Ian Yule

'Ian Yule' (qv) was a professional soldier for much of his adult life; a career soldier who saw service all over the world. He broke into films after working as an uncredited stunt man on two classics: _Ben-Hur (1959)_ (qv) and _The Longest Day (1962)_ (qv). His ease and familiarity with firearms, and his thorough knowledge of fighting men made him perfect for casting in action films and as a 'tough guy,' and he landed his first early parts in the late 1960s.By the 1970s, he was picking up regular work, generally in character roles with a gun in his hand. Early noticeable roles included Woods, a mercenary, in the 'Val Guest' (qv) thriller _The Diamond Mercenaries (1976)_ (qv) and _Golden Rendezvous (1977)_ (qv) with 'Richard Harris' (qv). Yule worked with Harris again in _The Wild Geese (1978)_ (qv), in which his previous military background made him perfect casting as the tough cockney sergeant Tosh Donaldson. In fact, Yule had once been a mercenary, serving in the Congo with Colonel "Mad" 'Mike Hoare' (qv)'s 5 Commando. His links with Hoare led to the latter being hired as military advisor on the film, while Yule doubled up as actor and weapons instructor.Later movies -- nearly all of them made in South Africa -- included the epic prequel _Zulu Dawn (1979)_ (qv), _Shamwari (1982)_ (qv), _Safari 3000 (1982)_ (qv), and _Jake Speed (1986)_ (qv), co-starring with 'John Hurt' (qv). Yule's recent credits have included a string of 'B' movies such as _River of Death (1989)_ (qv), _Point of Impact (1993)_ (qv), _Merchant of Death (1997)_ (qv), and _Traitor's Heart (1999)_ (qv).'Ian Yule' (qv) continues to reside in South Africa.::Tony Earnshaw