I wish I hadn’t thrown out my Indiana Jones death mask – it’s worth $35k!

Julian Glover played the ‘bad guy’ in movie franchises including James Bond, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. His TV CV is ranges from The Crown to Game Of Thrones. Yet, as he tells Dan Moore, acting is a precarious living. His new autobiography Cue To Cue is out now.

What was your most successful year?

The years when I made those big movies: Indiana Jones, Bond, and even Game Of Thrones for TV have been the most successful financially. But the best acting roles have been on the stage – King Lear at The Globe, An Inspector Calls and Henry IV at Stratford-upon-Avon.

One of my most creative roles was for Indiana Jones, when I had to find a backstory for myself. My most successful role, financially, was Troy. I had a comparatively small part, but it was a big Hollywood movie, which took us to Mexico. I couldn’t believe the money I got.

Do you own property?

We have a comfortable, but not luxurious, five-bed semi-detached house in South London, although one bedroom is my study and another one is my wife Isla’s study. We’ve been there 44 years and we don’t intend to move. We’ve made it our own, done various changes, such as knocking almost all of the ground floor into one big room, because being actors we need space to prance about, although not quite so much now.

Are you a spender or a saver?

Acting is such a precarious profession, which is why most of us worry about money – all the time. If you make a good film and earn quite a lot of money you don’t think, “Great! Now I can spend it all on a new whatever”. You calculate your tax bill for the next year, and make sure you have enough money for it put away.

What’s your best financial decision?

Marrying Isla Blair. Although by her own admission she can’t add five to 10, she has a wonderful way of managing money.

You sold a lot of your movie memorabilia. Why?

I talked to my family about it and they told me to sell, as it clutters up the house and there might be some money in it. So, I flogged a lot of stuff: props, clothes and so on. I did miss a trick, though. On Indiana Jones I had rather a grisly death, my face all collapsing. In order to achieve this, I had a death mask made, which was gradually worked on to show my disintegration. At the end of the film, the props team asked if I wanted it, and I took it home as a trophy, in triumph. Isla hated it, said it was horrible and banished it to the garage, where it stayed until we had a clear-out and I rediscovered it. I was pleased to be reunited, but Isla was having none of it and told me to bin it which I did. Of course, I understood, as I really didn’t look good. Anyway, a few years later I was at a convention in Atlanta, talking with a dealer in memorabilia and mentioned this. He said he’d have given me $35,000 for it!

What is your financial priority?

To stay working in order to keep our family safe and Isla happy. I want to know we have enough to cover the bills if we have to stop working, get dementia or must go into a home. I am a great supporter of Dignity In Dying, the [UK] charity that supports the individual’s right to secure assisted dying if the time comes. Right now, you have to be able to afford to go to Switzerland, which excludes many.