Bruce Boa


Andrew Bruce Boa was a Canadian actor, who found success playing the token American in British films and television, usually playing military types. Boa's most notable film role is in The Empire Strikes Back as General Carlist Rieekan. On television, his most notable role is probably as the brash, plain-speaking American guest, Mr. Harry Hamilton, in the Fawlty Towers episode "Waldorf Salad".

Early life

Bruce Boa was born on 10 July 1930 in Port Stanley, Ontario, the second of three children of Ila and Andrew Boa, a clergyman. His older sister was Jungian analyst and author Marion Woodman, and his younger brother was Fraser Boa, also a Jungian analyst, who died in 1992. Boa attended the University of Western Ontario, graduating in 1952 with a degree in theology, then spent a brief period playing professional football for the Calgary Stampeders in 1952.
After travelling through Central America and Europe, he began his acting career in England in 1956 and settled there permanently in the 1960s. In a 1959 interview, when he was aged 29, he said he had also written poetry, a novel and film scripts, and hoped to make a living combining writing and acting.

Career

Boa's film credits include Man in the Middle, The Adding Machine, Who?, The Cherry Picker, The Omen, Silver Bears, Superman, Carry On Emmannuelle, A Touch of the Sun, The London Connection, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, Silver Dream Racer, Ragtime, Octopussy, Return to Oz, and Screamers. He also played the Marine colonel in Full Metal Jacket who chastises Matthew Modine's character over having a peace pin on his lapel while having "Born To Kill" written on his combat helmet.
On television, he appeared in Thriller, in 1977 Come Back, Little Sheba, an episode of Laurence Olivier Presents, opposite Laurence Olivier and Joanne Woodward. Other television credits include: Fawlty Towers, The Avengers, Out of the Unknown, The Champions, The Troubleshooters, The Saint, Ace of Wands, Special Branch, The Onedin Line, Z-Cars, The New Avengers, The Professionals, The Omega Factor, Dempsey and Makepeace, Astronauts, Hart to Hart, Remington Steele, Howards' Way, the 1979 miniseries A Man Called Intrepid, the 1988 television film The Bourne Identity, Tales of the Unexpected, As Time Goes By, Road to Avonlea, Kavanagh QC, Bulman and Warship.

