Supermarionation "Thunderbirds", who closely resembled Sylvia Anderson, and Captain Blue in "Captain Scarlet", who looked like Ed Bishop (the similarity was reportedly coincidental). Other characters were based on well-known film actors: Troy Tempest of "Stingray" was based on James Garner, Scott Tracy of "Thunderbirds" on Sean Connery and Captain Scarlet on Cary Grant. "Stingray" also featured the only non-speaking Supermarionation puppet: the water-breathing woman Marina. Occasionally, close-ups of a live actor's hand would be inserted to show actions such as turning keys and pressing buttons. This was affectionately parodied in the 2004 live-action feature film "Thunderbirds", with a brief shot of
Michael Begley (actor) Michael Begley (actor) Michael Begley is a British television and theatre actor and writer. Begley has written two stage plays: "Martha Loves Michael", which was co-written with Sally Abbott, and "The Guys". He wrote the television series "Cowboys and Indians" with Abbott and Jon Sen, and has written several episodes of "EastEnders". He won Best Newcomer at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards in 1996 for his roles in "The Tempest", "Wildest Dreams" and "Life of Galileo", and was nominated in the TMA Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 2002. His television and film acting roles include "Vacuuming Completely Nude