Crossbow (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Crossbow is a 1987
action/adventure
television series that aired on The Family Channel. The series was produced by Steven North and Richard Schlesinger for Robert Halmi Inc., in co-production with French television network FR3, and filmed entirely on location in France
.
(Will Lyman
) and takes place in the 14th-century in Switzerland
. William Tell and his son Matthew are imprisoned by the tyrannical Gessler
(Jeremy Clyde
). As Governor
of Austria, Gessler plans to stop the Swiss uprising. Having split the apple on his son's head with his crossbow, much to Gessler's chagrin, there is no stopping William Tell's legendary strength and skill.
1987 in television
The year 1987 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1987.For American TV schedule, see: 1987–88 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
action/adventure
Adventure (genre)
The adventure genre, in the context of a narrative, is typically applied to works in which the protagonist or other major characters are consistently placed in dangerous situations...
television series that aired on The Family Channel. The series was produced by Steven North and Richard Schlesinger for Robert Halmi Inc., in co-production with French television network FR3, and filmed entirely on location in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Synopsis
Crossbow follows the adventures of William TellWilliam Tell
William Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
(Will Lyman
Will Lyman
William Lyman is an American voice-over artist and actor, perhaps best known for his polished, resonant voice that has narrated the PBS series Frontline since its second season in 1984. Lyman has made a successful career in television and theater...
) and takes place in the 14th-century in Switzerland
Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy
The growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy began as an alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure the peace along the important trade routes through the mountains...
. William Tell and his son Matthew are imprisoned by the tyrannical Gessler
Albrecht Gessler
Albrecht Gessler was a probably legendary Habsburg bailiff at Altdorf, whose brutal rule led to the William Tell rebellion and the eventual independence of the Swiss Confederacy....
(Jeremy Clyde
Jeremy Clyde
Michael Thomas Jeremy Clyde is an English actor and musician. The son of Lady Elizabeth Wellesley, he made his first public appearance as a pageboy at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1953...
). As Governor
Vogt (Switzerland)
thumb|left|[[Franz Rudolf Frisching]], [[bailiff]] in the [[Vallemaggia |Vallemaggia]] in 1770, in the uniform of an officer of the [[Bernese]] Huntsmen Corps with his [[Berner Laufhund]], painted by [[Jean Preudhomme]] in 1785...
of Austria, Gessler plans to stop the Swiss uprising. Having split the apple on his son's head with his crossbow, much to Gessler's chagrin, there is no stopping William Tell's legendary strength and skill.
Cast and characters
- William TellWilliam TellWilliam Tell is a folk hero of Switzerland. His legend is recorded in a late 15th century Swiss chronicle....
(Will LymanWill LymanWilliam Lyman is an American voice-over artist and actor, perhaps best known for his polished, resonant voice that has narrated the PBS series Frontline since its second season in 1984. Lyman has made a successful career in television and theater...
) - Governor Hermann Gessler (Jeremy ClydeJeremy ClydeMichael Thomas Jeremy Clyde is an English actor and musician. The son of Lady Elizabeth Wellesley, he made his first public appearance as a pageboy at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1953...
) - Blade (Melinda MullinsMelinda MullinsMelinda Mullins is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life and education:She was born in Clanton, Alabama....
) - Roland (Valentine PelkaValentine PelkaValentine Pelka is an English actor who has starred in film and on television.-Biography:Pelka was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire to an actress mother and a civil engineer father. His mother is Irish, and his father is Polish. His sister is Kazia Pelka an actress who starred in Brookside, amongst...
) - Matthew Tell (David Barry Gray)
- Katrina Tell (Anne LonnbergAnne LonnbergAnne Lonnberg is a Swedish-American actress and singer.- Biography :Lonnberg was born in Berkeley, California to a Swedish father. She began her acting career in 1965, starring mostly in Greek films. She has appeared throughout her career in a number of American and French films and television...
) - Tyroll (Hans MeyerHans MeyerHans Meyer may refer to:*Hans Meyer , a South African actor, see Red Sonja *Hans Meyer , German geologist*Hans Meyer , German football manager and former player...
) - Horst (Nick BrimbleNick BrimbleNick Brimble , is an English actor known for his performance as Little John in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and his appearances on various television shows....
) - Conrad (John OtwayJohn OtwayJohn Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
) - Arris (Robert AddieRobert AddieRobert Alastair Addie was an English actor who was best known for playing Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the television series Robin of Sherwood.-Career:...
) - Stefan (Conrad PhillipsConrad PhillipsConrad Phillips is a British film and television actor, born in London. His real name is Conrad Philip Havord.He is best known for portraying William Tell in the popular ITV television series The Adventures of William Tell which ran for 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959. Philips also played Stefan,...
) - Weevil (Bernard Spiegel)
- Ambrose (Bertie Cortez)
Guest appearances
- Eleanor (Dana BarronDana BarronDana Barron is an American actress who has starred in film and on television. Barron is best known for her role as the original Audrey Griswold in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation which she reprised in 2003's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure for NBC television.-Early...
) - The Emperor (Guy RolfeGuy RolfeGuy Rolfe was an English actor born in London.He made his screen debut in 1937 with an uncredited appearance in Knight Without Armour. Notable roles include: Prince John in Ivanhoe , Ned Seymour in Young Bess , Caiaphas in King of Kings , and Prince Grigory in Taras Bulba...
) - Prince Ignatius (Johnny CrawfordJohnny CrawfordJohn Ernest "Johnny" Crawford is a prolific American character actor, singer and musician. At 12, Crawford rose to fame for playing Mark McCain, the son of the Lucas McCain character , in the popular 1960s ABC western series, The Rifleman, which aired from 1958 to 1963...
) - Gaston (Brian BlessedBrian BlessedBrian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
) - Princess (Valerie Steffen)
- Captain of the Guard (Steve BuscemiSteve BuscemiSteven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
) - François Arconciel (Roger DaltreyRoger DaltreyRoger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
) - Sara Guidotti (Sarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
)
Alternative names
- De Kruisboog / Willem Tell (Belgium)
- Crossbow: As aventuras de Guilherme Tell (Brazil)
- Кралят на Арбалета (Bulgaria)
- Kusza (Poland)
- Ballesta (Catalonia)
- La ballesta: Las Aventuras de Guillermo Tell (Latin America)
- חץ וקשת (Israel)
- Guglielmo Tell (Italy)
- Guillaume Tell (France)
- Guillermo Tell (Spain)
- William Tell (UK)
- Vilém Tell (Czechoslovakia)
- Wilhelm Tell (Finland)
External links
- Crossbow – William Tell fansite