The Fearless Vampire Killers
Post-boxing, Downes acted occasionally between 1965 and 1990, usually appearing a thug, villain or bodyguard. One of his more prominent roles was in Roman Polanski's 1967 film "The Fearless Vampire Killers", in which he played "Koukol", a hunchbacked servant. His other film credits included appearances in "A Study in Terror" (1965), "Five Ashore in Singapore" (1967), "The Golden Lady" (1979), "If You Go Down in the Woods Today" (1981), and the Derek Jarman film "Caravaggio" (1986).