Christopher George was born on 25 February 1931.
Look at that face! George was meant to star in westerns. And he did appear in a few. But he got a late start. He joined the Marines at the age of 17. And he stayed in for four years. After that, he went to college. So he was pushing 30 before he even started acting. His first screen credit was “George the Warlock” on the first season of Bewitched. He was 34 at that time. And it’s an impressive debut. He plays George, an ex-boyfriend of Samantha.
His feature film debut was the lead in The Gentle Rain, although he is better known for the following year’s El Dorado. But his main credit during the 1960s was as the lead in the TV series The Rat Patrol. He later starred in the short-lived TV series The Immortal.
Not that I care. By the mid-1970s, he was reduced to guest star roles on TV shows and supporting roles in TV movies. And that’s when he started taking more interesting roles. This started with Grizzly. But it led to other roles in lower-budget films.
Part of his revitalized career was his casting as the lead in City of the Living Dead. It is arguably my favorite Lucio Fulci film, which is saying a lot since I love his films in general. But sadly, the two men did not get along and never worked together again. (I blame it on the 20 pounds of live maggots!) He did make another European film, Pieces, which is worth checking out.
Sadly, Christopher George died of a heartattack at the age of 52 in 1983. I do wish he had stayed around because he really should have left us more psychotronic delights. Still, what he did leave is pretty good. Now we are going to watch City of the Living Dead.
Christopher George via the City of the Living Dead trailer. It is in the public domain.