Friday, October 15, 2010

Obit: Simon MacCorkindale, RIP

Simon MacCorkindale, star of the 1983 fantasy series Manimal (which just barely falls under the purview of this site) has died at age 58, after a battle with cancer.

The actor died Thursday night surrounded by his family in a private Harley Street clinic. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer four years ago, which had later spread to his liver. His wife, the actress Susan George, said he had fought valiantly against the ravages of the disease.

"He fought it with such strength, courage and belief. Last night, he lost this battle, and he died peacefully in my arms..to me, he was simply the best of everything, and I loved him with all my heart."

I don't believe I ever actually saw an episode of the short-lived and much-maligned fantasy-adventure series Manimal (which co-starred Flash Gordon's Melody Anderson), but I know it had quite a cult following. Producer Glen Larson (Battlestar Galactica) even brought MacCorkindale's character back in the 90s to guest star on an episode of his syndicated superhero series, Night Man.

MacCorkindale didn't have many other notable genre roles, but I always enjoyed seeing him when he popped up in guest shots on TV.

12 comments:

  1. Wow... Hadn't thought about that show in ages; it was so far off my radar it could have been a B-2 bomber...

    Thanks for the notice; I think his family would appreciate you putting him in our thoughts, and you did a great service to his memory with this post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I found it to be an entertaining program, and was disappointed when it was caanceled.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "MacCorkindale didn't have many other notable genre roles..."

    How about either co-starring or multiple guest shots on...
    The Sword and the Sorcerer (one of your favorites, IIRC)
    Quatermass aka Quatermass Conclusion
    CounterStrike
    Poltergeist: the Legacy
    Relic Hunter
    plus numerous single guest shots on everything from Earth: Final Conflict to La Femme Nikita

    ReplyDelete
  4. I liked him as Derek Rayne's nemesis Reed Horton on Poltergeist: The Legacy. Classy guy, decent actor - my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I liked Manimal as a kid. We never thought it was anything but cool.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Also starred in Jaws-3D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anyone who has never seen "Robbers of the Sacred Mountain" (also known as "Falcon's Gold") should really seek it out. Yeah, it's an Indian Jones rip-off, but a great one and McCorkindale is awesome in it! One of my favorite movies. Tough to find but worth the hunt.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was a HUGE fan of Manimal. Rest in Peace Simon, dear sir.

    ReplyDelete
  9. He was a good actor that never caught the big break that would keep him firmly established in Hollywood. And from what I've read, he was a really nice guy to boot. He was also in the film "Death on the Nile" along with a great cast.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I will always love Simon as a wonderful actor,great human being from what ive read,would love to have met him...first noticed him in Manimal...as JC,i was hooked,gutted when the series ended so soon,he was perfect in that role.soooo alluring.he was really very versatile,Hollywood should have given this diamond a real chance,love you always Simon RIP X

    ReplyDelete
  11. I just saw him pop up on Jesus of Nazareth as the roman soldier guarding the tomb. Simon was popping up everywhere in those days.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Damn, I just found out he died. I use to watch Manimal when I was a little kid. We use to talk about how cool Manimal was in school the day after it aired. I actually still have a Manimal Holographic sticker that changes from Simon into a horse. I guess that I know him best for The sword and the Sorcerer and also from one of my favorite bad movies Jaws 3-D. My frinds and I use to pretend we were the cast of The Sword and the Sorcerer whenever we had sword fights and played Jaws everytime we went in someones pool. I must admit that he definately made my childhood a little cooler.

    ReplyDelete