Chris Gardner Interviews Michael Sheard
(In Article Form - Feb. 2001)

To the pupils of Grange Hill he was Maurice Bronson, the French teacher from hell. To Darth Vader he was the disobedient Admiral, Ozzel, and to Indiana Jones and his father he was the ultimate Nazi, Adolph Hitler. But to his friends and family the man behind these memorable characters, Michael Sheard, is a bum actor who is just doing his job. And what a good job he has done over the years, clocking up apearance in more than 800 television shows as well as around 40 movies.

The Scots actor joined the second oldest profession in the world with a bit of encouragement from his late father, a minister of the kirk in Aberdeen. As a child the young Michael, who would go on to train at RADA, would take roles in his father’s parish productions. In 1950 the aspiring actor saw, for the first time, the World War II escape movie The Wooden Horse.

“From the very first moment that I saw the very first frame of The Wooden Horse I knew that there was only one thing I wanted to do with my life,” said Micheal. “I wanted to be an actor.”

He eventually succeeded with a place at London’s top drama school, interrupted with a two-year spell of National Service with the British Royal Air Force. From those halcyon days he’s never looked back. In fact memories of those days, and more recent ones, have led Michael to put pen to paper on no less than three separate occasions.

He shared his love of the business in his first book 'Yes, Mr Bronson: Memoirs of a Bum Actor', published by Summersdale in 1997, which was followed two years later by 'Yes Admiral Ozzel: Sci Fi, Friends and Further Memoirs', an affectionate look at some science fiction conventions where he is often guest of honour. A third book, offering more of the same, is currently on its way and is called 'Yes, School's Out!'

“It took me about two and a half years to write 'Yes, Mr Bronson', when I had a bit of time and I found that I was enjoying it as one remembrance led to another. Also, I hope I've treated it in a very modest, loving, happy, enjoyable way,” said Michael. “I am a featured, jobbing bum actor, hence the title of my book. It's the most fun thing to be.”

After five years of playing Maurice Bronson, Michael was picked for The Empire Strikes Back. He had seen Star Wars with his three children several years earlier. Having been a working actor all of his life, he understood the various techniques used by filmmakers to achieve special effects. “I don’t know where the saying the camera never lies comes from because the camera lies all the time,” he revealed.

“I had seen Star Wars before I appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, because I took my kids to see it, and I thought it was splendid," said Michael. "But the most important reason that I agreed to play Admiral Ozzel in The Empire Strikes Back was that my kids would never have spoken to me again if I hadn't! But it was just, to me, another job.”

Star Wars creator George Lucas was so impressed with Michael’s scene, according to the actor, that he commented on it on set. “George came up to me and said, ‘You gave me the biggest laugh. You died brilliantly,' and funnily enough everybody says the same. As far as I can remember Vader looked down the tube and went, 'Death, death, death!’”

Of the mythic following that the Star Wars trilogy now has, Michael compared the fall of Anakin Skywalker to Satan’s expulsion from heaven, as told by the Bible. Said Michael. “It was an explosion that hit the pulse of the world absolutely at the right time. It is an enormous thing to have happened. I don't think the Back to the Future trilogy or the Star Trek films would have happened had it not been for Star Wars and I am very proud to have been given the opportunity to be part of it.”

He is even hopeful that he might be given a shot at playing Admiral Ozzel’s father in the yet to be filmed Episode III of the Star Wars saga, often suggesting that co-star Ken Colley, who played Admiral Piett, might also have a chance.

Michael’s children, who are all now fully fledged members of adult society, were always very proud of their famous dad, who appeared in the BBC’s long running science fiction adventure serial, Doctor Who, on countless occasions.

“I was never so popular as when I was doing Doctor Who and the children wanted me to pick them up from school and show me off,“ said Michael, who is in contention to play the Timelord in a new feature film.

On one occasion, appearing alongside Sylvester McCoy, Michael got to play a head teacher. “That was quite a lot of fun,” he remembered. “Mainly because the Grange Hill character that I played, Mr. Bronson, was only the deputy head teacher but always wanted to be the head teacher.”

Michael ran into George Lucas again during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which he played Hitler. Remembering his scene from the film brings a smile to Michael's face. Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, and his father Henry, played by Sean Connery, were trying to escape Nazi Germany with a diary detailing the location of the Holy Grail.

"Along came Harrison and Sean to film a scene," said Michael. "Their costumes were beautifully presented, Harrison in his leather jacket, Sean in thick tweeds and they were immaculately correct. Or rather they were immaculately correct down to their waists. Below the waist they wore nothing hut swimming trunks. They'd been told by the director, Stephen Spielberg, that he would not be shooting them below the belt that day, so they'd devised an excellent way to keep cool!"

A little known appearance, that even Michael’s avid fans may have missed, was the role of the submarine captain in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Michael was originally considered to play the role of Toht, the Gestapo officer who has the headpiece to the Staff of Ra accidentally burned into his hand. The role eventually want to the late Ronald Lacey. “Ronnie was better suited to the part so I got the part of the U-boat captain. In the original script the captain featured quite a bit at the beginning so I took the part,” said Michael.

But the combination of rough weather and a tight schedule meant that those scenes, filmed in La Rochelle, France, could not be concluded and had to be cut. “The best opportunity of clocking me is when the submarine comes into the submarine pen and there I am up at the top of the conning tower with Wolf Kahler (Dietrich). You can just see me!”

Michael went on from Raiders of the Lost Ark to appear as the Nazi Sgt Mann alongside the gentlemanly David Niven, in Escape To Athena. Niven was later claimed by Motor Neurone Disease. "David was an absolute darling,” remembered Michael, who now lives on the Isle of Wight, a small Island off the south coast of England. “When I was asked if I would like to take on the presidency of the Isle of Wight branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, I jumped at the chance because of him.”

Michael has also been busy on the Island, directing for local company Wihtgar Productions. His first collaboration with the company in the mid 1990‘s, 'A Sleep of Prisoners', was written by Christopher Fry, and was a long-time favourite. The story revolved around four prisoners of war who are locked in a church and dream of Bible characters. "It's a super play," said Michael. "It’s written in verse, but must not be played in verse. It's clever stuff and not easy to play."

The cast was recruited via an article in the Island's newspaper, the Isle of Wight County Press, which gave rave reviews of another of his directing projects, 'Shirley Valentine'. Another string to the bow of Equity member 40307 is the fact that he is an honorary member of the Stunt Artists’ Association: “I've got the shirt to prove it,” boasted Michael. “I used to carry their bags when they went off to practice their stunts on Escape to Athena.”

From his candid nature, and the enthusiasm with which he almost bursts, it’s obvious that Michael Sheard has enjoyed his career to date. “I've got so much enjoyment out of the business and so much love,“ he said. “I call a spade a spade when a spade has to be a spade.”

It’s not always been a glamorous ride for the RADA trained actor. “I got £7.10s a week as an assistant stage manager with Perth Repertory Company in the 1960s but this went up to £11 when I became an actor.”

So would-be actors can take heed of Michael’s advice. “I don’t think I would ever recommend anyone to go into the profession unless they really feel there is nothing else they want.” And he added: “You have to have a steeliness and a direction of purpose. You have to work very hard - it’s a fool who leaves it all to his agent. You have to hustle.”

But for fans of his work Micheal is very reassuring. “Creative work is a buzz,” he said. “I would never give up thesping.”

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