Michael Culver

Michael John Edward Culver (16 June 1938 – 27 February 2024) was a British actor. He played Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back.

Personal life Michael John Edward Culver was born on 16 June 1938 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. He was the son of actor Roland Culver and casting director Daphne Rye. He was educated at Gresham's School and trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Culver died on 27 February 2024, at the age of 85. which was followed as the co-pilot of Avro Vulcan, (Callsign Ramjet MBX-79), in Thunderball (1965).

Culver performed in three of Tricycle Theatre’s Tribunal Plays: Nuremberg (A distillation of the 1945–46 Nuremberg trials – of leading Nazi war criminals); Half the Picture (From transcripts from the Scott Inquiry into Arms-to-Iraq – the first play to be performed in the Palace of Westminster.) and The Colour of Justice (The dramatisation of the evidence given during Sir William Macpherson’s inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, his family's search for justice and endemic racism in the police force). They were directed by Nicolas Kent. The Colour of Justice and Half the Picture and were broadcast by the BBC Television. In 2018, Michael was the primary contributor to an audio monument to the peace campaigner Brian Haw. Still sited in Parliament Square in London, the monument - 'And There Was Brian' - gives Michael's account of how he supported Haw throughout his ten-year campaign against the Iraq War and other military conflicts. The work was created by Michael, alongside Guy Atkins, Nina Garthwaite, James Bulley, and Amanda Ward. The monument can be accessed via the project's website, www.andtherewasbrian.uk.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes 1963 From Russia with Love Man in a Punt Uncredited Crossplot Jim 1985 Miss Marple: The Moving Finger Edward Symmington TV mini-series 1986 The Return of Sherlock Holmes Sir Reginald Musgrave Episode: The Musgrave Ritual Casualty James Jarvis Episode: Blood Brothers 1988 Hannay Major Edmund Philipson Episode: Death with due notice Game, Set and Match Dicky Cruyer 13 episodes 1989 Countdown to War Lord Halifax TV movie The Justice Game Brian Ash 2 episodes Saracen Sir Anthony Episode: Ratline Boon Greg Simpson Episode: Love Letters from a Dead Man 1990 TECX Mark Frobisher Episode: A Soldier's Death The Green Man Dr. Thomas Underhill 3 episodes

1991–2000

Year Title Role Notes 1991 The New Zorro Aragan Episode: The Whistling Bandit Shrinks Sir Hugo Dyer 1 episode For the Greater Good Sir Christopher St Place 2 episodes The Darling Buds of May Sir George Bluff-Gore 3 episodes 1992 The House of Eliott Ralph Saroyan 7 episodes Screen One Mr Gervaise Episode: Losing Track Lovejoy Arnold Featherstone Episode: Members Only The Piglet Files Hugo Wittersham Episode: Guerrillas in the Mist 1993 Emmerdale Philip Wallace Growing Pains Episode: "Back in Your Own Backyard"Inspector Morse Maugham Willowbank Episode: The Day of the Devil 1994–98 Cadfael Prior Robert 13 episodes 1996 Half the Picture Sir Nicholas Lyell/Gore Booth TV movie Neverwhere Portico Episode: Knightsbridge 1997 Victoria and Albert (Network First Disraeli TV mini-series, Episode: A Queen Alone Touching Evil Pathologist 2 episodes WOW 1999 The Colour of Justice Sir William McPherson TV movie The Queen’s Nose D. Gallows Episode: "Harmony’s Return"

2001–2013

Year Title Role Notes 2001 Anybody's Nightmare Lord Bingham TV movie 2003 New Tricks Ian Lovett 1 episode 2004 Spooks Hugo Weatherby 1 episode, uncredited 2005 Derailed Lord Cullen TV movie 2006 Good Girl, Bad Girl Koslowski TV movie Murder City Michael Anderson Episode: Just Seventeen The Impressionists Cézanne's father 1 episode, TV mini-series 2007 The Three Dumas 3rd Marquess Davy De La Pailleterie Documentary 2008 Wallander Hugo Sandin Episode: Sidetracked 2013 Doctors Father Finbar Flynn Episode: Telling

Documentary

Year Title Role Notes 1975 One Million Hours Drama documentary 1981 More British than the British Narrator 1987 Surcouf: Diving to Disaster Narrator Drama documentary 1988 Affairs of the Hart Narrator 1990 Oceans of Wealth Narrator 1991 The Transmission of Roger Bacon Roger Bacon Drama documentary Tradecraft Narrator 2015 Incontrovertible Narrator Documentary