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Christopher Benjamin | |
---|---|
Born | Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England | 27 December 1934
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1958–2016 |
Spouse | Anna Fox |
Christopher Benjamin (born 27 December 1934) is an English retired actor with many stage and television credits since the 1960s. His television roles include three appearances in Doctor Who , portraying Sir Keith Gold in Inferno (1970), Henry Gordon Jago in The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977) and Colonel Hugh Curbishley in The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008). He also provided the voice of Rowf in the animated film The Plague Dogs (1982). [1] His radio acting career included two BBC Radio adaptations of Christopher Lee's crime drama Colvil and Soames. [2]
Benjamin was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. [3]
He has appeared regularly in TV and radio since 1965. [3] He is well known for his roles in some of the UK's biggest cult television programmes. [4] This included playing the same character ("Potter") in two Patrick McGoohan dramas, Danger Man and The Prisoner , fuelling speculation that they are possibly linked. [5] He played the Old Man (boss of Philip Roath) in the Thames Television comedy by Peter Tilbury, It Takes a Worried Man (1981). [6] He was also an occasional guest star in The Avengers and Doctor Who , making three appearances in each, mostly in comedy roles. [7]
He also played recurring roles in several period dramas. He was Sir John Glutton, the regular adversary in the period family adventure series Dick Turpin , Channing in several episodes of the third series of When The Boat Comes In , and Prosper Profond in the acclaimed 1967 adaptation of The Forsyte Saga . [8] [9] [3] He reprised the role of Henry Gordon Jago, from the Doctor Who serial The Talons of Weng-Chiang in thirteen series of Jago and Litefoot audio plays, after a well received episode of the Big Finish Productions audio C.D. series Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles entitled The Mahogany Murderers . [10] [11] He acted alongside Trevor Baxter who played Professor George Litefoot. He was Sir William Lucas in the acclaimed 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice . [12]
His few film roles include appearances in Ring of Bright Water (1969), Brief Encounter (1974), Hawk the Slayer (1980), The Tichborne Claimant (1998) and Angel (2007). [3] His final screen appearance was in The Legend of Tarzan (2016). [13]
Predominantly a stage actor, after six years in repertory theatres, Manchester, Salisbury and Bristol Old Vic (1958-1965) he has performed regularly over twenty years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. [14] He has played Bottom five times, at Bristol Old Vic, Regents Park, Radio 3, the RSC (including a tour of Australia and New Zealand) and finally at Glyndebourne in The Fairy-Queen , before retiring from the stage in 2012. [15] [16]
His West End performances include How the Other Half Loves at the Duke of Yorks, A Voyage Round My Father at Wyndhams, The Clandestine Marriage at the Queens Theatre, Sweeney Todd at the Royal National Theatre, and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Saville (with Leonard Rossiter). [15] He has also appeared in several plays at the Donmar, the Kings Head, Mermaid, etc. [15] He has played Falstaff in rep at Salisbury, at Regents Park, and at the Globe in 2008 and after touring the US and UK in 2010. [17] [18]
Benjamin is now retired, and living in Hampstead, London, with his wife, Anna Fox, an actress and writer. [19]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1965 | The Wednesday Play | Dan Royston | Sir Jocelyn, the Minister Would Like a Word |
Z-Cars | Dennis Ludd | Episode: "Give a Dog a Name" | |
The Man in Room 17 | Chief Supt. Craythorpe | Episode: "The Millons of Muzafariyah" | |
1966 | Orlando | The Great Cardini | 5 episodes |
The Baron | Verel | Episode: "The Seven Eyes of Night" | |
1966-8 | The Avengers | Various roles | 3 episodes |
1967 | Danger Man | Potter | Episode: "Koroshi" |
The Forsyte Saga | Prosper Profond | 4 episodes | |
1967-8 | The Prisoner | Various roles | 3 episodes |
1968 | Public Eye | Barnby | Episode: "There's No Future in Monkey Business" |
Late Night Horror | Algy Somerville | The Kiss of Blood | |
The Saint | Fish | Episode: "The Master Plan" | |
1969 | Ring of Bright Water | London Fishmonger | Film |
Fraud Squad | Lal Choudhry | Episode: "Over a Barrel" | |
The Gold Robbers | Edward Meakin | Episode: "An Oddly Honest Man" | |
1970 | Ace of Wands | Falk | 2 episodes |
Doctor Who | Sir Keith Gold | Serial: "Inferno" | |
Paul Temple | Roffey | Episode: "The Artknappers" | |
The Roads to Freedom | Assistant Superintendent | 1 episode | |
1971 | Jason King | The Police Inspector | Episode: "A Red Red Rose Forever" |
Man at the Top | Mr. Fisher | Episode: "A Bit of Spare, Nothing Else" | |
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width | Dr. Shapiro | Episode: "Manny Cohen R.I.P." | |
1972 | Budgie | Claude | Episode: "Twenty-Four Thousand Ball Point Pens" |
