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This biography was written by Dave Matthews. He kindly gave his permission to repost the biography here. This biography was originally posted on Dave's wonderful Professionals-website. Please visit his site, it's the best source for every Professionals-fan out there on the net.
Many other people contributed information for this bio, among them Sandy Hereld, Karen Kaufmann, Nicola Wood, Sue Sandy, Kim Richardson, Nickie Moran, DanaJeanne and "GC".
Please do NOT repost this biography elsewhere without Dave's permission! Thanks!
Biography
Part 4Lewis made a few TV appearances up to the end of the 1980's but has struggled much more since then. The problem appears to be one of typecasting. Many of his early post-Professionals roles were those of a similar character to Bodie, althuogh he successfully broke away from this in 1988 with the Jack the Ripper mini-series where he played a Victorian police sergeant. A lucky break for Lewis - particularly as the part had originally gone to a different actor.
The late 1980's saw Lewis journey to Los Angeles and take low-key parts in a few American productions. He also studied film direction and passed the exams - though he has yet to put this talent to use, as far as I'm aware. Around 1995 he decided to move there permanently with his wife and sons.
In 1994 ex-Professionals director David Wickes approached London City financiers with an idea to produce a brand new series. A 1996 TV advert by car company Nissan UK parodied the old series and was so successful that this seemed to confirm the public's enduring love for the show. Original series producer Brian Clemens and Wickes asked Lewis to revive Bodie, this time as Head of the CI5 unit (essentially to replace the late Gordon Jackson). Sadly negotiations failed after five months and Lewis was dropped from the project - his replacement being eventually announced as Edward Woodward.
Yet that wasn't quite the end of Bodie. Lewis was delighted to lampoon both the role and himself in a comedy drama called The Grimleys in 1998, with his hard-as-nails mercenary commando character dismissing the SAS as "pansies" before taking off on a gun-running mission for Idi Amin!
In 1992 Lewis married a young schoolteacher called Michelle Larret and the couple have three sons, Oliver, Elliot and Cameron. His hobbies include sports shooting (in which he has taken on and beaten some of the country's finest) and freefall parachuting. He also holds a Private Pilot's License.
