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Actor Sam Dastor: A Seven-Decade Stage and Screen Journey
21 Jun
Summary
- Actor Sam Dastor's career spanned seven decades on stage and screen.
- He starred in iconic British TV dramas and sci-fi series.
- Dastor overcame typecasting challenges to fulfill acting ambitions.
Sam Dastor, an actor whose career spanned seven decades, has died of cancer at the age of 84. He trained at Rada in the mid-1960s and performed in regional repertory theatres before joining Laurence Olivier's National Theatre. Dastor became a familiar face on British television in the 1970s, appearing in dramas such as 'I, Claudius' and 'Man of Straw'.
His roles in 'Space: 1999' and 'Blake's 7' cemented his place in science fiction fandom. Born in Mumbai to a Parsi family, Dastor developed a passion for Shakespeare early on. He later navigated challenges of typecasting, feeling too Indian for some roles and too English for others.
Dastor fulfilled his ambition of playing Mahatma Gandhi in the TV series 'Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy' (1986) and the film 'Jinnah' (1998). His skill as an audiobook performer brought him admirers and sustained his career until dementia forced his retirement in 2023.
He was married to Angela Platten and was a loving stepfather and father. Dastor is survived by his wife, his children, and his younger sister.