The Protectors | Banker | Episode: "The Quick Brown Fox" | |
The Strauss Family | Domnayer | 5 episodes | |
The Onedin Line | Said Ben Alim | Episode: "The Challenge" | |
1973 | Bowler | Supt. Chamberlain | 3 episodes |
Jack the Ripper | Club Man | 2 episodes | |
New Scotland Yard | Mr. Foster | Episode: "Rogues Gallery" | |
Upstairs, Downstairs | Max Weinberg | Episode: "A Change of Scene" | |
Van der Valk | Mulder | Episode: "Rich Man, Poor Man" | |
1974 | Brief Encounter | Porter | Film |
Father Brown | Dukes | Episode: "The Quick One" | |
Special Branch | Dr. Eric Blyth | Episode: "Stand and Deliver" | |
1975 | Churchill's People | Peter | Episode: "On the Anvil" |
Village Hall | Bill Jolly | Old Scores | |
1975-6 | Poldark | Sir Hugh Boldrugan | 9 episodes |
1976 | Angels | Samuels | Episode: "Challenges" |
Hadleigh | Oberman | Episode: "Hong Kong Rock" | |
The Squirrels | Craig | Episode: "The Cruise" | |
1977 | Doctor Who | Henry Gordon Jago | Serial: "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" |
Rooms | Bernard Metcalfe | 3 episodes | |
Target | Panter | Episode: "Blow Out" | |
When the Boat Comes In | Channing | 3 episodes | |
Yes, Honestly | Roscoe B. Roscoe | Episode: "Educating Mr. Roscoe" | |
1978 | Armchair Thriller | Det. Inspector Tarrant | 5 episodes |
Get Some In! | Sergeant Foot | 2 episodes | |
Scorpion Tales | Arab | Episode: "Crimes of Persuasion" | |
The Sandbaggers | David Follett | Episode: "The Most Suitable Person" | |
Wilde Alliance | Miller | Episode: "Affay in Amsterdam" | |
1979-80 | Dick Turpin | Sir John Glutton | 14 episodes |
1980 | Hawk the Slayer | Fitzwalter | Film |
Shoestring | Leacock | Episode: "Room with a View" | |
Play For Today | Rabbi | The Executioner | |
We, the Accused | Inglewood | 3 episodes | |
1980-2 | Holding the Fort | Col. Aubrey Sanderson | 5 episodes |
1981 | A Spy at Evening | Stevens | 4 episodes |
Play For Today | Mr. Porter | A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado | |
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years | Air Ministry Official | Episode: "The Flying Peril" | |
1981-3 | It Takes a Worried Man | The Old Man | 16 episodes |
1982 | Shine on Harvey Moon | Mr. Hartley | 2 episodes |
The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby | Mr. Vincent Crummings | 3 episodes | |
The Plague Dogs | Rowf (voice) | Film | |
1984 | Minder | Mr. Rushmere | Episode: "The Car Lot Baggers" |
1985 | Blott on the Landscape | Chief Constable | Episode: "Man in a Tree" |
Black Silk | Judge | Episode: "Winner Takes All" | |
1986 | Dempsey and Makepeace | Sam Powell | Episode: "Mantrap" |
Call Me, Mister | Shop Manager | Episode: "The Other Woman" | |
The Return of Sherlock Holmes | Dr. Huxtable | Episode: "The Priory School" | |
1987 | Boon | Teddy Rawlingston | Episode: "A Fistful of Pesetas" |
Casanova | Massimo | TV movie | |
The Diary of Anne Frank | Mr Van Daan | 3 episodes | |
Yes, Prime Minister | French Ambassador | Episode: "A Diplomatic Incident" | |
1988 | Melba | Col. Otway | 4 episodes |
King and Castle | Enwright | Episode: "Cons" | |
1989 | Saracen | Charles Saunders | Episode: "Girls' Talk" |
1990 | Brass | Sir Dudley Tilstock | Episode: "Bradley Gets on Top" |
Campion | Coroner | Episode: "Flowers for the Judge - Part 1" | |
Haggard | Lord Tartlet | Episode: "The Great Lover" | |
Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming | McKinnon | TV movie | |
1991 | Rumpole of the Bailey | Sir Denis Tolston | Episode: "Rumpole and the Right to Silence" |
Thatcher: The Final Days | George Younger | TV movie | |
She-Wolf of London | Dr. Morris | Episode: "Voodoo Child" | |
1992 | A Likely Lad | Harold Sowter | 6 episodes |
Casualty | Henry Lindall | Episode: "Cry Wolf" | |
Maigret | Guillaume Saure | Episode: "Maigret and the Burgular's Wife" | |
Inspector Morse | Professor Furlong | Episode: "Cherubim & Seraphim" | |
London's Burning | Mr. Brody | 2 episodes | |
1994 | Lovejoy | Walid | Episode: "Fruit of the Desert" |
The Tomorrow People | Middlemass | 4 episodes | |
1995 | Pride and Prejudice | Sir William Lucas | 5 episodes |
1998 | Seesaw | Malcolm Green | 2 episodes |
The Last Salute | Sir Gilbert | Episode: "One for the Road" | |
The Tichborne Claimant | Gibbes | Film | |
1999 | Treasure Island | Squire Trelawney | TV movie |
2001 | Sword of Honour | Doctor | TV movie |
2003 | Foyle's War | Brigadier Harcourt | Episode: "War Games" |
Looking For Victoria | Lord Stanley | TV movie | |
2003-6 | Judge John Deed | Steve Gaydon | 4 episodes |
2004 | Down to Earth | Mr. Yates | Episode: "Family Ties" |
2005 | Midsomer Murders | Harvey Crane | Episode: "Midsomer Rhapsody" |
2006 | Heartbeat | Oliver Ridley | Episode: "Accidents Happen" |
Rosemary & Thyme | Trevor Squires | Episode: "Seeds of Time" | |
2007 | Angel | Lord Norley | Film |
2008 | Doctor Who | Colonel Hugh Curbishley | Episode: "The Unicorn and the Wasp" |
2009 | Doctors | Arthur Cuthbert | Episode: "Up the Garden Path" |
2011 | The Merry Wives of Windsor | Sir John Falstaff | Video |
2016 | The Legend of Tarzan | Lord Knutsford | Film |
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