Michael Brandon, now 81, has opened up about his role as Lieutenant Dempsey in the 1980s ITV crime drama Dempsey and Makepeace, revealing that the character was originally conceived very differently. The actor, who married his co-star Glynis Barber in 1989, has also discussed his memoir, That's All I'm Sayin'.
Brandon initially refused to work in television for over half his career, preferring film. "It's not what I wanted to do," he says. "Play the same thing over and over again." He changed his mind after a meeting with his agents, noting, "Nowadays TV's better than movies. Everything changes."
From California Millionaire to New York Detective
Dempsey and Makepeace first aired on UK screens in 1985, attracting between 14 million and 20 million viewers. At the time, it was one of the most ambitious and expensive television productions made for British television, bringing a Hollywood-style approach to action and spectacle.
Brandon became an overnight sensation despite being 39 and having a long career behind him. British audiences were unfamiliar with his earlier film work, including his debut in the 1970 romcom Lovers and Other Strangers and the 1974 horror-thriller Four Flies on Grey Velvet.
Behind the scenes, producers London Weekend Television (LWT) treated him as a premium Hollywood import. Brandon, however, used his leverage to reshape his character. "The role wasn't written the way I played it," he smiles. He told producers, "If you make this guy a New York homicide detective out of the streets of New York, he will teach this lady the true meaning of a different kind of life experience, and that will be the dynamic."
A Real-Life Romance
The producers adapted Dempsey into the character Brandon suggested, creating a memorable partnership with Glynis Barber as Makepeace. While the characters never became romantic, the actors fell in love in real life. They married in 1989 and have one son, Alexander, now in his 30s.
Barber, star of Blake's 7, disliked her future husband for the first year of their on-screen partnership, thinking he was too "loud" and "American". Brandon recalls meeting her at the Ritz Hotel: "I hadn't heard of her, and neither she of me. So we met in the Ritz Hotel. The producers set up a tea, and that was where I met the woman who would become a part of my life."
The pair have been married for 36 years and are three years from their ruby anniversary. "I don't see relationships lasting very long now," he says. "There seem to be very quick marriages, and there's no long-term relationship anymore."
From Brooklyn to Broadway
Brandon grew up in Brooklyn's Jewish community, with no early signs of his acting career. He left school early, studied law in the evenings, and worked for questionable characters by day until a blind date planted the idea of a career in the arts. He changed his surname from Feldman to Brandon in honour of Marlon Brando and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
He began his career at Broadway's Belasco Theatre in Does The Tiger Wear A Necktie?, opposite Al Pacino. In 1976, he married Lindsay Wagner, star of The Bionic Woman. The marriage lasted nearly three years, ending in a financially complicated divorce in 1979. Brandon later admitted his infidelity contributed to the breakdown, recalling a moment of raw pain in Aspen, Colorado.
His varied career includes an Olivier Award nomination in 2004 for Jerry Springer: The Musical, a role in Richard Linklater's 2008 film Me and Orson Welles, and playing Senator Brandt in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011.
Reflecting on his career, he says, "It's a crazy business, and I still don't know what other business I could have been in. I was lucky to find my way because I never was aimed in this direction. So I'm grateful." That's All I'm Sayin' (Big Finish, £16.99) is available to download from bigfinish.com.
