John Phillip Law (September 7, 1937 – May 13, 2008) was an American film actor, with more than a hundred movie roles to his credit.Law was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actress Phyllis Sallee, and the brother of actor Thomas Augustus Law.
He was best known for his roles as the blind angel Pygar in the 1968 science fiction cult classic Barbarella, and as news anchor Robin Stone in the 1971 The Love Machine. (The latter reteamed him with Alexandra Hay, his costar from the 1968 "acid comedy" Skidoo.) He also gained attention in the title role of the 1968 thriller Danger: Diabolik and as a Russian sailor stranded in a New England village in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.
Tall (six-foot-five) and handsome, with steel blue eyes, Law became a sex symbol in the 1960s. He was a VIP guest at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion and in Hollywood society. While he never achieved superstar status, he became a popular action hero, particularly in the Italian movie market, with movies ranging from science fiction and fantasy to comedy, westerns, drama, and war movies.
In addition to Barbarella, a few of Law's other movies have become cult classics, including The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Von Richthofen and Brown, Death Rides a Horse and Attack Force Z.
Law co-starred in Roger Corman’s 1970 Von Richthofen and Brown. He played Richthofen opposite Don Stroud's Roy Brown. Corman used Lynn Garrison’s Irish aviation facility, complete with replica World War One aircraft. Garrison taught Law the basics of flying so that he could manage to take off and land the aircraft, making some of the footage more realistic.
Two of Law's films, Danger: Diabolik and Space Mutiny, were also featured in the movie-mocking TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000.
In 2001 he appeared in Roman Coppola's directorial debut CQ, a homage to the Italian spy/sci-fi B-movies in which Law often starred during the 1960s.
In his personal life, he was once married to actress Shawn Ryan, and they have a daughter, Dawn. At the beginning of his career in the ’60s, Law lived in a 1924 Los Feliz mansion with his brother, Tom, who had been the road manager for Peter, Paul and Mary. The brothers rented rooms to up-and-coming singers and artists, including Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol and Tiny Tim, turning the home into a vibrant salon of emerging pop-culture icons. Life at the Castle, as it was known, was documented in “Flashing on the Sixties,” a 1987 collection of photos and text by Tom’s former wife, Lisa Law.
Besides his brother, Law is survived by daughter, Dawn, and a grandson.
No comments:
Post a Comment