Drewe Henley
Drewe Henley | |
---|---|
Born | 1940 Malvern, Worcestershire, England |
Died | (aged 75) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1963–1977 |
Spouses |
|
Children | Charley Henley |
Gordon Drewe Henley (1940 – 14 February 2016)
Career
Henley appeared in film, television and theatre productions. These included episodes of Z-Cars, UFO, The Avengers and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and a three-week run of Henry V in 1968 in which he played the lead role.[2]
He is known for his role as X-Wing pilot Red Leader (Garven Dreis) in the film
The performance was Henley's final one on film, as he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, then known as manic depression, shortly after completing his part and retired from acting.
Personal life
He was married to actress Jacqueline Pearce for three and a half years from 1963 until they divorced.[7] He married actress Felicity Kendal in 1968 and they had one son, Charley, a special effects technician.[8][9] They divorced in 1979 after he became manic depressive.[10]
According to an interview with Kendal in 2000, Henley had become a "former" manic depressive. Henley and his illness were discussed in her autobiography White Cargo.[5] He and his third wife, Lyn Henley, ran a bed and breakfast in Devon, and they were married until her death in 2015.[11]
Death
In 2013, Henley was diagnosed with vascular dementia and within the last 12 months of his life had become increasingly frail and his dementia was advancing. On Valentine's Day, 2016, he choked to death on a fish pie at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. He was 75 years old.[12]
Henley posthumously reprised his role as Garven Dreis from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the 2016 film
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1963 | Heavens Above! | Doris' Boy Friend | Uncredited |
1964 | Nothing But the Best
|
Denis | |
633 Squadron | Thor | Uncredited | |
1965 | Operation Crossbow | Uncredited | |
The Alphabet Murders | Bowling Alley Attendant | Uncredited | |
1966 | A Man for All Seasons | Uncredited | |
1967 | The 25th Hour | Capt. Brunner | |
1968 | Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter | Clive | |
1970 | Hell Boats | Sub. Lt. Johnson, R.N. | |
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth | Khaku | ||
1971 | Puppet on a Chain | Jimmy Duclos | |
Quest for Love | Man | ||
1972 | Frenzy | Forensics technician | Uncredited |
1976 | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | Uncredited | |
1977 | Star Wars | Garven Dreis (Red Leader) | Credited as Drewe Hemley |
2016 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Archival footage, posthumous appearance |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | The Avengers | Murdering Groom (in "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Station") | 1 episode |
Wuthering Heights | Edgar Linton | 3 episodes | |
1968-1969 | Z-Cars | Steve Ritchie/Sgt. Walker | 3 episodes |
1969 | Conflict )
|
Capt. Steve Maddox | 1 episode |
1970-71 | The Doctors | Dr. David Owens | 6 episodes |
1974 | The Protectors | Clarke | 1 episode |
1975 | Hogg's Back | Weight-lifter | 1 episode |
1977 | Space: 1999 | Joe Ehrlich | 2 episodes |
References
- ^ "Drewe Henley". The Times (28 March 2016). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- Nottingham Evening Post. 29 July 2009.
- ^ "Dreis, Garven (Red Leader)". Starwars.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d Scott Chernoff (June 1998). "In the Star Wars Universe: Drewe Henley – Leader of the Pack". Star Wars Insider Issue 38.
- ^ a b Maureen Paton (1 October 2000). "It's the good life, second time around". The Sunday Times.
- ^ Maureen Paton (7 August 2003). "I never saw myself as a sex symbol". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ Jacqueline Pearce (19 July 2009). "19 July 2009 – Drewe". Jacqueline Pearce.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ "Secrets of a good life". Western Daily Press. 1 November 2003.
- ^ Simon Edge (12 December 2007). "Felicity Kendal – Botox, yoga and why I'm happier with my good life now that I've finally hit my 60s". The Express.
- ^ Harriet Arkell. "Hellraiser's Crush on Wholesome Felicity". Evening Standard. London. p. 7.
- ^ Rita Campden. "A Cottage Gem in Devon, England" (PDF). Travel Scoop. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ Merritt, Anita (13 January 2017). "Star Wars actor once married to Felicity Kendal died 'after choking on fish pie'". Daily Mirror.
- ^ Alex Gilyadov (20 December 2016). "How Rogue One Included a Couple of Surprising Star Wars Cameos". IGN. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Dave Itzkoff (27 December 2016). "How 'Rogue One' Brought Back Familiar Faces". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
External links
- Drewe Henley at IMDb
- Obituary Archived 14 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- In Memoriam