Lewis Collins (26 May 1946 – 27 November 2013)

Lewis Collins the man who would have been James Bond, died yesterday after a very hard battle with cancer. He will be best remembered for the role of Bodie in the iconic series The professionals. Always brooding but never dull, he played the role with aplomb and certainly looked the part. 

The Professionals was the British version of Starsky and Hutch in which the crashing cars was as important as the story line and frankly most people watching would rather see car chases than stories. It would be fair to say the women watching much preferred the good ol’ buddies story line which always accompanied the program and the three actors George Cowley (Gordon Jackson), Ray Doyle (Martin Shaw) and William Bodie (Lewis Collins) seemed almost telepathic in carrying out there roles.

When the program finished Lewis Collins completely dropped off the radar and he moved the Los Angeles. The thing which must have kept him in the money was that The Professionals is constantly repeated and still draw a very respectable audience. 

Lewis Collins also tried to get the role of James bond but was deemed to aggressive. Ah well he will always be part of the infamous ‘lads’ culture as a role model for those who like crash, bang, wallop and a little slap and tickle in their TV programs. he leaves a wife and 3 children.

The Professional Theme Tune