Edmund Purdom

Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom (19 December 19241 January 2009) was an English actor, voice artist, and director. He worked first on stage in Britain, performing various works by Shakespeare, then in America on Broadway and in Hollywood, and eventually in Italy. He is perhaps best known for his starring role in 1954's historical epic The Egyptian. By taking over important roles exited by Mario Lanza and Marlon Brando, Purdom was known by the mid-1950s as "The Replacement Star". After the failure of his Hollywood career, Purdom returned briefly to the United Kingdom and then settled in Italy, where he spent the remainder of his life appearing in local films. Between the 1970s and 1990s, he was a regular in European genre cinema, working with directors like Juan Piquer Simón, Joe D'Amato, Sergio Martino and Ruggero Deodato. His daughter, Lilan Purdom, became a journalist for French TV Channel TF1. She is the author of the book Hollywood Garage, about her father's career. Early life Edmund Purdom was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, the youngest of four children of Charles Purdom, a London drama critic, and his wife, Lilian Antonia ( Cutlar). Raised Catholic, Purdom was educated by Jesuits at St Ignatius College, Stamford Hill, and, later, by Benedictines at Downside School.