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I do remember Vladek, and indeed from the Bond film he appeared in. He was a rather quiet man, highly intelligent and a consummate professional. He was an actor who you looked forward to working with because he had everything sussed and wasn't at all pretentious. I think it was about 10 years ago that I read he died suddenly in London. A great shame, and a great actor

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			I had personal experience of directing Vladek in UFO, and found him to be a dedicated actor who was extremely polite and co-operative.  More importantly, I have spoken to David Lane who directed many of the episodes that Vladek appeared in, and he was full of praise from a Directors' point of view about Vladek’s performances; his dedication, and his skills as an actor. Ps:  My secretary also remembers Vladek as a very       distinctive actor.

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Before he passed away suddenly on 8th June, Ed very kindly recalled working with Vladek in a question and answer session

			Do you remember the first time you met Vladek & what were your impressions of him? I met Vladek when he turned up on the set of 'UFO.'  He was a very clever actor, no doubt about that, he had a lot of technique, a lot of style; he knew exactly what he could do. He had a fairly narrow range as an actor because of his size, his demeanour and general style, so working within those parameters, he extracted his expertise to extend his range, and so work comfortably within it.  Vladek had a very dry sense of humour, he was a little 'forbidding' - not stand offish, not the kind of guy you'd slap on the back and say how you doin' but he had this 'air' about him, a glow if you will, in which he walked - which he created.  He knew his lines, he'd always hit his mark and rendered each performance hypnotically, and gradually over time, we took him to our hearts.
			Vladek always liked to 'steal the scene' from the star he was working with.  Did you ever come up against that and if so, what methods did you use as an actor yourself to block, or stop him doing so? I can well imagine Vladek doing that, and the answer is quite simple: You read your lines and then forgot about it!  When I had a scene with Vladek, I knew I just had to go in, say my lines when I was required to say them, and then just forget it, I gave it over to him and let him steal the scene - it was impossible to try stealing the scene yourself - it would shatter your own performance, and when Vladek was 'cookin' it was every man for himself.
			I know you used to do a lot of voice-over work, and I wondered if you think Vladek could have been a successful voice artist too, had he had the opportunity? I assume he just didn't get into it.  It's a very crowded field; his voice was 'limited' to the one voice; it was too distinctive with that wonderfully Transylvanian sound that he could reproduce so wonderfully well, although he could have been used for a campaign needing that type of sound. I must digress a little here, and suggest you contact Mike Billington; he can do an imitation of Vladek; it's just incredible!
			Vladek was very active in the Theatre (as you yourself are). Did your paths ever cross in this medium, and if not, would you have liked to have worked with him on stage? No, our paths never crossed in the theatre, and I don't recall any Plays calling for an American and an Eastern European to be in the same production but yes, it would have been great to have worked with him on stage; he was mesmerising.  I only knew Vladek from the two productions we we worked on: 'UFO' and 'Rogue's Rock.'  We used to correspond occasionally after the aftermath of 'UFO' and I'd see him at conventions where we'd touch base.  He was very refreshing, and he had a wonderful sense of humour once you got attuned to it.
			I understand you've just been to Poland to film a production for the BBC? Yes, the production you're referring to is 'Hiroshima' and it is due to be shown on the BBC in August 2005.  My wife and I spent a very enjoyable week there while I was filming.  I was fascinated by Poland, and I did think of Vladek while I was there.
			I think it's great that you're keeping this website up and running. Vladek was a great guy who had a wonderful career, and I'm sure he'd be very grateful.

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