Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom (19 December 1924 – 1 January 2009) was an English actor, voice artist, and director. He worked first on stage in Britain, performing various works by Shakespeare, then later in America on Broadway, until making his way to Hollywood, and eventually spent the remainder of his life appearing in Italian cinema. 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". Between the 1970s and 90s, he was a regular in European genre cinema, working with directors like Juan Piquer Simón, Joe D'Amato, Sergio Martino, Ruggero Deodato.
Known For
The Diary of Anne Frank
(1959)
British Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Titanic
(1953)
Second Officer Lightoller (uncredited)
The Egyptian
(1954)
Sinuhe
Ator, the Fighting Eagle
(1982)
Griba
Julius Caesar
(1953)
Strato
Pieces
(1982)
The Dean
Blackie the Pirate
(1971)
The Viceroy
The Yellow Rolls-Royce
(1964)
Fane
Absurd
(1981)
Father
The Scarlet and the Black
(1983)
The Rift
(1990)
CEO Steensland
Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile
(1961)
Tumos
Who Is Afraid Of Dracula?
(1985)
Count Vlad
Invaders of the Lost Gold
(1982)
Rex Larson
2019: After the Fall of New York
(1983)
President of the Pan American Confederacy
Athena
(1954)
Adam Calhorn Shaw
Full Filmography
Acting
Julius Caesar
(1953)
Strato
Titanic
(1953)
Second Officer Lightoller (uncredited)
The Egyptian
(1954)
Sinuhe
The Student Prince
(1954)
Prince Karl Franz
Athena
(1954)
Adam Calhorn Shaw
The King's Thief
(1955)
Michael Dermott
The Prodigal
(1955)
Micah
Strange Intruder
(1956)
Paul Quentin
Ambush in Tangier
(1957)
John Milwood
The Diary of Anne Frank
(1959)
British Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Herod the Great
(1959)
Erode
Moment of Danger
(1960)
Peter Carran
Fury of the Pagans
(1960)
Toryok
The Cossacks
(1960)
Shamil, the Sheik
The Night They Killed Rasputin
(1960)
Rasputin
Das große Wunschkonzert
(1960)
Harry Mell
The Loves of Salammbo
(1960)
Narr Havas
The Last of the Vikings
(1961)
King Sveno
Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile
(1961)
Tumos
Suleiman the Conqueror
(1961)
Ibrahim Pascià
White Slave Ship
(1961)
Dr. Bradley
Lafayette
(1962)
Silas Deane
The Last Ride to Santa Cruz
(1964)
Sheriff Kelly
The Yellow Rolls-Royce
(1964)
Fane
The Beauty Jungle
(1964)
Rex Carrick
The Comedy Man
(1964)
Julian Baxter
Assault on Fort Texan
(1965)
Major 'Sugar' Patterson
Texas Jim
(1965)
Tom Jameson / Jim James
The Man Who Laughs
(1966)
Cesare Borgia
Gun Shy Piluk
(1968)
Piluk
Chrysanthemums for a Bunch of Swine
(1968)
Padre
Sweden: Heaven and Hell
(1968)
Narrator (English version)
Excuse Me, Do You Like Sex?
(1968)
Narrator of English version
Naked England
(1969)
Narrator (English version)
Wages of Sin
(1969)
Narrator
The Queer ... The Erotic
(1969)
Narrator (voice)
Naked and Violent
(1970)
Narrator (voice): English version
Thomas
(1970)
Marcus
Witchcraft '70
(1970)
Narrator (voice) (English version)
The Fifth Cord
(1971)
Edouard Vermont
Blackie the Pirate
(1971)
The Viceroy
Karzan, Jungle Lord
(1972)
Lord Carter (voice) (uncredited)
The Devil's Lover
(1972)
Gunther
The Big Family
(1973)
Giovanni Lutture
The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff
(1973)
Inspector Crosby
From the Archives of the Criminal Police
(1973)
Teddy Webbs
Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks
(1974)
Prefect Ewing
Fifteen Year Old Captain
(1974)
Admiral Marlowe
The Suspects
(1974)
Le journaliste américain
The Night Child
(1975)
Doctor
Rulers of the City
(1976)
Luigi Cherico
Big Pot
(1976)
Professor Vanderberg
Povero Cristo
(1976)
Man in Tuxedo
The New Godfathers
(1979)
Secret Service Chief
Concorde Affair
(1979)
Danker
Lo scoiattolo
(1979)
Robert Sincap
Deep Thoughts
(1980)
The Pianist
Sophia Loren: Her Own Story
(1980)
Vittorio de Sica
L'altra donna
(1980)
Phillip
Absurd
(1981)
Father
Ator, the Fighting Eagle
(1982)
Griba
Pieces
(1982)
The Dean
Invaders of the Lost Gold
(1982)
Rex Larson
2019: After the Fall of New York
(1983)
President of the Pan American Confederacy
Champagne in paradiso
(1983)
Paola's Father
Amok
(1983)
Jaarsveld
The Scarlet and the Black
(1983)
Don't Open Till Christmas
(1984)
Inspector Harris
The Making of a Horror Film
(1984)
Self
Who Is Afraid Of Dracula?
(1985)
Count Vlad
The Assisi Underground
(1985)
Cardinal Della Costa
Killer vs Killers
(1985)
His Excelency
Don Bosco
(1988)
Urbano Rattazzi
The Rift
(1990)
CEO Steensland
A Bear Called Arthur
(1992)
7 Signs of Christ's Return
(1997)
Host
Knights of the Quest
(2001)
Ugo di Clarendon
Directing