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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Oh, no

I've just learned from Peter David's blog that the actor Andreas Katsulas, G'Kar on Babylon 5, has passed away. G'Kar was probably my favorite character on that fine series, and Katsulas was a big part of the reason why.

The range he showed in taking G'Kar from the lusty creature he was at the beginning of the series to the stillness he showed as the holy man (or Narn) he became was breathtaking. He was also a rebuke to anyone who would ever say that makeup would smother a performance; given the right actor (and the right makeup) a performance shines through.

A British friend once sent me video of a convention appearance he'd made there, which I'm even more appreciative of now. I remember watching it, my first lengthy exposure to him out of makeup, and having that weird feeling of "It's not G'Kar...but it is."

He had incredible presence. Makeup couldn't disguise it, and he didn't need the makeup to be recognizable as his character, he'd invested too much of himself in it, or so it seemed. I don't know if any of this is making sense to those of you who haven't seen the series, if you haven't, you should.

I also remember that he opened that convention appearance by singing the first two or three lines of "On Broadway." ("They say the neon lights are bright...")

He was another one of those actors who I'd always kind of hoped to meet and in my wildest fantasies, write for. If the man could deliver long, Shakespearianesque speeches dressed as a giant lizard and make them work beautifully, he could do anything.

I'm sorry I won't get to see more of his work in the future, and I'm glad I had a chance to appreciate a little of it in the past.

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