About Edward Woodward
Edward Albert Arthur Woodward (1 June 1930 – 16 November 2009) was an English actor and singer. He began his career on stage, appearing in productions in both the West End of London and on Broadway in New York City. He came to wider attention in the title role of the British television spy drama Callan (1967–1972), which earned him the 1970 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. Woodward starred as Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the British folk horror film The Wicker Man (1973) and in the title role of the Australian biopic Breaker Morant (1980). From 1985 to 1989, he starred as ex-secret agent turned private investigator Robert McCall in the American television series The Equalizer, which earned him the 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Actor. == Early life == Edward Albert Arthur Woodward was born on 1 June 1930 in Croydon, Surrey, the only child of parents Edward Oliver Woodward, a metalworker, and Violet Edith Woodward (née Smith). As a boy, he was bombed out of his home three times during the Blitz. He attended Eccleston Road, Sydenham Road, as well as Kingston Day Commercial School and Elmwood High School, Hackbridge, all in Surrey. He then attended Kingston College. After leaving school at the age of 15, Woodward wanted to train as a journalist, but took work in a sanitary engineer's office, and then at the age of 16 entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) as their youngest ever student.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.