John Phillip Law
Encyclopedia
John Phillip Law was an American
film actor
with over one hundred movie roles to his credit. He was born in Los Angeles, California
, the son of actress Phyllis Sallee and the brother of actor Thomas Augustus Law (also known as Tom Law).
He was best known for his roles as the blind angel Pygar in the science fiction
cult classic Barbarella
(1968) with Jane Fonda
, and as news anchor Robin Stone in the 1971 movie The Love Machine
(1971). The latter reteamed him with Alexandra Hay
, his costar from the 1968 "acid comedy" Skidoo
.
Law also gained attention in the thriller Danger: Diabolik
(1968), in The Sergeant
(1968) with Rod Steiger
, and as a Russian sailor stranded in a New England village in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming
(1966) with Alan Arkin
.
Tall (six-foot-five) and handsome, with steel blue eyes, Law became a male sex symbol
in the 1960s. He was a VIP guest at Hugh Hefner
's Playboy Mansion
and in Hollywood society. While he never achieved superstar status, he became a popular action hero
, particularly in the Italian movie
market, with movies ranging from science fiction, and fantasy to comedy, westerns, drama, and war movies.
Law co-starred in Roger Corman
's film Von Richthofen and Brown
(1971), playing Manfred von Richthofen
opposite Don Stroud
's Roy Brown. Corman used Lynn Garrison
's Irish aviation facility, complete with replica World War I
aircraft. Garrison taught Law the basics of flying so that he could take off and land, making some of the footage more realistic.
Some other of Law's movies have also become cult classics, including The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
, Death Rides a Horse
and Attack Force Z
.
Two of Law's films, Danger: Diabolik
and Space Mutiny
, were also featured in the movie-mocking TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
In 2001 he appeared in Roman Coppola
's directorial debut CQ
, an homage to the Italian spy/sci-fi B-movies in which Law often starred during the 1960s. Law's final credited film role was in 2008's Chinaman's Chance.
His doctors told him in late 2007 that he had pancreatic cancer
and only six months to live. Law died May 13, 2008, at his Los Angeles home. His remains were cremated and the ashes remain with his daughter, Dawn and his grandson, Ryan.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
with over one hundred movie roles to his credit. He was born in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, the son of actress Phyllis Sallee and the brother of actor Thomas Augustus Law (also known as Tom Law).
He was best known for his roles as the blind angel Pygar in the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
cult classic Barbarella
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
(1968) with Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
, and as news anchor Robin Stone in the 1971 movie The Love Machine
The Love Machine
The Love Machine is a 1969 novel written by Jacqueline Susann. Her first book following her hugely successful Valley of the Dolls, it was published by Simon and Schuster in June 1969. While it ultimately was not as successful as Dolls, it was an enormous best-seller and, like its predecessor, it is...
(1971). The latter reteamed him with Alexandra Hay
Alexandra Hay
Alexandra Lynn Hay was a character actress of the 1960s and 1970s. She was a native of Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Arroyo High School in El Monte....
, his costar from the 1968 "acid comedy" Skidoo
Skidoo (film)
Skidoo is an American comedy film directed by Otto Preminger, starring Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing, written by Doran William Cannon and released by Paramount Pictures on December 19, 1968...
.
Law also gained attention in the thriller Danger: Diabolik
Danger: Diabolik
Danger: Diabolik is a 1968 feature film from Italian filmmaker Mario Bava based on the Italian comic character Diabolik.- About the film :...
(1968), in The Sergeant
The Sergeant (film)
The Sergeant is an American drama film starring Rod Steiger and John Phillip Law, directed by John Flynn, and released by Warner Brothers.-External links:**...
(1968) with Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
, and as a Russian sailor stranded in a New England village in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming is an American comedy film. Based on the Nathaniel Benchley novel The Off-Islanders, the film was directed by Norman Jewison and adapted for the screen by William Rose....
(1966) with Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
.
Tall (six-foot-five) and handsome, with steel blue eyes, Law became a male sex symbol
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
in the 1960s. He was a VIP guest at Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
's Playboy Mansion
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion is the home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Located in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California, the mansion became famous during the 1970s through media reports of Hefner's lavish parties.-History:The house is described as being in the "Gothic-Tudor" style...
and in Hollywood society. While he never achieved superstar status, he became a popular action hero
Action hero
An action hero is a character, usually a protagonist, in an action-adventure novel, film, television show, or game.-Further reading:*Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks. London: Routledge, 2001.*Tasker, Yvonne. Action and...
, particularly in the Italian movie
Cinema of Italy
The history of Italian cinema began just a few months after the Lumière brothers had patented their Cinematographe, when Pope Leo XIII was filmed for a few seconds in the act of blessing the camera.-Early years:...
market, with movies ranging from science fiction, and fantasy to comedy, westerns, drama, and war movies.
Law co-starred in Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
's film Von Richthofen and Brown
Von Richthofen and Brown
Von Richthofen and Brown also known as The Red Baron, is a film directed by Roger Corman, and starring John Phillip Law and Don Stroud as the titular characters....
(1971), playing Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
opposite Don Stroud
Don Stroud
Donald Lee Stroud is an American actor and surfer who appeared in many films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and has starred in over 100 films and 175 television shows to date.-Early life:...
's Roy Brown. Corman used Lynn Garrison
Lynn Garrison
Lynn Garrison is a Canadian pilot and political adviser. He was an RCAF fighter pilot from the 403 City of Calgary Squadron, commercial pilot, film producer, director and mercenary...
's Irish aviation facility, complete with replica World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
aircraft. Garrison taught Law the basics of flying so that he could take off and land, making some of the footage more realistic.
Some other of Law's movies have also become cult classics, including The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is a fantasy film released in 1974 and starring John Phillip Law as Sinbad. It includes a score by composer Miklós Rózsa and is known mostly for the stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen...
, Death Rides a Horse
Death Rides a Horse
Death Rides a Horse is a 1967 spaghetti western directed by Giulio Petroni, written by Luciano Vincenzoni, and starring Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law. Bill Meceita, a boy whose family was murdered in front of him by a gang, sets out 15 years later to exact revenge...
and Attack Force Z
Attack Force Z
Attack Force Z is a 1982 Australian World War II film, directed by Tim Burstall. It is based on an actual event that took place during World War II, and was shot in Taiwan in 1980...
.
Two of Law's films, Danger: Diabolik
Danger: Diabolik
Danger: Diabolik is a 1968 feature film from Italian filmmaker Mario Bava based on the Italian comic character Diabolik.- About the film :...
and Space Mutiny
Space Mutiny
Space Mutiny is a 1988 South African science-fiction action film about a mutiny aboard the spaceship known as the Southern Sun.- Plot :...
, were also featured in the movie-mocking TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
In 2001 he appeared in Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola is an American film director and music video director.-Early life:Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris...
's directorial debut CQ
CQ (film)
CQ is a 2001 film written and directed by Roman Coppola. It was screened out of competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.It is a homage to 1960s European spy/sci-fi spoofs like Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik and the documentary spoof David Holzman's Diary. The cinematography is done by Robert...
, an homage to the Italian spy/sci-fi B-movies in which Law often starred during the 1960s. Law's final credited film role was in 2008's Chinaman's Chance.
Personal life
He was at one time married to actress Shawn Ryan, with whom he had a daughter named Dawn.His doctors told him in late 2007 that he had pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
and only six months to live. Law died May 13, 2008, at his Los Angeles home. His remains were cremated and the ashes remain with his daughter, Dawn and his grandson, Ryan.