ABC press kit photo promoting David Hedison in Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea
I was very sorry to learn of the passing of David Hedison, the American actor probably best known to many for his roles in the James Bond franchise, but for me, as one of the stars of Irwin Allen’s hokey but fun SF adventure show, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Hedison, who was 92, died peacefully in his sleep last Thursday, with his two daughters, Serena and Alexandra at his side, in Los Angeles.
Born in 1927, Albert David Hedison Jr. was an American film, television, and stage actor, billed as Al Hedison in his early film work such as the horror film The Fly, released in 1958. US network NBC insisted that he change his name, when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series Five Fingers, in 1959., and at his suggestion he was billed as David Hedison, and that stuck.
Growing up in the 1960s, I knew him for his role as Captain Lee Crane in Irwin Allen’s television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, alongside the equally memorable Richard Basehart (Admiral Harriman Nelson), who died in 1984.
The series was adapted into comics by Gold Key, running for 16 issues, which included art by the brilliant Alberto Giolitti, among others, with covers by George Wilson. An original, short-lived strip also ran in TV Tornado for just six issues in 1967, replaced by illustrated text stories, and Look-In adapted some of the Gold Key stories in 1971.
He joined Roger Moore in the 1973 film Live and Let Die and Timothy Dalton in 1989 with License to Kill, becoming the first actor to play CIA agent Felix Leiter twice.
His many TV credits include Murder, She Wrote, The A-Team, TJ Hooker, Crazy Like A Fox, The Fall Guy and The Saint.
• A donation in David’s memory may be made to The Actors Fund
The Actors Fund fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan
• The Hollywood Reporter Obituary
• ABC Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Press Kit
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Film, Obituaries, Other Worlds, Television, US Comics