PAUL DARROW

'Paul Darrow' (born 'Paul Birkby' on May 21941) is a British character actor best known for his portrayal of Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series ''Blake's 7''. He also guest starred twice on ''Doctor Who'', most notably playing Tekker in the serial ''Timelash''.
Darrow was born in Surrey, England, and attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School before studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The popularity of his role as Avon has tended to overshadow his extensive work in theatre and television. He is the author of ''A Terrible Aspect'' (ISBN 0-80651-112-5), a 1989 novel about Avon's father and Avon's own early life. He also plays the character of Kaston Iago in the Kaldor City audios - a role which many have theorised is intended to be Kerr Avon.
He appeared in all but the first episode of ''Blakes 7'' and in the final episode of the series, in which the seven are - apparently - seen to be shot dead, Avon shot dead the character Klyn - played by Paul Darrow's wife, Janet Lees Price.
Darrow's other notable TV appearances include: ''Emergency Ward 10'', ''The Saint'', ''Z Cars'', ''Dixon of Dock Green'', ''Within These Walls'', as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1975 BBC series ''The Legend of Robin Hood'', as Thomas Doughty in the BBC series Drake's Venture, ''Maelstrom'', ''Making News'', ''Pie in the Sky'', ''Hollyoaks'' and ''Little Britain''. He also spoke the voiceover for Biblical quotations in Richard Dawkin's ''The Root of All Evil?''.
Proud of his work on Blake's 7, Darrow has acted as the show's most prolific spokesperson, both in the UK and during the late 80s, in the U.S., when the show was frequently broadcast on US public television. In the mid to late 1990s, he has also purchased the rights to Blake's 7 and attempted to produce a big-budget followup miniseries, ''Blake's 7: A Legacy Reborn''. According to Darrow, it would have began 25 years after the ending of the original series and may have included an aged Avon passing the torch to a new generation. Reportedly, due to creative differences, Darrow left the project which has since been shelved.
Darrow's autobiography, ''You're Him, Aren't You?'' (ISBN 1-84435-236-6) was published in 2006.

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External links

External links

★ Avon: The Paul Darrow Society

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