Lewis Fiander, Australian actor, Died at 78

  Actor

Lewis Fiander was born on January 12, 1938, in Melbourne and died on May 24, 2016.

He was an Australian film, stage, television, and actor.

He was educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew, the son of Mona Jane (née King) and Walter Lewis Fiander.

Lewis relocated to the UK from his native Australia, firstly appearing in the play “The One Day of the Year”.

Fiander has appeared in films such as ‘I Start Counting (1970), Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), The Abdication (1974), Who Can Kill a Child? (1976), Not Now, Comrade (1976), Sweeney 2 (1978), The Doctor and the Devils (1985), Georgia (1988) and Paperback Romance (1994).

Lewis’s primary major role on television was Mr Darcy in the BBC’s first colour adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1967).

During 1970, Lewis starred the role of John Adams in the London stage production of 1776, a role he reprised in Australia.

His other stage performances in West End musicals included the roles of Lord Melbourne and Disraeli in I and Albert, Coward in Noel and Gertie and Puccini in Cafe Puccini.

In the 70s, Lewis was cast as Professor Tryst in the Doctor Who episode “Nightmare of Eden” and after discussion with his friend Tom Baker chose to give the character a hybrid accent as would befit an alien in the future.

Lewis Fiander appeared as Casimir Dudevant playing opposite Rosemary Harris in the BBC 1974 series Notorious Woman and performed the role of Thomas Becket on a cast-album of the musical Thomas and The King.

Lewis Fiander went back to Australia in the early 1980s and continued his acting career.

Fiander contributed the voice for airship engineer Kemp in Anthony Lucas’s Oscar nominated animation, in 2004, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello.

He died due to a stroke.

Lewis Fiander passed away at 78 yrs old.