Robert Powell - A Biography

Robert Powell – A Biography (1983)
By Ian Hamilton | Vintage
ISBN: 0394716469
Condition: Good (with a tiny nibble of authenticity)
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

This is Robert Powell – A Biography, a full-length look at the man whose face launched a thousand “Wait, isn’t that Jesus?” moments after Jesus of Nazareth aired and never really stopped.

Ian Hamilton takes you behind the beard, past the intense eyes and beyond the tragic cheekbones to tell the story of a proper working actor: stage, screen, telly, and a career that somehow straddles serious drama, cult classics and the occasional “I know that voice from somewhere” moment.

What’s inside (besides the missing chunk and Powell’s entire life)?

Expect:

• Powell’s rise from “That chap in that thing” to “Oh, it’s him” territory.

• Theatre days, early TV roles, and that small business of becoming the definitive television Jesus for an entire generation.

• Behind-the-scenes bits, career turns, and the odd brush with fame that doesn’t sound like a press release.

• A proper 1980s-style biography tone:

  • Calm

  • Thorough

  • Written before everyone tried to be a stand-up comedian on the page.

It’s the story of a serious actor who somehow became iconic while looking faintly surprised about the whole thing.

About the physical copy (aka: the Damage Report)

• Condition: Good – absolutely readable, structurally sound, and not falling apart in your hands.

• There is, however, a small chunk missing from the top right of the front – the cover has very slightly gone on a diet.

  • This minor injury also affects a few pages inside, but here’s the important bit:

  • No words are missing.

  • The text remains intact. You lose just a sliver of margin, not a single syllable of Powell.

Think of it as “lightly grazed in action”—cosmetic damage only. The story, like the man, remains complete.

The vibe

Open this and you’re in:

• The world of 1970s and early 80s British acting, where people did proper theatre, serious TV drama, and occasionally very odd films.

• A time before social media, when “being a serious actor” meant doing the work, not simply cultivating a moody grid and a Notes app statement.

• The kind of biography where you actually get background, context and craft, not just anecdotes about who said what at which party.

It’s interested in how Powell became Powell – voice, choices, roles, reputation – not just what he wore on red carpets.

Why you might want this

• You’ve seen Jesus of Nazareth, The Thirty Nine Steps, or any number of Powell roles and thought, “I like that guy, what’s his story?”

• You enjoy old-school biographies that assume you can handle paragraphs longer than two lines.

• You’re fond of actor biographies where the subject is actually interesting, not merely famous.

• You feel a strange affection for books that are slightly wounded but still doing their job perfectly well.

On the missing chunk (and why it’s kind of charming)

Let’s be honest:

• If you’re hunting for museum-grade, shrink-wrapped, untouched perfection… this isn’t it.

• If you want a working, readable, slightly battle-scarred paperback, this is exactly the sort of thing that belongs on your shelf.

The missing corner says:

“I have been picked up, read, moved, and possibly dropped once. I have lived.”

The pages say:

“Don’t worry. The good bits are all here.”

Ideal for:

• Robert Powell fans who want more than just stills and trivia.

• Readers who like their film and TV history told through the life of someone who actually turned up, learned the lines and did the work.

• Anyone who smiles at the thought of a slightly nibbled biography being sold, unapologetically, by Crappy Old Books.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where the corners may be missing, the glamour is slightly scuffed, but the words—and the lives behind them—are still gloriously intact.

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