Edward James de Souza was born in Hull, Yorkshire, of British and Portuguese-Indian parentage to Annie Adeline Swift (née Calvert) and Edward Valentine De Souza Jr. He has appeared in numerous classical plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Bristol Old Vic, the Globe and the Theatre Royal. A RADA graduate of 1957, de Souza made his screen debut that very same year in the role of Charles Darnay in an early BBC adaptation of
A Tale of Two Cities (1957) (co-starring
Peter Wyngarde, as Sydney Carton). On the airwaves, de Souza succeeded
Valentine Dyall as BBC4's The Man in Black from 1988 to 1992.
On the big screen, he is perhaps best known for his role in
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) as the Bedouin Sheikh Hosein, a friend and ally of
Roger Moore's James Bond. Earlier in his career, he had starred back-to-back in two Hammer horror productions: as impresario Harry Hunter in
The Phantom of the Opera (1962) and as the obligatory hero Gerald Harcourt in
The Kiss of the Vampire (1963).
More consistently employed in television, de Souza had an early leading role alongside
Richard Briers and
Prunella Scales in the sitcom
The Marriage Lines (1961). He also starred in the
Doctor Who (1963) episode 'Mission to the Unknown' as Space Security Agent Marc Cory who endeavours to warn Earth of an impending Dalek attack. The episode is chiefly remembered for the complete absence of the Doctor (in this case,
William Hartnell) and his companions.
Very much at home in period drama, De Souza has portrayed Maximilian Morrell, a valiant friend of
The Count of Monte Cristo (1964), Napoleon's older brother Joseph Bonaparte, in the miniseries
Napoleon and Love (1974) and Portuguese diplomat (and friend of the king) Marquês Luis de Soveral in
Edward the King (1975). Between 2008 and 2009, he had a regular role on the soap
Coronation Street (1960) as the rapacious gambler and womanizer Colin Grimshaw. He has also made guest appearances on
The Saint (1962),
The Avengers (1961),
Department S (1969),
Rumpole of the Bailey (1978) (as solicitor Bonny Bernard),
Sapphire & Steel (1979),
One Foot in the Grave (1990) and
The Borgias (2011).
Edward de Souza has been married since 1960 to English actress and long-time
Play School (1964) presenter
Miranda Connell.
Jago & Litefoot(2010)as Sir Henry Irving
Amicus Vault of Horrors(2015)as Dr. Schreck
Mr. Turner(2014)as Thomas Stothard
Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown(2019)as Self
Who's Round(2013)as Self
TV Burp(2001)as Self
Mission to the Unknown(2010)as Marc Cory
The World of Hammer(1990)as Gerald Harcourt
