English actor Ian Abercrombie was a small but integral part of my genre movie and television history. I don't know if I saw him first on 'The Questor Tapes', 'Battlestar Galactica', or 'Voyagers!', but I enjoyed him in those programs as a boy, and many dozens of other adventures since.
Seemingly typecast as 'Stuffy and Veddy British' his comic performances enhanced 'Young Frankenstein', 'The Ice Pirates', 'ALF', 'Army of Darkness', 'Wild Wild West' and 'Rango'. To name-drop only a few. If you needed a pompous vizier or nefarious wizard in your genre comedy, you needed to look no further.
Though I couldn't have said who was under the make-up, his role as the smug alien bigot Correlilmurzon on 'Babylon 5' was a season comedy highlight. His farcical sexual escapade with Commander Susan Ivanova was most memorable!
Worst of all for me (and isn't that what matters?) I've lost both his ongoing cartoon voice roles at once. He was well-chosen as the noble Ganthet in 'Green Lantern: The Animated Series' and the scheming Chancellor Palpatine in 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'.
My honest sympathies for his friends and family, as well as those in the audience... who'll miss him as he journeys the realms beyond.
My honest sympathies for his friends and family, as well as those in the audience... who'll miss him as he journeys the realms beyond.
