Anthony Valentine made polite, self-assured men difficult to trust. We rate his controlled villainy highly, particularly in Callan, but the gentleman thief of Raffles is a useful reminder that he could make charm enjoyable too.
Fi1m perspective
Anthony Valentine’s villains can be perfectly civil while giving us little reason to feel safe. As Toby Meres in Callan (1967), he puts charm and sophistication to the service of a ruthless fellow agent. Edward Woodward’s Callan questions his orders; Meres provides an uncomfortable comparison, a man whose polish gives us no assurance of decency. We found Valentine unsettling here because the pleasant manner makes the ruthlessness seem ordinary to the man practising it. He does not need to make Meres likeable for us to want to watch him.
Callan brought him wider recognition and established him as a television villain. Woodward gives the series its questioning centre, while Russell Hunter’s Lonely and the dialogue stop the gloom becoming oppressive. Valentine works well beside Woodward because Meres does not simply repeat the leading character’s unease. The series’ moodiness occasionally wears thin, but that contrast between its agents helps keep it absorbing. The part needs the charm: without it, Meres would be a much easier man to dismiss.
His film work offers a different point of entry in Performance. (1970), where he plays the bookmaker Joey Maddocks. Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg make the gangster’s search for shelter frightening and seductive, though the psychedelic interruptions become tiresome. James Fox and Mick Jagger are the principal reasons it remains worth the effort. We recommend it with that reservation, but would not mistake a good film in Valentine’s credits for the fullest introduction to his acting.
Colditz (1972) gave him Major Horst Mohn, played with a chilly stillness. Such parts also helped to keep him typecast, and there is a limit to how often we need the same actor to demonstrate that a well-spoken man is dangerous. Raffles (1977), with Valentine as the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, offered a welcome change. The debonair manner could be enjoyed without the same expectation of cruelty. Start with Callan, then try Raffles before deciding that he was only good at making us nervous.
Biography
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, he began his career as a child performer and appeared in several BBC children's series in the 1950s.
He became known for television roles including the ruthless agent Toby Meres in Callan (1967–72), Major Horst Mohn in Colditz (1972–74) and the title character in Raffles (1977). His film credits include Joey Maddocks in Performance (1970), Volkmann in Escape to Athena (1979) and David in To the Devil a Daughter (1976).
Valentine was married to actress Susan Skipper from 1982 until his death. He also appeared in Robin of Sherwood (1984) as Baron de Belleme and in an episode of Sherlock Holmes (1991) as Baron Gruner.
