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Edward Tudor-Pole

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Edward Tudor-Pole
Tudor-Pole in Cardiff, 2013
Born
Edward Felix Tudor-Pole

(1955-12-06) 6 December 1955 (age 68)
Lambeth, London, England
Other namesEddie "Tenpole"
Occupation(s)Television presenter, actor, musician

Edward Felix Tudor-Pole[1] (also known as Edward Tenpole; born 6 December 1955)[2] is an English musician, television presenter and actor.

Originally gaining fame in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the punk rock band Tenpole Tudor, Tudor-Pole began an acting career following the group's split in 1982. Outside of his music career Tudor-Pole is probably best known in the UK as the presenter of the game show The Crystal Maze from 1993 to 1995 and in the US for his roles as Enaros in the 1997 fantasy film Kull the Conqueror and Mr Borgin in the Harry Potter film series.

Personal life

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Tudor-Pole was born on 6 December 1955 in Lambeth, London,[3] to David W. and Shirley C. (née Brown) Tudor-Pole. The family's name derives from that of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (great-grandson of Geoffrey Chaucer), via Tudor-Pole's grandfather, spiritualist Wellesley Tudor Pole. Wellesley's mother was a descendant of Welsh courtier Owen Tudor, and added the 'Tudor' to her son's name.[4][5]

Tudor-Pole was educated at Pennthorpe School, Rudgwick, Sussex and King Edward's School in Witley, Surrey. He later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He lives in London and has one son. He was a keen motorcyclist for many years; his riding skills can be seen in the 1997 film Tunnel of Love, in which he played the lead role of Dodge.[6]

Musical career

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Tudor-Pole formed the band Tenpole Tudor in 1977, and eventually came to prominence after appearing in the film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle as a possible replacement for Johnny Rotten in the Sex Pistols.[7] He sang "Who Killed Bambi?", "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" and a cover version of "Rock Around the Clock" in the film and on the soundtrack. Tenpole Tudor returned in 1980, signing to Stiff Records and releasing two successful albums, Eddie, Old Bob, Dick and Gary and Let the Four Winds Blow.[8][9] They had three hit singles, including UK Top 10 hit "Swords of a Thousand Men" which he performed on Top of the Pops in May 1981.[10][11]

Acting career

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Tudor-Pole has appeared in numerous films and plays, and was the presenter on The Crystal Maze,[12] replacing Richard O'Brien from 1993 until the show's hiatus in 1995. He appeared in Between the Lines in 1992, playing a Liverpudlian villain. His film and play credits include The Rocky Horror Show[13] (written by his Crystal Maze predecessor), Jim Cartwright's play Road at the Royal Court Theatre,[14] The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980),[15] Absolute Beginners (1986),[16] Drowning by Numbers (1988),[17] White Hunter Black Heart (1990) with Clint Eastwood,[18] Princess Caraboo (1994),[19] and several films by Alex Cox including Sid and Nancy (1986),[20] Straight to Hell (1987)[21] and Walker (1987).[22]

In Kull the Conqueror (1997) he played Enaros, the antagonist of the film.[23] The following year he appeared as a slumlord in the film version of Les Misérables,[24] and as a blind man in Russell Mulcahy's horror film Tale of the Mummy.[25] He also was seen in Quills (2000),[26] The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) as Spike Milligan,[27] The Queen's Sister (2005),[28] and in Oliver Twist (2007) as Mr Slipsby.[29] Most recently he had a small part in an episode of Agatha Christie's Marple entitled "A Pocket Full of Rye", shown in 2009.[30] His appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) as Mr Borgin, the owner of Borgin and Burke's store, was cut from the theatrical release, but is included in the extended edition DVD.[31] He also appeared as a ranting street preacher in season two of Game of Thrones.[32]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle Tadpole
1986 Absolute Beginners Ed the Ted
1986 Sid and Nancy UK Hotelier
1987 Straight to Hell Rusty Zimmerman
1987 Walker Doubleday
1988 Drowning by Numbers Mr 71 Van Dyke
1990 White Hunter Black Heart Reissar, British partner
1994 Princess Caraboo Lord Neville
1994 Blackout Brother Francis
1996 Different for Girls Prosecuting Solicitor
1996 La lengua asesina Flash
1997 Kull the Conqueror Enaros
1997 Tunnel of Love Dodge
1998 Tale of the Mummy Blind Man
1998 The Young Person's Guide to Becoming A Rock Star Christian
1998 Les Misérables Landlord
2000 Some Voices Lighter Seller
2000 Quills Franval
2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Mr Borgin Deleted scenes
2004 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Spike Milligan
2005 GamerZ Dr Denham
2005 The Queen's Sister Cecil Beaton TV movie
2008 Faintheart Lollipop Man / Death Metal Singer
2010 Straight to Hell Returns Rusty Zimmerman
TBA Schadenfreude The Landlord

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1993–1995 The Crystal Maze Presenter 28 episodes

References

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  1. ^ Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. Adrian Room, p. 483
  2. ^ GRO Births Dec 1955: TUDOR-POLE, Edward, mmn = BROWN, Lambeth 5c 1516
  3. ^ England & Wales, Birth Index: DEC 1954 vol 5c, p. 1516
  4. ^ Gerry Fenge, 'The Two Worlds of Wellesley Tudor Pole', Lorian Association, 2010.
  5. ^ "Ed Tudor-Pole in conversation with Phil Singleton", philjens.plus.com; accessed 9 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Tunnel of Love (1997)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tenpole Tudor | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Tenpole Tudor - Eddie, Old Bob, Dick And Gary". Discogs. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. ^ Let the Four Winds Blow - Tenpole Tudor | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 17 April 2020
  10. ^ "Top of the Pops - TV Episode Calendar". episodecalendar.com. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  11. ^ "swords of a thousand men | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  12. ^ "The Crystal Maze[18/05/95] (1995)". BFI. Retrieved 17 April 2020.[dead link‍]
  13. ^ "RockyMusic - The Rocky Horror Show (London Cast - The Whole Gory Story) (1990)". www.rockymusic.org. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  14. ^ Gussow, Mel (10 July 1986). "Critic's Notebook; the Royal Court Redux". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  15. ^ "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Absolute Beginners". Empire. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Drowning by Numbers (1988)". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  18. ^ "White Hunter Black Heart (1990)". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Princess Caraboo (1994)". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  20. ^ Sid and Nancy (1986) - Alex Cox | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 17 April 2020
  21. ^ "Straight to Hell (1987)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  22. ^ Walker (1987) - Alex Cox | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie, retrieved 17 April 2020
  23. ^ Kull the Conqueror (1997) - John Nicolella | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie, retrieved 17 April 2020
  24. ^ Les Miserables (1998) - Bille August | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 17 April 2020
  25. ^ "Talos the Mummy (1998)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  26. ^ Quills (2000), retrieved 17 April 2020
  27. ^ McCarthy, Todd (22 May 2004). "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers". Variety. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  28. ^ The Queen's Sister (2005) - Simon Cellan Jones | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 17 April 2020
  29. ^ Oliver Twist - Series 1: Episode 1. Retrieved 17 April 2024 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  30. ^ "A Pocket Full of Rye (2009)". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  31. ^ "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2003)". BFI. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Game of Thrones: The Ghost of Harrenhal". TV.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
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