Theatre Woodward's professional acting debut was in the Castle Theatre,
Farnham, in 1946. In 2004, Woodward, alongside Australian actor
Daniel MacPherson, appeared as God in a revival of
The Mystery Plays at
Canterbury Cathedral.
Film He made occasional appearances until taking the role of Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the
thriller The Wicker Man. Woodward was offered a
cameo role in the 2005 remake, but declined. He also appeared as Commander Powell in the 1982 film
Who Dares Wins.
Noël Coward once said of him, "He was one of the nicest and most co-operative actors I've ever met or worked with." The show typecast him somewhat, but the enduring success of the genre allowed him to gain leading roles in similar productions, though none would prove to be as iconic as
Callan.
Michael C. Burgess of Cinemalogue said, "of his more than 2,000 television performances, his portrayal of the ex-SIS undercover man Callan created an icon, if not a genre." In 1977, he starred in two series of the
BBC2 dystopian drama
1990, about a future Britain lurching into
totalitarianism. In the mid 1980s, Woodward took the lead role in the American television series
The Equalizer (1985–89) as a former intelligence operative. After filming a few episodes of the third season, Woodward suffered a massive
coronary. For several episodes, additional actors were brought in to reduce the workload on Woodward as he recovered from the condition. The first episode, filmed following Woodward's heart attack, involved his character being severely injured by a
KGB bullet, providing Woodward with a chance to rest over several episodes. Later in the season, Woodward resumed his full duties and carried the show through a fourth season during 1988-1989. During this period, he also starred in the
Cold War espionage thriller,
Codename: Kyril (1988), as an
MI6 double agent. In 1999, Woodward appeared alongside his son
Peter in "The Long Road", an episode of the
Babylon 5 spin-off,
Crusade, on which Peter was a regular cast member. Both actors were playing the part of unrelated
Technomages. His career continued with TV guest-star roles, including an appearance in
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Mr. Jones (or Philip, codename Flavius) in the series
La Femme Nikita. He also guest-starred with his son
Tim and grandson Sam as a London gangster family in a special storyline for
The Bill in 2008. In March 2009, he joined
EastEnders for six episodes, playing
Tommy Clifford. Woodward was a
wargamer and hosted a six episode television series, called
Battleground, for
Tyne Tees Television in 1978 about the hobby, with fellow enthusiast Peter Gilder, who built and owned the beautiful Gettysburg diorama used for one of the gaming scenes for the 1974 film
Callan. Woodward was the subject of
This Is Your Life on two occasions; in February 1971, he was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews in the bar of London's White House Hotel, and in February 1995,
Michael Aspel surprised him during a photoshoot at Syon House in West London.
Music His capability as
tenor enabled him to record 12 albums of romantic songs, and three albums of poetry and 14 books to tape. His vocal ability and acting skill enabled him to make a number of appearances when time allowed on the BBC's
Edwardian era music hall programme,
The Good Old Days. Woodward had two top-100 albums in the
UK Album Chart;
This Man Alone (number 53 in 1970) and
The Edward Woodward Album (number 20 in 1972), while the single "The Way You Look Tonight" peaked at number 42 on the
UK Singles Chart in 1971. He also had two top-100 albums in Australia;
Edwardian Woodward (number 97 in 1975) and
A Romantic Hour (#92 in 1980)
Selected discography •
This Man Alone (1970) •
It Had to Be You (1971) •
The Edward Woodward Album (1972) •
An evening with.... Edward Woodward (1974) •
Woodward Again (1974) •
Edwardian Woodward (1975) •
Love Is the Key (1977) •
The Thought of You (1978) • ''Don't Get Around Much Anymore'' (1979) •
A Romantic Hour--20 Golden Favourites (1980) ==Personal life==