Actor. Watson, who began his career as a choirboy at London's iconic Westminster Abbey and sang as a soloist at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, will best be remembered for playing chimpanzee archaeologist, Cornelius, in 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes', the second film in the original franchise. Cornelius was originally played by Roddy McDowall, but the actor was unavailable to shoot the sequel so Watson replaced him in the 1970 film. Born in Texas, his parents moved to London, where they were brought up, and where Watson was then brought up. He toured nightclubs and cabarets as a singer before embarking on a stage career where he played many Shakespearean characters including that of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark in 'Hamlet', Romeo in 'Romeo and Juliet', Prospero in 'The Tempest' and Macbeth in 'Macbeth'. After appearing on stage, he broke into U.S. television in the western series 'Rawhide' alongside Clint Eastwood in 1965, and went on to appear in episodes of TV shows such as 'Never Too Young', 'The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.', 'The Time Tunnel', 'Petticoat Junction', 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh In', 'The Legend of Robin Hood', 'Daniel Boone', 'Charlie's Angels', 'The Bionic Woman', 'Project U.F.O.' and 'Good Guys Bad Guys'. He also appeared in the films 'Beyond the Next Mountain' (1987), 'Paperback Romance' (1994), 'Lucky Break' (2001), 'Criminal Ways' (2003) and 'The Wannabe' (2014). Watson died after suffering a heart attack in New York, where he had been attending the opening night of a Broadway play.
Actor. Watson, who began his career as a choirboy at London's iconic Westminster Abbey and sang as a soloist at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, will best be remembered for playing chimpanzee archaeologist, Cornelius, in 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes', the second film in the original franchise. Cornelius was originally played by Roddy McDowall, but the actor was unavailable to shoot the sequel so Watson replaced him in the 1970 film. Born in Texas, his parents moved to London, where they were brought up, and where Watson was then brought up. He toured nightclubs and cabarets as a singer before embarking on a stage career where he played many Shakespearean characters including that of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark in 'Hamlet', Romeo in 'Romeo and Juliet', Prospero in 'The Tempest' and Macbeth in 'Macbeth'. After appearing on stage, he broke into U.S. television in the western series 'Rawhide' alongside Clint Eastwood in 1965, and went on to appear in episodes of TV shows such as 'Never Too Young', 'The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.', 'The Time Tunnel', 'Petticoat Junction', 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh In', 'The Legend of Robin Hood', 'Daniel Boone', 'Charlie's Angels', 'The Bionic Woman', 'Project U.F.O.' and 'Good Guys Bad Guys'. He also appeared in the films 'Beyond the Next Mountain' (1987), 'Paperback Romance' (1994), 'Lucky Break' (2001), 'Criminal Ways' (2003) and 'The Wannabe' (2014). Watson died after suffering a heart attack in New York, where he had been attending the opening night of a Broadway play.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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