At Long Last, Engelbert to Scratch Acting Itch

One glance at Engelbert Humperdinck’s tour itinerary would make it easy to believe that he runs in the circles of the rich and famous.

A few shows in Vegas. A couple of nights in Hawaii. Back to Atlantic City for a week. It all sounds like an ideal lifestyle for a world-renowned performer who is still living off a pack of hit songs from the early 1970s.

But Humperdinck is working very hard to change that image of the Vegas performer.

Humperdinck departs soon for Luxembourg and an acting part in a miniseries called “Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady,” which stars Morgan Fairchild. In November, after some more concerts, Humperdinck and Fairchild will team up again for work in Florida on a feature film called “Point Blank,” which will be released in theaters early next year.

“It’s pretty difficult tackling both right now,” Humperdinck said. “It’s like a cramming situation in school where you’re trying to learn your lines and keep the shows going at a high level. But I believe that hard work brings out the best in you when you’re pushed.”

Humperdinck, whose only other role of any note was in a “Fantasy Island” episode eight years ago, said he had always wanted to dabble in acting but his management would not allow it.

“I wanted to be an actor from the word go --since 1967 when it all started,” Humperdinck said. “But my company kept me on the road constantly because I’m a moneymaker for them. These acting roles mean a big drop in income, but I’m certainly willing to do that to have the opportunity to do what I’ve always longed to do.”