Edward Woodward, star of the iconic 1980s U.S. TV series The Equalizer and acclaimed films such as The Wicker Man and Breaker Morant, has died at the age of 79 after a long illness.
Woodward was best known for portraying stolid, highly principled characters who stood up for the defenseless and needy. His most prominent role for U.S. viewers was certainly that of former CIA agent Robert McCall in The Equalizer.
Living a simple and seemingly joyless life in New York City, McCall helped people in trouble who answered his ambiguous newspaper classified ads offering assistance. Every week the middle-aged former CIA agent would confront powerful, villainous individuals and gangs who were menacing and exploiting people unable to defend themselves. McCall’s shadowy past and evident contempt for corrupt authorities put him in continual jeopardy from his former government masters, yet his immense personal integrity and moral rectitude always saw him through–aided greatly, of course, by his CIA training and natural ingenuity.
McCall dressed impeccably, spoke clearly, stood straight and looked people in the eye when talking to them, and displayed exemplary manners. And then he overcame the most formidable criminals.
A memorable part of the show’s formula was the employment of a personal confrontation, at the episode’s climax, between McCall and the main villain or villains. McCall would stand firmly and tell the enemy precisely what was morally wrong with what they had been doing, and tell them what the consequences were going to be, and that McCall was going to make sure they paid the price. It was always a stirring moment, as McCall’s personal integrity matched his moral standards and his stolidity and skills were there to support them.
That connection was both morally satisfying and realistic. Criminals, after all, essentially take to crime because they want a short cut to the wealth regular people accumulate over time through hard work. Thus, instead of working at things, a criminal’s habit is to use force or stealth to take what they want. And since it’s easier to prey upon the weak than on the strong, the criminal life doesn’t encourage excellence in pursuit of one’s goals.
The bourgeois mentality, on the other hand, involves working at things to earn what one wants. Hence a hero such as McCall is much more likely to be well-trained and in top form than someone who expects to prey upon weaker people. Thus the dramatic convention of the hero typically overcoming the villain accords with both reality and common sense.
Woodward’s roles in films such as The Wicker Man and Breaker Morant added nuances to the type of character he played as the protagonist of the late 1960s UK TV spy drama series Callan. In addition, he was acknowledged as a master at acting in more explicitly serious dramatic roles, and his skills as as a singer were admired by Lawrence Olivier and Noel Coward, among others, and made him a sought-after performer in stage musicals. His final movie role was in the superb comedy Hot Fuzz.
Woodward was a brilliant, talented performer who consistently chose to invest his talents in service of worthy projects. He will be remembered fondly for The Equalizer, The Wicker Man, Breaker Morant, and the rest of his admirable body of work.
–S. T. Karnick
Thanks for the endorsement of Callan, Jeanne. I’m definitely going to give it a look, as I don’t recall ever having seen it.
Robert, you’re so right about the ending of Breaker Morant/ It’s a real movie moment, and highly meaningful.
Warren, I like your point about the spareness of The Equalizer. I think that the show’s tastefulness is an underappreciated aspect of its success both with audiences and aesthetically.
This show really stood out in the 80’s when I was growing up. I was hooked the first time I saw it and it didn’t have the glam and shallowness that other programs usually displayed at the time. This is was about a guy who really went after the bad guys and made them regret what they did to the innocent. I doubt that we will ever see another “Equalizer” again.
I agree with all of the comments on here regarding _The Equalizer_: a great show that seems to have been loved by all who saw it. However, what I will remember Edward most for is _Breaker Morant_. My grandfather showed me this film when I was about twelve and it remains seared in my brain. That ending…my God. To anyone out there who has never viewed it: Rent it now. I envy you the experience.
Edward Woodward was brilliant in Callan, a 1967 UK TV series in which he played a disillusioned government assassin. Not all of the series is available but that which survives is outstanding and is archetypal Woodward.
That’s an exceptional post, Sam. I was a big fan of “The Equalizer” as a teen in the mid-80s, and your detailed description of the moral underpinnings of the show are spot on.
A liberal friend of mine — who long hailed from rural Kansas but now lives in Philadelphia — was also a big fan of “The Equalizer.” But, as is typical of liberals, that pleasure must be tempered with a dose of guilt. Joel blogged that he always looked forward to watching the show as a kid, but laments that it reinforced the stereotype of rampant urban violence — leaving unsaid, of course, that such a view helped conservative politicians and harmed liberals. Anyway, an excerpt:
When I look back at The Equalizer today, something else springs to mind — something about TV logic and continuity. I can’t get past thinking: How many Brits do we have in the CIA? Have we ever had any? Wouldn’t it have been better to have made Woodward’s character an ex-pat Brit, former MI-6 agent, come to New York to clean up the city? Oh, well.
Back to the theme of crime, however … I was born in an urban environment (New York City) and my family knew well the truth of the matter: Before Rudy Giuliani came in and cleaned up the city, it was barely livable for ordinary, middle-class people because of rampant crime and violence. The NYC as portrayed in “The Equalizer” — not to mention the “Death Wish” films — resonated back then because they had more than a grain of truth to them.
But few audiences today would buy a premise that vigilantism was righteous and the only real justice to be found in New York City. That’s because now New York is the safest big city in the world. If Rudy (or someone like him) had risen to the mayor’s office of New York 20 years earlier, I’d probably still have family members living in the city. Instead, they all long ago fled to the suburbs of New Jersey, Connecticut and Upstate New York.
Anyway, I admired Woodward as an actor. I never saw “The Wicker Man,” though I know he was praised for his performance. I remember Woodward, too, for his memorable part in the George C. Scott “A Christmas Carol.” Every time I’d see Woodward on the TV, I’d tell my wife: “That’s Edward Woodward” … and get puzzled looks and “Who?” in return. Shame. Shame. He should be more well-known. Then again, he never seemed to be one interested in celebrity. Only perfecting and displaying his craft.
RIP, Mr. Woodward.
The Equalizer was a great show and I watched it religiously. I remember being disappointed when it ended. Your analysis was on the money.
Woodward was everything you said he was and I was saddened to hear of his passing. We need more like him.