Joss Ackland

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Joss Ackland CBE (born February 29, 1928) is an English actor who has appeared in more than 130 films in his career.

He was born Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland in North Kensington, London, and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He has appeared extensively on television, notably as C. S. Lewis in Shadowlands (1985).

Ackland appears in the Pet Shop Boys' 1987 film It Couldn't Happen Here, and in the video for their cover version of the song Always On My Mind, which was taken from the film. Several years later, he claimed in an interview with the Radio Times that he appeared with the band purely as the result of losing a bet.

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[edit] Joss and Rosemary Ackland

Ackland and his wife Rosemary were married for 51 years until her death from motor-neuron disease in 2002. Together they had seven children and, as of May 2006, 32 grandchildren. Rosemary was also an actress and Ackland wooed her when they appeared onstage together in Pitlochry. They were married on August 18, 1951 when Ackland was 23 and she 22. The couple struggled initially as Ackland's acting career was in its infancy. They moved to Africa where Ackland had decided to try his luck as a tea planter, moving to Cape Town after 6 months when they decided it was too dangerous.

Though they both obtained steady acting jobs in the South African capital, after two years they fell foul of apartheid laws and returned to England in 1957. Ackland's fortunes improved then and he joined the Old Vic, appearing alongside such luminaries as Paul Scofield and Tom Courtenay. However in 1963 their house in Barnes caught fire. Rosemary managed to save their brood of 5 children but broke her back jumping from the bedroom window to safety. She was told she'd lose the baby she was currently pregnant with and would never walk again. She managed to confound the doctors though and both gave birth and returned to walking, after 2 years in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Ackland's career really took off with parts in The Sicilian, Lethal Weapon 2 and White Mischief and the couple began to enjoy prosperity. Despite his filming taking him to far-flung locations, Ackland said they never spent a night apart.

There was more misfortune in store for the couple though as their eldest son, Paul, died of a heroin overdose in 1982 aged 29. In 2000 Rosemary learned she had motor neurone disease. The last 2 years of her life saw the degenerative effects of this disease manifest themselves. However she maintained her humorous disposition and continued writing a diary, just as she had done for decades. Rosemary died on July 25, 2002, in the years since her death Ackland has read and edited the diaries for forthcoming publication. He has also kept busy with work and features in Flawless with Demi Moore and an upcoming 2-part tv mini series based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

[edit] Interviews

Ackland, in an 2001 interview with the BBC, admitting to being forced to make "awful films" due to being a workaholic, mentioning by name Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and a Pet Shop Boys music video, while lambasting former co-star Demi Moore as "not very bright or talented".[1]

[edit] Partial filmography

[edit] External link

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