Death

Boa died from cancer on 17 April 2004 in Surrey, England.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1960Man in the MoonRoyFilm debut
1964Man in the MiddleMajor Lawson
1968The Mini-AffairAmerican Newman
1969Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?Car SalesmanUncredited
1969The Adding MachineDetective
1970The RevolutionaryGuest at Party
1974The Cherry PickerDr. Softman
1974Who?Miller
1976The OmenThorn's Aide
1977Silver BearsAmerican Banker
1978Carry On EmmannuelleUS Ambassador
1978SupermanJoint Chief of General StaffExtended Version, Uncredited
1979The London ConnectionColonel
1979Unidentified Flying OddballAir Force OfficerUncredited
1979A Touch of the SunJim Coburn
1979A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley SquareMorgan Stanfield
1980The Ninth ConfigurationSergeant in Combat Shack
1980The Empire Strikes BackGeneral Carlist Rieekan
1980Silver Dream Racer2nd TV Reporter
1981RagtimeJerome
1983OctopussyGeneral Peterson
1984Scream for HelpSurgeon
1984The Razor's EdgeHenry Maturin
1985WaterUS Advisor
1985Return to OzPoliceman
1986The American WayColonel Parker
1986Ping PongAmerican Tourist
1987Full Metal JacketPOGE Colonel
1988HawksByron Deckermensky
1989SlipstreamGuard Supervisor
1989Murder StoryCorrigan
1990The Serpent of DeathBartlet
1991White LightClay Avery
1993For the MomentMr. Anderson
1993The NeighborBishop
1995ScreamersSecretary GreenFinal film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1958-1960ITV Television PlayhouseVarious4 episodes
1958-1961Armchair TheatrePsychologist/Brewster2 episodes
1959The Four Just MenCop/Connolly2 episodes
1959BBC Sunday Night TheatreUnknown1 episode
1959Interpol CallingDriver Episode: "The Man's a Clown"
1962Studio 4Dr. BairdEpisode: "Flight into Danger"
1962Out of This WorldMonty ArcherEpisode: "Immigrant"
1962The AvengersBob SladeEpisode: "Dead on Course"
1963-1968The SaintVarious3 episodes
1963Zero OneSimonEpisode: "Downdraft"
1963The Third ManInsp. McDonaldEpisode: "No Word for Danger"
1963SuspenseAnaethetist/Dr. Ridgeway2 episodes
1963ITV Play of the WeekH.C./Judge Windelman2 episodes
1963The Plane MakersVegraEpisode: "Strings in Whitehall"
1964Drama 61-67PotterEpisode: "Studio 64: Better Luck Next Time"
1964EspionageLarryEpisode: "Some Other Kind of Wonderful"
1964The Sullavan BrothersAshleyEpisode: "The Man from New York"
1965-1969The TroubleshootersJean-Paul Godin/Bill Douglas7 episodes
1966Out of the UnknownK.G. BullenEpisode: "Satisfaction Guaranteed"
1968Man in a SuitcaseInspector BergsonEpisode: "The Revolutionaries"
1968DetectiveWesselmanEpisode: "Lesson in Anatomy"
1968-1971ITV PlayhouseVarious3 episodes
1969The ChampionsAmerican ColonelEpisode: "Autokill"
1969Department SPresident of the USA Episode: "The Last Train to Redbridge"
1969CounterstrikeGeneralEpisode: "Joker One"
1970Ace of WandsMr. AmericaEpisode: "On and One and One are Four Part Three"
1970-1974Special BranchLester Swift/Evans2 episodes
1971-1973ITV Saturday Night TheatreAmerican Tourist/The Client2 episodes
1972BBC Play of the MonthDr. BuchananEpisode: "Summer and Smoke"
1972-1974The Onedin LineCaptain Franks/Draygon2 episodes
1973MadiganVernEpisode: "The Lisbon Beat"
1973Crown CourtMorton LassSerial: "Sunset of Arms"
1973The Rivals of Sherlock HolmesFreeling PoigntonEpisode: "The Secret of the Magnifique"
1973WarshipMcFieEpisode: "Hot Pursuit"
1973Marked PersonalRichardson2 episodes
1975ThrillerHanleyEpisode: "Good Salary – Prospects – Free Coffin"
1975Whodunnit?Lazlo BretzEpisode: "Too Many Crooks"
1976Z-CarsChuck ParkerEpisode: "Kidnap"
1976-1977Yanks Go HomeSergeant Gus Pulaski
1977The New AvengersMahonEpisode: "Trap"
1978The ProfessionalsJohn Jerry PattersonEpisode: "Heroes"
1978LillieJoaquin MillerEpisode: "The New Helen"
1978Play for TodayArthur BatesEpisode: "Nina"
1979Fawlty TowersMr HamiltonEpisode: "Waldorf Salad"
1979Leave it to CharlieGlenn RickenbackerEpisode: "Ole Brown Eyes"
1979The Omega FactorMassonEpisode: "After-Image"
1980Turtle's ProgressJ.B. Grimsdell1 episode
1981Metal MickeySaloon BarmanEpisode: "Marshall Mickey"
1981BBC2 PlayhouseCharlie OakhamptonEpisode: "Virginia Fly is Drowning"
1981–83AstronautsBeadle13 episodes
1982A Woman Called GoldaMr. MacyTV film
1983Philip Marlowe, Private EyeDon LuigiEpisode: "The Pencil"
1983Hart to HartWilliam EadyEpisode: "Passing Chance"
1984LaceMr. Hale2 episodes
1984The First Olympics: Athens 1896President Francis Patton2 episodes
1984Cold WarriorColonel ElliottEpisode: "What's Good for General Bullmoose"
1984Remington SteeleWallace CarlisleEpisode: "Maltese Steele"
1984Ellis IslandDoctor MooreTV Mini-series
1985The Dirty Dozen: Next MissionUS ColonelTV film
1985John and Yoko: A Love StoryHouston LawyerTV film
1986Dempsey & MakepeaceColtraneEpisode: "The Burning "
1986–90Howards' WayRobert Hudson3 episodes
1987-1989Screen TwoChannel President/Dean Webb2 episodes
1987The Two Mrs. GrenvillesHunnicutt2 episodes
1987Hold the DreamDale StevensFirst episode
1988Tales of the UnexpectedMr. GrooberEpisode: "The Verger"
1988The Bourne IdentitySenator Crawford2 episodes
1989Starting OutChairmanEpisode: "A Piece of the Cake"
1989Anything More Would Be GreedyBrock CashmanEpisode: "Georgian Silver"
1989The Nightmare YearsNick Roosevelt4 episodes
1991Deadly Betrayal: The Bruce Curtis StoryAl PodgisTV film
1992E.N.G.Dirk JackmanEpisode: "After the Fire"
1992–93Road to AvonleaMr. Harrison2 episodes
1993The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesAmbassador KerensEpisode: "Vienna, November 1908"
1993JFK: Reckless YouthAdmiral Dodson2 episodes
1994ScarlettMinisterFirst episode
1995As Time Goes ByYoung RockyEpisode: "Improvements"
1997Kavanagh QCGovernor Stamford CottonEpisode: "In God We Trust"