Occupation Actor Years active 1964–68 | Name Iain Quarrier Role Actor | |
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Born 12 April 1941 ( 1941-04-12 ) Montreal, Canada Movies The Fearless Vampire, Cul‑de‑sac, Wonderwall, Sympathy for the Devil, Separation Similar People Joe Massot, Roman Polanski, Jean‑Luc Godard, Jack Bond, Brian Jones | ||
Iain Quarrier (born April 12, 1941 in Montreal) is a Canadian actor. He appeared in only five movies in the mid to late 1960s before retiring from the film business following the murder of his close friend Sharon Tate in 1969.
Contents
Career
Quarrier began his career in two films directed by Roman Polanski; Cul-de-sac (1966) and Fearless Vampire Killers (1967).
In 1968, along with Jean-Luc Godard, he acted in and produced the film One Plus One. When the film was shown at the London Film Festival, Godard was so dissatisfied with Quarrier's production that he appealed at the premiere for the audience to ask for their money back. A heated argument followed with Godard punching Quarrier.
Quarrier was a close friend of Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate. On 8 August 1969, the night of the murder of Tate and four other people by the Manson Family, he had been invited by Tate to her house. However, he was delayed during filming of Vanishing Point in the California desert (Quarrier was a creative associate on the film). Arriving late in Los Angeles he decided not to bother the pregnant Tate at such a late hour and traveled onto the Vanishing Point wrap party instead.
His last film role was in 1968's Wonderwall.
After Tate's death, Quarrier retired from the film business.
Later life
After suffering a mental breakdown in 1972, Quarrier spent time at Bethlem Royal Hospital.
In 1996, Quarrier received a police caution for indecently assaulting two girls.
On 7 October 2008, Quarrier pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to the attempted abduction of a five-year-old girl in a busy supermarket in Ladbroke Grove, West London. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Two weeks prior to the incident, Quarrier had attempted to 'purchase' a nine-year-old girl in the same supermarket. Quarrier also received a Prohibitive Activity Order, banning him from unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16 years. He was also ordered to comply with an alcohol treatment directed by his probation officer.
Quotes
[Iain Quarrier] reflects the gilded youth of swinging sixties London, the glittering Bohemian inner circle of beautiful people. He is an immaculate dandy, a ‘dedicated follower of fashion’, clearly caring a great deal about his appearance and the way he is perceived but affecting an air of disdainful, disinterested cool. Jez Winship