It was 2007 when director Edgar Wright dropped Hot Fuzz on us. The film was written by Wright and Simon Pegg and featured long time collaborator Nick Frost. It is referred to as the second film of the “Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy” which includes Shaun of the Dead and The World’s End.
The film is both satirical and comedic in tone as it follows two police officers attempting to solve a series of mysterious deaths in Sandford, a fictional small English village, which is protected by the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance (N.W.A.).
“For The Greater Good”
The casting of the N.W.A. was no accident though, and the reasons below explain why they are the greatest team ever assembled…
Edward Woodward as Prof. Tom Weaver
The Equaliser himself headed up the N.W.A. but Woodward is known for more than that. Films like The Wicker Man, Who Dares Wins, Breaker Morant, A Congregation of Ghosts and TV shows like Callan, Over My Dead Body, Common As Muck, and Crusade helped establish him as an actor who could deliver solid performances on any stage.
Timothy Dalton as Simon Skinner
As if being a former James Bond wasn’t enough to have on your credentials, Dalton’s C.V. also includes Penny Dreadful, Toy Story 3, Chuck, Scarlett, The Rocketeer, and Prince Barin in Flash Gordon.
Billie Whitelaw as Joyce Cooper
You knew you recognised her – she was Mrs Blaylock the psycho nanny in The Omen! She also appeared in The Secret Garden, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Space:1999, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Waterbabies, The Dark Crystal, and Merlin. Hot Fuzz was sadly her last role, passing away in 2014.
Eric Mason as Maj. Bernard Cooper
Eric Mason is the classic actor you recognise but you are note sure where from. Hot Fuzz was sadly the last role of his career as he passed away in 2010; what a carrer though, beginning back in 1943 as Benson the Illusionist in They Met in the Dark, and continuing through such cult films/tv as No Hiding Place, Fahrenheit 451, A Man For All Seasons, The Baron, The Saint, Doctor Who, Z-Cars, The Sweeney, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Dick Turpin, Minder, Grange Hill, Bergerac, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, London’s Burning and The Bill.
Stuart Wilson as Dr. Robin Hatcher
“Cop Killers Riggs!” – it’s only Jack Travis from Lethal Weapon 3. The cop turned psychopath! He also play Don Rafael Montero in The Mask of Zorro. Wilson has spent many years on our screens in tv/movies such as U.F.O., Jason King, The Protectors, Space: 1999, The Sweeney, The Professionals, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Dinotopia, Grindhouse, and Crossbones.
Paul Freeman as Rev. Philip Shooter
It’s Ivan Ooze – the man who nearly destroyed the Power Rangers! He was also Dr. René Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Paul Freeman is another veteran actor who kicked ass in everything he appeared in, including Jason King, The Protectors, The XYY Man, The Sweeney, The Long Good Friday, the Dogs of War, and Da Vinci’s Demons.
Kenneth Cranham as James Reaper
As well as being the bonkers evil Dr. Philip Channard in Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Cranham has notched up appearances in Danger UXB, Chocolat, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Chimera, Layer Cake and In The Flesh.
Maria Charles as Mrs. Reaper
Known in the UK as Bea Fisher from Agony, Charles has appeared all over TV and Film including appearances in Skins, Bad Girls, Holby City, Coronation Street, Crime and Punishment, Boon and Never The Twain.
Peter Wight as Roy Porter
Wight is an actor and writer who holds the distinction of appearing in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Secrets & Lies, Babel, and Atonement. He often collaborates with Mike Leigh.
Julia Deakin as Mary Porter
Deakin has appeared in nearly everything Wright and Pegg have written and produced. From landlady Marsha Klein in Spaced, to a cameo in Shaun of the Dead. She has also appeared in I’m Alan Partridge, Boon, So Haunt Me, No Heroics, and Big Bad World.
Trevor Nichols as Greg Prosser
Nichols’ credits include Benny Loves Killing, Beyond Fear, The Uninvited, Blind Justice, and Shoestring.
Elizabeth Elvin as Sheree Prosser
Elvin has notched up appearances in State of Play, Nina Forever, Horizon, Beyound The Rave, and Eastenders.
Patricia Franklin as Annette Roper
The mother of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley (Wright’s ex-girlfriend) and a former Carry On girl in her own right. Franklin appeared in all three films of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy as well as Bless This House, The Legend of Robin Hood, The Bill and Black Books.
Lorraine Hilton as Amanda Paver
With TV appearances in Doctors, The Bill, Casualty, Holby City, Little Britain, Strange, My Hero, Sherlock and Jonathan Creek and movie appearances in The Wolfman, Death Defying Acts, City of Ember, and Swinging with the Finkels, Hilton remains a reliable performer in the acting world.
Tim Barlow as Mr. Treacher
Barlow left the army in 1969 to pursue a career in acting, receiving advice from Trevor Nunn and Sir Laurence Olivier. One of his most notable roles was playing Mr. Morrow, a blind man allergic to his guide dog in The Tall Guy alongside Jeff Goldblum. He played Tyssan in the Doctor Who serial Destiny of the Daleks. In 2007 he played an Ancient Blind Oracle in Rome. Other work includes Derek, The Eagle Has Landed, Grange Hill, Les Misérables, Sherlock, Cockneys vs Zombies, 10,000 BC, Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), and Gormenghast.
He lost his hearing in the 1950’s when testing a high velocity Muzzle Rifle for the British Army, until recently, when surgery to fit a cochlear implant allowed him to recover some of his hearing. His experience of having the cochlear implant fitted was detailed in a BBC Radio 4 programme called “Earfull – From Silence into Sound”.
Anne Reid as Leslie Tiller
Anne Reid has been a staple of British film and TV since her first appearance on The Benny Hill Show in 1957. Since then she has appeared in The Machine Breakers, Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Boon, The Upper Hand, Firm Friends, Playing the Field, Peak Practice, Dinnerladies, Bleak House, Life Begins, Shameless, Our Zoo, and Last Tango in Halifax.
And finally…
Rory McCann as Michael “Lurch” Armstrong
What team doesn’t want Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane from Game of Thrones on their side! Nuff said!
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Brett Summers
Founded Cult Faction in 2014. Some would describe him as a teacher, writer, dream weaver, and visionary... some would not...
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