Albert Popwell

American actor (1926–1999)
Albert Popwell
Popwell in Dirty Harry (1971)
Born(1926-07-15)July 15, 1926
New York City, United States
DiedApril 9, 1999(1999-04-09) (aged 72)[1]
Los Angeles, California, United States
OccupationActor
Years active1943–1995

Albert Popwell (July 15, 1926 – April 9, 1999) was an American stage, television and film actor with a career spanning six decades.[1]

Born in New York City, Popwell started as a professional dancer before taking up a career in acting. Popwell made his professional debut on Broadway at age 16 in The Pirate.[1]

Career

Popwell was featured on many television series,[2] but is perhaps best known for his appearances in films opposite Clint Eastwood, with whom he appeared in five films, beginning with Coogan's Bluff (1968)[1] and in the first four Dirty Harry films, playing a different character in each film.[1] Popwell was the wounded bank robber at the receiving end of Eastwood's iconic "Do I feel lucky?" monologue from Dirty Harry (1971).[3] He was a murderous pimp in Magnum Force (1973),[2] appeared as militant Big Ed Mustapha in The Enforcer (1976)[2] and as Harry's detective colleague Horace King in Sudden Impact (1983).[1] In 1988, Popwell was offered a role in The Dead Pool, the last film in the series, but could not appear due to a scheduling conflict.

Popwell's final film role was with Sharon Stone in Scissors (1991).[4]

Death

He died eight years later, at age 72, from complications following open heart surgery.[1]

Selected filmography

  • Journey to Shiloh (1968) – Samuel
  • Night Gallery (1970, episode: "The Nature of the Enemy") – Reporter
  • Coogan's Bluff (1968) – Wonderful Digby
  • Dirty Harry (1971) - Bank Robber
  • The Peace Killers (1971) – Blackjack
  • Search (1972) – Griffin
  • Glass Houses (1972) – Albert
  • Fuzz (1972) – Lewis
  • Cleopatra Jones (1973) – Matthew Johnson
  • Charley Varrick (1973) – Percy Randolph
  • Magnum Force (1973) – Pimp, J.J. Wilson
  • The Single Girls (1974) – Morris
  • Lost in the Stars (1974)
  • Emergency! (1975, episode: "905-Wild") – Officer Les Taylor
  • Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975) – Matthew Johnson
  • The Streets of San Francisco (1975, episode: "Poisoned Snow") – Nappy
  • Sanford and Son (1976, episode: "Sanford and Gong") – Doctor Davis
  • The Enforcer (1976) – Big Ed Mustapha
  • The Buddy Holly Story (1978) – Eddie
  • Wonder Woman (1978, episode: "The Deadly Dolphin") – Gaffer
  • Butterflies in Heat (1979) – Ned
  • Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979, episode: "Cosmic Whiz Kid") – Koren
  • The Incredible Hulk (1980, episode: "Long Run Home") - Doctor
  • The A-Team (1983, episode: "The Out-Of Towners") – Digger
  • Sudden Impact (1983) – Horace King
  • Magnum, P.I. (1986, episode: "Missing Melody") – David Crawford
  • Who's That Girl (1987) – Parole Chairman
  • The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989) – Jones
  • Wild at Heart (1990) – Barkeeper at Zanzibar (scenes deleted)
  • Scissors (1991) - Officer
  • A Last Goodbye (1995) – O.C. Lee

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Albert Popwell, Dancer and Actor, 72". The New York Times. April 26, 1999.
  2. ^ a b c "Albert Popwell Filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
  3. ^ "Dirty Harry". American Film Institute.
  4. ^ "Scissors Cast". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.

External links

  • Albert Popwell at IMDb
  • Albert Popwell at AllMovie
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