Simon MacCorkindale's cultivated English delivery suited men accustomed to giving orders. We find the appeal real but limited: his formal manner needed decent dialogue, and poor writing could leave him sounding painfully stiff.
Fi1m perspective
Simon MacCorkindale's cultivated voice is well suited to characters who expect to be listened to. Adventurers, lawyers and consultants can all make use of that certainty. It becomes a problem when a script mistakes speaking formally for having something worth saying. As Mikah in The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), he has too many lines that sound difficult to deliver and little opportunity to make them seem natural. We find the manner useful, but it needs writing that allows some ease.
His breakthrough as Simon Doyle in Death on the Nile (1978) put that English charm to better use within a busy ensemble. The American work that followed included Jaws 3-D (1983) and the television series Manimal (1983), in which he played Dr Jonathan Chase. He kept his British accent rather than adapting it for American roles. The casting offered adventures and improbable situations, although it did not turn him into a major film leading man.
In Albert Pyun's The Sword and the Sorcerer, the difficulty is shared by his fellow actors. Lee Horsley's Talon needs conviction or humour to carry the heroic declarations, and Kathleen Beller's Alana is no better served by the dialogue. We were frustrated by Mikah because the effort of making the lines sound grand kept getting in the way of what he meant. MacCorkindale deserves some allowance for the writing, though the performance does too little to loosen it. A formal delivery can help establish a character quickly; here we kept waiting for him to sound less burdened by it.
Television gave him longer runs: two seasons in Falcon Crest (1984–1986), then Harry Harper in Casualty (2002–2008). Between those roles, he shifted towards producing and directing through Amy International Artists from the late 1980s. Harper, an autocratic medical consultant, gave the commanding delivery an everyday purpose, though the loudness could become wearing. Sustained television work suited an actor whose authority needed little introduction, even if it could become overbearing. Start with Death on the Nile; the fantasy can wait.
Biography
Simon MacCorkindale was a British actor, director, writer and producer. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, in 1952, he trained at the Studio 68 of Theatre Arts in London and made his West End debut in 1974.
He appeared in television series including I, Claudius (1976) and Jesus of Nazareth (1977). His film roles included Simon Doyle in Death on the Nile (1978), Mikah in The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) and a part in Jaws 3-D (1983). He starred as Jonathan Chase in the series Manimal (1983) and as Greg Reardon in Falcon Crest (1984–1986), and later played Harry Harper in the BBC drama Casualty (2002–2008).
MacCorkindale directed and produced stage, television and film productions through his company Amy International Artists. He was married to actress Susan George from 1984 until his death in London in 2010.
