Granted Martin Shaw was the better classically trained and overall better
actor between the two. Had Collins been given the chance at Bond he would
have fit quite well straight after Moore due to his comic timing and true to
life action ability - doing his own stunts and SAS training and acceptance.
Furthermore, the womanising aspect that he cultivated in the Professionals
fits in nicely with the character of Bond. He would of got my Vote as Bond
instead of Moore doing A View To a Kill looking like a Grandad.
Yes, the Italian action films he made were not the best and did not do his
career any good but as Michael Caine has said in his books, the role of an
actor is simple, "stay employed". Caine said of JAWS The Revenge, If someone
is going to pay you 50,000 to spend a week in the Bahamas all expenses paid,
you would be made not to do it. Collins next big piece of success in my
opinion was his excellent supporting role to Caine in the TV mini Series
"Jack The Ripper" that won Caine a Golden Globe.
Collins did only spasmodic acting post his Ripper days (maybe he suffered
from type casting) which is a shame as I believe he had depth beyond been an
action man. He moved to LA where he took a course in being a Director (which
he completed) with the view of getting behind the camera and finding work in
America but like so many others this proved problematic. The computer
industry was growing and Collins had an eye for it and before long he had
his own business and was very successful at it. They remade "The
Professionals" in 1999 but unsuccessfully as we all know. Collins was
approached to play a Gordon Jackson type role as head of 'CI5' however prior
to release but negotiations broke down and Edward Woodward stepped in and
the series only lasted 13 episodes. Collins as the record looks now, left
acting at the doorstep by 2002 with a stint on the long running British
crime drama "The Bill". Fitting really that he gained worldwide fame on a
British crime TV show and his last performance was on another worldwide
British crime TV show.
Personally, I had always hoped he would return to the screen big or small.
He was a part of my Saturday nights as a teenager as one half of the
professionals and given the chance could have been so much more later on!
Regards to you all
Ben
www.allaboutmovies.com.au
Movie Memorabilia - Original Movie Posters and Lobby Cards
Website: www.allaboutmovies.com.au
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