Fade To Black: Louis Mahoney

Louis Mahoney (1938-2020)

Louis Mahoney’s list of screen credits is impressive. He made, according to the Internet Movie Database, almost one hundred film and television appearances from 1964 until his final role in the second season of BBC television’s The Split (transmitted 11th February 2020). In one year alone – 1975, he was seen on BBC television in The Fight Against Slavery (as Olaudah Equiano, the former slave who became an abolitionist), Fawlty Towers (in the controversial episode The Germans) and Doctor Who. In fact, Mahoney’s career was so long he appeared in Doctor Who (1973-1975) in three different stories as three different characters! It is hard to imagine how Mahoney found the time and energy to work tirelessly as a campaigner for better treatment of Black actors in Britain. For many years he was also active in the anti-apartheid movement. And yet, in spite of achieving so much, Mahoney never became a ‘star’. He was a hard-working, dedicated character actor who made an impression in each role he played, however small. Mahoney, born in The Gambia in 1938, began publicly campaigning for a wider range of roles for Black actors in the 1970s. He did this for over 25 years through the actor’s trade union Equity and their Afro-Asian Artists’ Committee (previously the Coloured Actors Committee before he renamed it). In 1983, two years after the Brixton and Toxteth uprisings, Mahoney addressed an Equity conference on integrated casting at the Barbican Centre. In his speech, he drew attention to the failure of British television to include Black characters in mainstream drama, which he believed would help enormously to positively influence the general public’s view of Britain’s Black community.

Louis Mahoney died June 28th 2020 at the age of 81. Stephen Bourne n

Sara Putt Associates

START YOUR LEAP ON A FIRM FOOTING

Supporting Clients to mobilise new business initiatives with purpose, intelligence and empowerment

info@pottingerhind.com • www.pottingerhind.com

S.O.U.L. Fest Streams

18:00 – onwards

Exclusive Cast & Crew Conversations

Aug 14: Disney Pixar’s Soul Panel Aug 26: Sitting In With Sony Pictures Panel 18:00 – onwards

Exclusive Cast & Crew Q&A + Shorts

Aug 08: Shorts Showcase – Perceiving Aug 15: Shorts Showcase – Seeing Aug 21: Shorts Showcase – Visions 18:00 – onwards

Exclusive Cast & Crew Q&A + Features

Aug 22: White Riot Aug 29: Real Aug 30: Closing Night Watch Party with BBC Radio 1 Dev Griffin

S.O.U.L. Fest Symposium

10:00 – 12:00

Webinar Masterclass Series with Jasmin Morrison

Aug 04: Types of Finance Aug 11: Sales and Distribution Aug 18: Finance in Practice Aug 25: Pitching 19:00 – 21:00

Zoom Panel Series with Film Industry Experts

Aug 06: Shorts To Features Aug 13: Training and Skills Development Aug 27: Marketing and PR

Visit www.soulfilmfest.co.uk for more information on how to watch or book.