty, The A-Team, Northern Exposure and JAG, among others. Neame's career is defined less by one signature part than by his ability to move between period drama, horror, action and science fiction. In 2018, he returned to his Hammer roots by reuniting with Caroline Munro for House of the Gorgon.