Rest in Peace: Richard Johnson – Star of Lucio Fulci’s Zombie
John Squires
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We seem to be losing far too many horror icons this year, and this past weekend brought the sad news that another acting legend has fallen. We regret to inform you today that British actor Richard Johnson passed away on Saturday in London at the age of 87.
A founding member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Johnson’s acting career spanned an impressive six decades with a whopping 136 film and television roles listed on his resume. To us horror fans, he was most known for playing Dr. John Markway in 1963’s The Haunting as well as Dr. Menard in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie.
Richard Johnson also starred in the “Tales from the Crypt” episode “Ear Today… Gone Tomorrow,” and one of his biggest claims to fame was turning down the role of James Bond in Dr. No. That would’ve made him the very first actor to play Bond, but the role eventually went to Sean Connery.
Johnson is survived by his wife, Lynne, and four children.
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