Ian McShane Movies
Another distinguished product of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Lancashire-born Ian McShane made his professional stage, film and TV debut all in the same year: 1962. McShane's subsequent stage credits were as extensive as they were impressive, ranging from centuries-old classics to Tennessee Williams and Joe Orton. His TV resumé includes any number of TV-movies and miniseries: he played Judas in the internationally produced Jesus of Nazareth (1977) and was seen as the title character in the British "mini" Disraeli (1979). In America, he was a regular on the 1989-90 season of Dallas, playing Don Lockwood. McShane gained an international fan following as a result of his starring role in the widely-distributed TV series The Lovejoy Mysteries, originally filmed in 1986, then brought back by popular demand in 1990.Throughout the 90s, McShane was mostly absent from both the big screen and the small one. However, in 2000, he received recognition for playing a tough crime boss in the critically acclaimed Sexy Beast. It was certainly this hard-edged persona that attracted the producers of HBO's Deadwood to McShane. In 2004, he found himself with a regular gig on the foul-mouthed Western series, starring as an unscrupulous tavern-owner in a lawless 19th-century American prospecting town. He stayed with the show for its entire run, soon moving on to star as Max in the Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, before signing on to star in the NBC drama Kings in 2008.
From 1965 to 1968, Ian McShane was married to actress Suzanne Farmer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
This video production is from the earliest drama of this Russian playwright. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1990
This was one of the highest-rated of the Columbo 2-hour TV movies of the 1990s. The story begins as Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) solemnly attends his wife's funeral. Mrs. C. was poisoned, and the murderer is guest star Helen Shaver. When her husband died in prison, Shaver swore revenge on the three men responsible for his incarceration. She kills the first two men outright, but when she levels her sights at Columbo, Shaver decides to make the detective "feel her pain" through the loss of a loved one. A twist ending caps this intriguing entry. Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo was first presented March 31, 1990, as part of ABC's Saturday Mystery Movie anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Falk, Helen Shaver, (more)
- 1990
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason represents a Marine Officer who is accused of killing a Nazi war criminal. He is the prime suspect because the Nazi had treated his mother terribly at a concentration camp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
In the Frame was first shown as a 2-hour entry in the syndicated TV anthology The Mystery Wheel of Adventure. The film was one of three mysteries based on the works of author Dick Francis. Ian McShane stars as Francis' most popular character, British Jockey Club investigator David Cleveland. Here, Cleveland comes to the aid of an old friend accused of stealing fine art and finer wine. After its syndicated run in 1989, In the Frame was broadcast over the Disney Channel pay-cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Blood Sport premiered as a 2-hour installment of the syndicated TV anthology "Mystery Wheel of Adventure." It was one of three Irish/Canadian productions based on the works of mystery writer Dick Francis. As in the other Francis mysteries, Ian McShane stars as British Jockey Club investigator David Cleveland. His assignment: to locate a missing race horse, upon which the fortunes of several people (nice and otherwise) are pinned. Kenneth Welsh costars in this made-for-TV puzzler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McShane, Kenneth Welsh, (more)
- 1989
Twice Shy was originally telecast on the syndicated anthology "Mystery Wheel of Adventure." It was one of three dramas based on the works of novelist Dick Francis. Ian McShane stars as David Cleveland, investigator for the British Jockey Club. Cleveland uncovers an illegal computer betting service, after a cartel of gamblers causes the death of his friend. Kate McKenzie costars in this Irish/Canadian TV mystery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McShane
- 1989
Aimed at the ten- to 15-year-old demographic, this six-episode British series offered an entertaining if not entirely accurate overview of celebrated comedian Charlie Chaplin's formative years. Though fairly explicit in detailing the alcoholism of Chaplin's music hall headliner father Charles Chaplin Sr. (Ian McShane) and the mental illness of Charlie's mother Hannah (Twiggy), the series had a predilection for broad, unsubtle comedy, suggesting that the Chaplin family's various tiltings with landlords, policemen, and orphanage officials were actually "dress rehearsals" for Charlie's famous two-reel comedy films (one sequence with David Kossoff was a virtual carbon copy of Chaplin's 1916 short The Pawnshop). Also, the chronology of events was sometimes fuzzy or misleading, especially concerning such famous Chaplin associates as vaudeville entrepreneur Fred Karno and fellow comic Stan Laurel. Otherwise, Joe Geary was excellent in the title role, as was Lee Whitlock as Charlie's protective half-brother Sydney. Originally telecast in England beginning on January 25, 1989, Young Charlie Chaplin was subsequently seen in America as part of the PBS Wonderworks anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Twiggy
- 1988
Originally shown on television in two parts, the second of which takes place after WWII. Surviving escapee Major John Dodge (Christopher Reeve) is sent back to Germany by Winston Churchill to capture the Gestapo officer who ordered the machine-gunning of 50 of the captured escapees, in direct defiance of the Geneva convention. Donald Pleasance, one of the "good guys" in the original, plays the Nazi villain in the new version. Filmed in Yugoslavia, Great Escape II: The Untold Story was originally telecast November 6 and 7, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
In this crime comedy, the daughter of a notorious French burglar must follow in her father's illustrious footsteps after he is suddenly killed. She soon finds herself nearly in over her head as she is required to perform a variety of death-defying stunts in order to ply her trade. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- NR
A dog is run over by a car; the owner investigates and finds himself faced with a dying man who utters a cryptic phrase and leaves the dog owner in great danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McShane, Kika Markham, (more)
Edgar Allan Poe's classic 1841 detective story Murders in the Rue Morgue was adapted for television by David Epstein. Two women--a mother and a daughter--are brutally killed in their tiny Paris apartment. There are no eyewitnesses, and the earwitnesses are wildly contradictory. The evidence points to a man of superhuman strength: perhaps it was the girl's jealous fiance. Enter consulting detective C. Auguste Dupin (George C. Scott), who with a methodical application of logic solves the mystery. The younger of the two unfortunate ladies was played by Rebecca De Mornay, still in her ingenue phase. Murders in the Rue Morgue was originally telecast December 7, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A middle-aged dentist who is frustrated and bored with his commonplace life looks for greater adventure. This appeared on the PBS "American Playhouse." ~ All Movie Guide
