(person) by Mr. Hotel Mon Aug 28 2000 at 21:36:57
Hull born British actor. Born in 1937, Courtenay has appeared in over 25 films since 1962, including Billy Liar and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

Courtenay is also the subject of the Yo La Tengo song named after him. The song appears on their 1995 album Electr-O-Pura.

Julie Christie, the rumors are true
As the pages turn, my eyes are glued
To the movie star and his sordid life
Mr. X and his old-suffering wife
I spent so much time dreaming about Eleanor Bron
In my room with the curtains drawn
See her in the arms of Paul
Say it, I can say no more
As the music swells somehow stronger from adversity
Our hero finds his inner peace
So now I'm looking for a lucky charm
With a needle hanging out of its arm

As time goes by I know it's gonna happen
I know it's going away
Gonna take its toll, gonna take its toll
Gonna take my time
And I'm thinking about the way things are
And I'm thinking about the way things were
Thinking about Eleanor Bron
And I'm thinking about a lucky charm
And I'm thiking about the needle
Oh, I'm thinking about the needle
And I'm thinking about...

Personally, I'm not entirely sure what the drug references in this song have to do with Courtenay's life. All the articles I've read on Courtenay mention no drug problems, but it also might've happened in a time when the media wasn't so obsessed with the downfalls of celebrity.

Courtenay walked away from quite a bit of fame in the 1970's to concentrate on a theatre career, with a few returns to the world of film in the 1980's and early 1990's. As of late 1999, he seems to be interested in coming back to film, but I suppose that remains to be seen.

filmography:

I like it! 1 C!

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