RIP Julian Christopher

 

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Julian Christopher (7 November 1944 – 26 February 2023; age 78) was the actor who, credited as James Louis Watkins, played Hagon in the Star Trek: The Next Generation first season episode "Code of Honor". He later played a Cardassian overseer in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine second season episode "Tribunal", credited as Julian Christopher.

James Louis Watkins began appearing in film and on television in 1972. He co-starred in a pair of blaxploitation films in 1972: Cool Breeze (starring Thalmus Rasulala) and Black Gunn (with William Campbell, Katherine Woodville, Tony Young, and Bernie Casey). These were followed by another blaxploitation film in 1975, J.D.'s Revenge, which also featured Earl Billings and Joan Pringle.

Watkins had a supporting role opposite John Wayne in the 1974 film McQ. His other co-stars in this film included David Huddleston and Diana Muldaur. Watkins later appeared in the 1987 film The Night Stalker, starring Charles Napier. This was followed by Spellbinder in 1988, which was written by Tracy Tormé and which also featured Anthony Crivello, Stefan Gierasch, and Cary-Hiroyuki.

His earliest known TV appearance was a 1972 episode of the crime drama Cannon directed by Michael O'Herlihy. He later appeared on such shows as Baretta (1975, in an episode with Gerrit Graham and Rudolph Willrich), Police Story (1977, directed by Corey Allen), Three's a Crowd (1985, with Clive Revill), Dynasty (1985, with Theodore Bikel, William O. Campbell, and Rod Loomis), Webster (1985, with Eugene Roche), Hill Street Blues (1987, with Marc Alaimo, Richard Herd, and David Selburg), and Our House (with Chad Allen and Wallace Langham).

Watkins also acted in TV movies such as The Magician (1973, directed by Marvin Chomsky), The Keegans (1976, with Adam Roarke) and Killer in the Mirror (1986, with Len Cariou, Parley Baer, and Bill Zuckert). Following a 1989 appearance on the crime drama A Man Called Hawk – which starred DS9's Avery Brooks – Watkins changed his professional name to Julian Christopher.

As Julian Christopher

His first television credit as Julian Christopher was a 1989 episode of Doogie Howser, M.D., on which Lawrence Pressman and James B. Sikking were regulars. He made a second appearance on Doogie Howser later that year, following an appearance on 227, which starred Paul Winfield.

In 1992 and 1993, Christopher appeared in the recurring role of Officer Calvin Simms on the crime drama series The Commish, which starred Kaj-Erik Eriksen. Other actors he worked with on this series include Kevin Conway, Barry Lynch, and Kenneth Marshall. Christopher's other TV credits during the early 1990s also included appearances on Dream On (two episodes, including one with Michael McKean) and Murder, She Wrote (in an episode with Stewart Moss).

In addition to his work on DS9, Christopher guest-starred on many other science fiction television series, including The Outer Limits (directed by Paul Lynch), Sci-Fi Channel's Stargate SG-1, Ira Steven Behr's The 4400 (with William O. Campbell, Jeffrey Combs, Alice Krige, Rob LaBelle, Bill Mondy, and Charles Napier), The Dead Zone (which starred Nicole de Boer and featured David Ogden Stiers), Masters of Science Fiction (with Terry O'Quinn), and Bionic Woman (with Roger R. Cross and Miguel Ferrer).

Christopher is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Dr. MacIntyre on the popular television series Smallville, which features Superman and other characters from the DC Comics universe. Christopher appeared in six episodes of the series between 2002 and 2006. Fellow DS9 guest star John Glover was also appearing on the series at the time.

Christopher's film credits included The Lazarus Child (2006; with Stephen McHattie and Robert Joy), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Severed (2005), The Hard Corps (2006), 88 Minutes (2007; with Neal McDonough), and Whisper (2007). He also played the prison truck guard who threatens to spray mace in Mystique's face in the 2006 blockbuster X-Men: The Last Stand. Kelsey Grammer, Famke Janssen, and Patrick Stewart were among the stars of this film.

CHRISTOPHER, Julian (James Louis Watkins)

Born: 11/7/1944, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Died: 2/26/2023,

 

Julian Christopher’s westerns – actor:

Tall Tales and Legends (TV) 1986 (Spike)

American Lawman (TV) – 2026 (John Wilkes Booth)