Paul Darrow 1941-2019
Paul Darrow (2 May 1941 – 3 June 2019) was an English actor best known for his portrayal of Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series Blake's 7.
Born Paul Valentine Birkby in Chessington, Surrey, England, Darrow was educated at the Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, before studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. While at RADA he lived in a flat-share with fellow actors John Hurt and Ian McShane.
Darrow worked extensively in theatre and television. His TV appearances include: Emergency – Ward 10, The Saint, Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, Within These Walls, as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1975 BBC series The Legend of Robin Hood, as Mr. Tallboy in the 1973 TV adaptation of Dorothy L. Sayers' Murder Must Advertise, as Thomas Doughty in the TV film Drake's Venture, Dombey and Son, Maelstrom, Making News, Pie in the Sky, Hollyoaks, Toast of London and Little Britain. He appeared in all but the first episode of Blake's 7, for which he was best known, as Avon. Proud of his work on Blake's 7, Darrow acted as the show's most prolific spokesman, both in the UK and during the late 80s, in the U.S. In the mid to late 90s, he purchased the rights to Blake's 7 and attempted to produce a big-budget follow-up mini-series, Blake's 7: A Rebellion Reborn. According to Darrow, it would have begun 25 years after the ending of the original series and might have included an aged Avon passing the torch to a new generation.
He was also the voice of "Jack", on independent radio stations JACKfm and Union JACK, whose lines included dry-witted comments pertaining to current events. On 27 October 2018, Darrow appeared on a celebrity sci-fi edition of the quiz show Pointless, along with fellow Blake's 7 star Michael Keating. Darrow was using a wheelchair due to his amputations.
Darrow passed away on the morning of 3 June 2019 after a short illness. He was 78.
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