Terry O'Neill was born in Liverpool on the 27th of February 1948, the son of a Police Officer. Through his father, he developed an interest in wanting to be physically fit and strong and developed an interest in Edgar Rice Burrough’s character of Tarzan. Thus from an early age he was fascinated by stories of people with great physical strength - the 'super-heroes', and this soon led to an interest in the martial arts. Attending the St James School, at the time one of the most cosmopolitan schools in Liverpool, he passed the 13+ exam and attended Toxteth Technical School. He first started to train at Judo, but soon applied to join the Liverpool Karate Club, and like many of his contemporaries, had to be less truthful about his age to get into the club as he was only 15. The club was located in Harold House, a Jewish community centre in Liverpool which only took 16 year olds and above to train but he had a police friend of his dad to write a reference. In 1964 aged 16, he got a job working at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton and got to know a well-known wrestler called Tommy McNally who had helped him get the job. It was around this time that he started bodybuilding in an attempt to bulk up and soon got a job working on the door of the iconic Cavern Club in Mathew Street, Liverpool. A member of the KUGB International Squad from 1968 till 1982, at his fighting peak in the early '70s, he was recognised as one of the World's most fearsome competitors. Tragically, his run as a competition fighter came to an abrupt end in 1982, when he seriously damaged the ligaments of his knee in an International match against Italy. Before Terry's screen career took off his wife, Bernie Price, won Miss World, Miss Universe and the World Bodybuilding Championships in 1996.
It was in 1984 that Terry made his acting debut as a village ‘heavy’ in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, 'Conan the Destroyer'. Having a shared interest in bodybuilding, the two men became friends and while on set they would sometimes train before filming started. In the years to come Terry would work on some of Arnie's biggest films as a martial arts coordinator. It was Schwarzenegger who encouraged him to make the transition into acting. Terry says, "Arnold was the one who advised me to get acting lessons to get more work. He was coming up in body building when I was coming up in karate and I'd fought some of his friends. Terry's friendship with Arnold was cemented when he helped with fight co-ordination in films like 'Predator' and 'Commando'. He continues, "I interviewed him for the magazine that I published for years, Fighting Arts International, and my wife and I were two of four English guests at his wedding. Terry has along list of credits under his belt, working on fight scenes in 'Conan the Destroyer', 'Red Sonja' as well as acting in a number of Lynda La Plante dramas.
He has also appeared in 'In the Name of the Father' (1993), 'Dragonheart' (1996), 'The Man Who Knew Too Little' (1997), 'Kul the Conqueror' (1997), 'Entrapment' (1999), 'Quills' (2000), 'Formula 51' (2001), 'Gangs of New York' (2002) and 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' (2003). He has also appeared on British television in 'Civvies' (1992), 'Comics' (1993), 'The Governor' (1995), 'The Commander: Windows of the Soul' (2007), 'Giri' (2008) and 'Above Suspicion' (2009). He has also acted as martial arts consultant on many other films. In 2009 he scooped a best actor prize at an international film festival after learning how to use a traditional Japanese sword with his performance in the Merseyside-made film 'Giri' winning him an award for the best actor in a short drama at the End of the Pier International Film Festival in Sussex. The dad-of-one, living in Oxton said, "I credit my success to the help I received from Lynda La Plante and my pal Arnold Schwarzeneggar who presented me with a Screen Actors Guild card."
Now Terry is concentrating on family responsibilities and in 2003 was working in security at Liverpool clubs and bars in between parts.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/11/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-peter.html
No comments:
Post a Comment