Eric Brooks

Eric Brooks made his entrance into this world in Merton, Surrey, England, on December 23, 1938. He always joked that his mother had asked for a sewing machine for Christmas.

He grew up in Morden, Surrey, just south of London. The youngest of three brothers, his early years were set against the backdrop of a county at war. He would tell stories of air raids and taking cover in the small bomb shelter his father built in the back garden, peeking out to watch the airplanes overhead. If a nearby building had been bombed he and his brothers and friends would search the rubble for shrapnel, taking care not to touch it if it was still hot. On VE day, at the age of six, he ran to the local sweets shop thinking that now the war is over the shelves would be stocked with candy.

He attended the local schools, an admittedly reluctant student though an avid reader. He was far more interested in sports and he played football (soccer) and cricket. He was a lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club and played for a time on the Chelsea supporter’s team.

He left school and went to work doing various things, often riding his bicycle up to London. At 18 he went in for his two years of compulsory national service which he spent with the Royal Air Force. He often said that the RAF motto “Per Ardua Ad Astra” meant “After work, the movies”.

On his return home he started running a weekly jazz night with a buddy at a local venue. This served as the launching pad for his career as a roadie and tour manager. This was 1960’s London and the music scene was exploding. Rock and Roll had arrived. For more detail about those years please refer to his autobiography “It’s a Roadie’s Life”. You can get it on Amazon. A quick summary of the major acts with whom he worked is this:

Long John Baldry and the Hoochie Coochie Men

The Steam Packet

The Brian Augur Trinity

Jethro Tull

Gentle Giant

He knew everyone, went everywhere, did everything. His was a life of adventure most of us only dream about.

Around the time his touring days were coming to a close in the early 1970’s he met and married a lovely American woman named Felice. They lived in the UK for a time then moved permanently to the U.S., settling in Miami, Florida. Eric’s work life went through a rough patch and he struggled to find his niche. In the mid-80’s he was offered a job in Atlanta, and he and Felice moved again.

It was here that Eric discovered his gift as an actor. Felice saw an audition notice for a play that said they were looking for natural-born English people and she encouraged him to audition. He was cast and the rest, as they say, is history.

Eric was a wonderful, instinctive actor. He had a charisma that was undeniable, buckets of charm, and always the mischievous twinkle in his eye. He worked at nearly every theatre in Atlanta from the late 1980’s until he “hung up his tights” in 2008. Much of this time was spent with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company (hence the tights). He joined them when they were still performing in the back room at

Manuel’s Tavern and stayed on through the early years of the Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street. He played many parts in Shakespeare’s plays, but none more perfect for him than Dogberry, the earnest, language-twisting constable from “All’s Well that Ends Well”.

In 1989 he and Felice decided to part ways. In 1994 he met his second wife, Amanda, who was the stage manager for a show he was cast in at a small theatre in Duluth, Georgia. They were married in 1997 and enjoyed 25 years of adventures together.

Eric was a great friend – kind, generous, and loyal. He was a great husband – affectionate, thoughtful, and supportive. He was at his core a good person and a joy to be around with his quick wit and sometimes awful jokes. He loved with his whole heart. He will be missed by everyone who knew him.

Eric is survived by his wife, Amanda, his brother and sister-in-law Geoff and Marie Brooks, and his nephews David Brooks and Michael Brooks.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (www.lbda.org).