Brian Downey (actor)
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Brian Downey (born October 31, 1944, in Newfoundland, Canada) is an actor perhaps best-known for his portrayal of Stanley Tweedle, the selfish, lecherous, incompetent security guard (fourth class) who finds himself in control of the enormously powerful, eponymous spaceship in the science-fiction television series LEXX.
Additionally, Downey is a character actor who has appeared in various films and guest starring roles on TV, including a recurring role on Millennium. Downey has enjoyed a long professional relationship with Lexx creator Paul Donovan, dating back at least to 1988, when Donovan cast Downey in the time travel adventure film, Norman's Awesome Experience. Downey will appear as Cardinal Juan de Mella in Donovan's upcoming medieval TV thriller, The Conclave.
Downey typically portrays villains, cowards, and other less-than-sympathetic types, and while he mostly appears in comic performances he has also done dramatic work. He is known for his slight Newfoundlander accent (he pronounces "the" as "da", for instance, something he carried over to the role of Stanley Tweedle).
Not long after Lexx ended its run, Downey was mugged and brutally beaten at an ATM. On his website, he has written about the prolonged and difficult recovery following this incident, a recovery that kept him from acting for some time. He appears to have made a complete recovery, and is now acting again.
Downey is also a musician and writer. Not long after Lexx ended its run it was announced he would be writing some stories for a Lexx comic book, although this project is currently in limbo. There was also talk of a Lexx spinoff TV series, although this project apparently fell through.
