While some people might associate Michael Culker with playing a character on the receiving end of one of Darth Vader’s best one-liners, he had a lengthy career. He made his acting debut in 1961 with an uncredited role in “From Russia with Love” before moving on to recurring roles on “The Adventures of Black Beauty” and “Secret Army.”
That said, he’s probably infamously remembered for his role in “A Passage to India,” where he played Major McBryde, a racist law enforcement officer. Elsewhere, he portrayed Sir Reginald Musgrave in an episode of “The Return of Sherlock Holmes.”
While some of Culver’s most notable on-screen roles saw him play bad guys, his real life saw him engage in political and humanitarian causes. According to The Guardian, he strongly opposed the Iraq war and campaigned against it. Meanwhile, in 2020, he lent support to a successful bid to have a statue of Brian Haw — an anti-war protestor — placed next to London’s Imperial War Museum.
If you want to know more about actors we’ve lost, check out our memoriam of “Star Wars” actors who’ve passed away.
