Actor Lewis Collins dies of cancer.

[rhino]

Lewis Collins, who starred as Bodie in the cult Seventies show The Professionals, has died aged 67.


Collins, who starred alongside Martin Shaw, died in Los Angeles after a five-year struggle with cancer.


His agent told the BBC: "He died peacefully at his LA home surrounded by his family. Privacy is asked for at this very sad time."


The Professionals were a fictional crime fighting unit called CI5 and the programme ran between 1977 and 1983, for 57 episodes. It also starred Gordon Jackson, who appeared in Upstairs, Downstairs. With its memorable theme tune and high-octane stunts, the main pair were also celebrated for their distinctive silver Ford Capri car.

[MrTickle]

The best Bond we never had.

[william]

still can find a bodie.......

Urgggh

RIP great show and a good actor indeed.

[max_tranmere]

I saw this on the news. RIP Lewis. He has a good career in the 1970's and early 80's but the movie and TV roles dried up in later years. Martin Shaw, his co-star in The Professionals, has had quite a good acting career since and it is surprising Lewis Collins didn't have success later too. I saw the writer of The Professionals on the TV last night saying Lewis Collins would have made a good James Bond, he was apparently not only an actor but stuntman and he trained with the SAS too. He could have done the Bond role well.

[number 6]

he auditioned for the bond rule but was considered too ""aggressive""

[Robches]

The world wasn't ready for a Scouse Bond back then.

[Peter]

Robches wrote:

> The world wasn't ready for a Scouse Bond back then.

He was pretty much a shoe-in at the time though, it was only Roger Moore deciding he would stay on after saying he was done with the role that prevented it happening.

[max_tranmere]

It's interesting that he was a Scouser, he either lost his accent over the years or he just intentionally sounded more 'southern' in his acting roles. I'm not sure I ever saw him speak in interviews, I've only seen him acting.

Martin Shaw has said that his time on The Professionals was the worst time he (Martin Shaw) ever had in his career. I don't know if he and Lewis Collins had difficulties but Martin Shaw said he never had problems on any project he has ever worked on like he did on The Professionals. Shaw said years later that the only way the TV networks could repeat the show was if they got signatures from the three leading actors, and he refused to sign. This is why there were never repeats shown of the show for years and years afterwards. He eventually did sign though and we now have repeats shown on TV. I wonder what the problems were that Martin Shaw had: he may have not got on well with Lewis Collins, or Gordon Jackson, or it may have been the producers, directors and writers.

[Peter]

max_tranmere wrote:

I wonder what the problems
> were that Martin Shaw had:

The premise of the show clashed with his own political leanings. I recall him describing Doyle as a 'state sanctioned violent puppet.'

Presumably he abandoned his principles as a starving actor, then found them again once he had a few quid in the bank.

[JamesW]

Peter wrote:

> Presumably he abandoned his principles as a starving actor


No he didn't. He became unhappy during the first series and at the end of it he wanted out. However he was tied to a 4 year contract and LWT wouldn't yield on that.