Англоязычный вариант моей статьи, посвящённой 20-летию со дня смерти Роберта Эдди.
Перевод выполнен Beatrix Schilke, за что ей огромное спасибо.   

Robert Addie is a knight in golden armor, In Memoriam

Other times will come,
Other names will flare up.
The soul of man is cold to him
Who lived in a forgotten age.
But there he was. And his path
Was full of misfortune and triumph.
Not all that burned is burned,
Not all that is gone is dead.
(c) Lev Oshanin, "Water of Immortality".

I don't like obituaries and stuff like that. But there are some dates you just can't get past.

Twenty years ago on this day, Robert Addie passed away - a talented British actor, a man of aristocratic good looks, a superb swordsman and horseman, a polo player, a charismatic and handsome man.
He was only 43 years old...

Robert began his acting career at a very early age - at the age of 16 he joined the company of the National Youth Theatre in London.
Outstanding physical attributes - athletic build, attractive but rugged good looks, deep resonant voice and a commanding demeanor have defined his career as a character actor. Most of his characters - are strong, tough and strong-willed. They're memorable even if the actor is only on screen for a few minutes. Like in the movie "Mary, Mother of Jesus" (1999), where he played Pontius Pilate. Played by
Addie, Pilate - the procurator of Judea - is the face of destiny revealed to mortals. The same Pilate I have been looking for in vain since the first reading of "The Master and Margarita" in theatrical
productions and numerous adaptations of biblical stories. Exactly the one

...in a white cloak with a bloodstained hem came out into the covered colonnade between the two wings of Herod the Great's palace in the early morning of the fourteenth day of the spring month of
Nisan.... (c) Mikhail Bulgakov, "The Master and Margarita"

Robert Addie - "43 steps to God"

My personal history of acquaintance with the actor's work began in early childhood. Long before I saw the famous "Robin of Sherwood" - "the English Robin Hood", as it was called then, not to be confused with the mediocre domestic productions. In a pile of waste paper in the attic, I came across an issue of "England" magazine, I don't know how it got there. Despite its age and a certain shabbiness, it was an excellent issue - coated paper, beautiful brightly colored illustrations. It was impossible to tear yourself away from it. One picture sticks in my mind forever - a fairy tale knight in golden armor. I wasn't a very good reader at the time, I didn't care much for articles in adult magazines, and it wasn't until many years later that I realized WHO was in the picture.

Fans of the actor and movie connoisseurs probably know both the movie and the character. But I'm going to intrigue you a little bit more. 

Robert Addie was a foster child. He was adopted at an early age by a British couple, Marjorie and Jack Williams.
The boy was educated at prestigious schools for the privileged classes - Marlborough College (where members of the royal family often sent their children) and Magdalen College School in Brackley. At Marlborough College, Robert excelled at learning languages (he spoke fluent Spanish and fairly good French) and became an accomplished swordsman and archer. He then successfully transferred his skills to the screen.

Jack Williams, the stepfather, was a stable owner, a highly professional polo player, and a developer of the modern game. In his line of work, he had close ties with the British Royal Family as well as foreign polo players and teams, including the Sultan of Brunei and numerous American teams. Under the tutelage of his stepfather, Robert, who was very tall at 6'2" (190 cm), became an excellent horseman and polo player. He also spent some time in Argentina practicing the sport. His family home at Sapperton in the Cotswolds, near Cirencester, allowed him to play polo every day of the season for much of the 1970s and early 1980s.

Robert Addie at Pony Polo Club

Magnificent physical attributes - tall stature, golden hair, white skin and blue eyes (classic Norman!  ) together with his riding skills, swordsmanship and weaponry have made the actor highly sought after for a variety of historical projects - dramas and adventures set in the Middle Ages.

In particular, Robert's skills made a great impression on director John Boorman, who invited him to appear in his film "Excalibur" (1981), which became a landmark in cinema history and brought the actor international fame.

To participate in the filming, the young actor dropped out of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), one of the world's most prestigious drama schools, where he had previously enrolled. Among its
graduates are Sean Bean, Timothy Dalton, Joan Collins, Eric Roberts, Tom Hiddleston and others.

Robert Addie as Mordred («Excalibur», 1981)

After Excalibur, Robert Addie continued his career in film and theater. His films include "Another Country," "A Hazard of Hearts," "Mary, Mother of Jesus," the leading role in "Stalky & Co." (1982) - an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel of the same name, the TV series "The Smuggler," "Bugs," "Lost Belongings," "The New Adventures of Robin Hood," and, of course, "Robin of Sherwood", in which his role earned him the admiration and love of audiences around the world.

Robert Addie as Sir Guy of Gisburne («Robin of Sherwood»)

In 1989, the actor decided to take a break from his career. The reasons for this decision we'll probably never know. He spent several years in Spain and the United States, and returned to acting only six
years later - in 1995.

The last time the actor will wear a knight's armor will be in the movie "A Knight in Camelot" (1998) - an American adaptation of Mark Twain's novel "A Yankee in King Arthur's Court".

Robert Addie as Sir Sagramour («A Knight in Camelot», 1998)

Even during Robert Addie's lifetime, the British media were fond of discussing his striking resemblance to the family features of the Dukes of Marlborough. It was even suggested that at a certain age he
would be the perfect actor to play Winston Churchill.

The resemblance is really - in the face.

But it wasn't to be.
The actor died of lung cancer on November 20, 2003, three weeks after doctors diagnosed him with the disease.

We all come from childhood. The beautiful knight in golden armor turned in adulthood into a love of the European Middle Ages, the Crusades, the history of chivalry, European literature and art - all that
which Jacques Le Goff once called the Civilization of the Medieval West.

He's also the ideal I'll always look up to and compare male characters in movies and literature to. Especially if they are knights.    One of the reincarnations of an image that has bridged cultural layers
over the years was my favorite character in "A Song of Ice and Fire".

Robert Addie as Jamie Lannister

Robert Addie, like Ser Jaime, could rightly say of himself:

They say a man lives as long as he is remembered. Robert Addie lived 20 years longer than he was destined to. He's still remembered and loved today, which means the show is still on!
Nothing is forgotten! Nothing is ever forgotten, my Lord!

Robert Addie - The Show Must Go On

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