Tintin Forums

Sad news to report.
The British actor Stephen Moore, perhaps most widely known for having played Marvin the Paranoid Android (plus other roles, including a whale and a bowl of petunias) in Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, has died at the age of 82.
For Tintinologists, he was a particularly effective Professor Calculus in the BBC radio adaptations of The Adventures of Tintin, managing to balance the mixture of eccentricity, irascibility and likeability required to bring the character to life from the printed page.
Born in Brixton in London on the 11th of December, 1937, his career saw success in many media, including an Olivier Award and Tony Award nomination for stage work in Britain and America, appearances in films as diverse as A Bridge Too Far and Brassed Off, and many, many radio and TV shows, including Doctor Who in 2010, opposite Matt Smith as The Doctor.

The depressed robot Marvin was probably the rôle with which he is most associated in the mind of his public, a part he originated on radio, then took the voice to the record adaptation of the series, the TV version, and most recently to the live stage-show tours in which many of the original cast participated, as well as the later BBC radio adaptations of Adams's post-series novels produced by Dirk Maggs (until the part was taken over by Jim Broadbent for the final series made after Mr. Moore retired from acting).

He also narrated audiobook recordings of the books, and appeared on two novelty spin-off singles released to take advantage of the character Marvin's popularity.

In 1992, at 19:30 on the 16th of January, he made his debut appearance as Hergé's inventor in The Secret of 'The Unicorn', the second episode of the Radio 5 series The Adventures of Tintin, a part he went on to play throughout the rest of the two series, plus a 1993 Christmas special, The Castafiore Emerald, in which he was besotted by Miriam Margolyes as the Milanese Nightingale.

We extend our condolences to his family.