Ingham Passes

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Actor Barrie Ingham has died at the age of eighty-two.

Ingham is best-known to Star Trek: The Next Generation fans for his role of Bringloidi leader Danilo Odell in Up the Long Ladder.

Ingham was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, in 1932 and began his career in the 1950s. His work in over two hundred American and British plays, television series and movies. Some of his television work included shows such as Doctor Who, The Avengers, The Jeffersons, Hart to Hart, Simon & Simon and The A Team.

Had things gone differently, Ingham might have been remembered as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Ingham interviewed for the role and in 2013, he shared the story of what had happened and how Patrick Stewart reacted to meeting Gene Roddenberry for the first time.

“The casting director wanted ‘a European accent’, which could mean anything, and I thought I’ll go in with a slightly French accent” said Ingham. “As they do in Hollywood, they called me back for a second testing. Meanwhile, Patrick Stewart has come to UCLA to do some Shakespeare readings on a stage tour. The granddaughter of Gene Roddenberry said, ‘Grandfather, this blimey guy is coming to read Shakespeare in college,’ and Patrick comes on and does Shakespeare as only he can, and at the end of the class a man approaches him and says, ‘Hi, I’m Gene Roddenberry, and I’m going to do a new television series called ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation.’

“Patrick was busy gathering up papers in his briefcase and said, ‘Yeah, sure, and I’m Napoleon, and I’ve got a plane to catch.’ He thought Roddenberry was some nut posing as a producer.”

Ingham is survived by his wife Tarne, four daughters, and eight grandchildren.