Michael Brandon

Michael Brandon

Michael Brandon brought transatlantic swagger to 80s tv as “dempsey and makepeace’s” tough NYPD cop. His chemistry with Glynis Barber defined the era’s action rom-com formula, blending yuppie glamour with will-they-won’t-they tension.

Brandon’s Dempsey was all American id – a Reagan-era fantasy of firepower and freedom. Yet the actor found surprising depth, particularly in episodes exploring his character’s working-class roots.

Post-Dempsey, he’s enjoyed a varied career on both sides of the Atlantic, but it’s as the leather-jacketed Yank that he’ll be remembered. As Dempsey might say: “Sometimes subtlety’s overrated.”

“