KING HEROD - HERO? ARCH-VILLAIN?

Herod the Great, as presented in the TV series 'Rome'

In the TV series 'Rome', Herod the Great is a slippery customer - which is just as it should be. King Herod was cunning, manipulative and ruthless.

The TV series does not, however, do justice to the brilliance of the man - his diplomatic skills, his intelligence and above all his ability to make friends with the 'right' people. But then Herod only had a walk-on role in this series, and reviewers were at a loss to know why he had been included at all, unless it was to catch Christian and Jewish audiences.

Frank Thring played Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, in the film 'King of Kings', about the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He brilliantly captured the shifty vacillation of Herod Antipas, most notably in his dealing with John the Baptist and during the trial of Jesus.

But it is probably Rita Hayworth's performance of the Dance of the Seven Veils, with Herod Antipas (Charles Laughton) watching, that made the most impression on audiences.

Incidentally, Herod Antipas was never a 'king' as such. He was the governor or tetrarch of a region of 1st century Palestine, but was not given the title of 'king' by the Romans - a sore point with his wife Herodias.

For the life stories of these two powerful men, go to 

Mad, Bad and Dangerous: the Four Herods of the Gospels 

 Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great,
from the film 'King of Kings' (1961)