 |
Gavin Richards | |
|---|---|
 Richards in May 2014 | |
| Born | 3 July 1946 London, England |
| Alma mater | Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Spouse | Tamara Henry |
| Children | 3 |
Gavin Richards (born 3 July 1946) is an English actor, writer and director. He is best known for playing Captain Alberto Bertorelli in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! from 1987 to 1989 and Terry Raymond in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1996 and 2002.
Gavin Richards was born in Tufnell Park, north London. His mother was Margaret Richards, who worked for many years as an assistant to Hugh "Binkie" Beaumont, the British theatrical producer at H M Tennent Limited. She went on to become secretary to Roy Strong at the Victoria & Albert Museum and later worked for the Greater London Arts Association. His father was music critic Denby Richards, who wrote for the Hampstead and Highgate Express , the early British version of Music and Musicians and later became emeritus editor of Britain's oldest classical music magazine, Musical Opinion .
Richards attended the Burleigh Road School in Tufnell Park and later the Quintin Grammar School in St John's Wood (now the Quintin Kynaston Community Academy). He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1964 to 1966.
He began his professional career with five years in repertory theatres in Leicester, Manchester, Bolton and Liverpool.
Richards has worked as an actor, director and writer in theatre, television and film for over forty years. He is most familiar for his portrayal of Terry Raymond in the BBC TV series EastEnders , appearing in over 300 episodes. He also played Captain Alberto Bertorelli in the TV comedy 'Allo 'Allo! in which he appears in over thirty episodes. [1] His television credits also include roles in Coronation Street , Hi-de-Hi! as general manager Maplins holiday camp boss Harold Fox, who was known to the staff as The Smiling Viper, The Bill , Lovejoy , Minder , Inspector Morse , A Touch of Frost , Between the Lines and Pie in the Sky. He co starred with Robert Powell in Hannay , with Leigh Lawson in Kinsey , Michael Kitchen in The Reporters and with Rowan Atkinson in Full Throttle. He also starred in the series Annie's Bar, Driving Ambition, Hardwicke House , Mike & Angelo and many other programmes. He has appeared in films, amongst others, with Robin Williams in Being Human , with Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson in Michael Apted's Triple Echo, and in the New Zealand film Savage Play.
As a director and actor in the theatre, Richards is also known for adapting the work of Dario Fo into the English language in his own West End hit production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Wyndham's Theatre, 1980) for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award. He also starred in the production for Channel 4 TV in the UK. Richards played Face in Griff Rhys Jones's production of The Alchemist at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and toured in the lead role in Jack Shepard's Comic Cuts. He worked as a guest artist on the BBC/SPP TV co production of Kidnapped , and the TVNZ production of The Lost Children , both shot entirely in New Zealand. Richards has performed at the London Palladium in the stage production of 'Allo 'Allo, which also toured New Zealand and Australia.
He directed Shane Connaughton's first play, Jenny at the Roundhouse, London, in 1969. In the 1970s he performed throughout Europe and Scandinavia with Ken Campbell's Roadshow, before becoming a founder member of the 7:84 Theatre Company and artistic director of the Belt & Braces Theatre Company, touring Britain for over twelve years in political rock musicals. [2] Belt & Braces also produced Brecht's Mother Courage . As well as his own work, Richards' collaborations with writers John Arden, Margaretta D'Arcy, Adrian Mitchell, Trevor Griffiths and John McGrath were seen regularly at the Edinburgh Festival and transferred to London on several occasions.
Richards's political activism was illustrated when he appeared in separately distributed media (mainly VHS tapes) titled "The Miners’ Campaign Tapes" made by independent filmmakers which were sponsored by the NUM. [3] The tapes gave an alternative view of the UK miners' strike (1984–85) to those presented by the mainstream media at the time. [4]
In 1987 he played "Brian" in the British Gas Public Information Film about the dangers of a gas leak. [5] In the early 1990s, together with Tamara Henry, Richards presented Richard Sparks's comedy The Crimson Lizard in New Zealand, with himself, Annie Whittle and Lloyd Scott, at the Court Theatre, Christchurch and the Fortune Theatre, Dunedin. The production was then remounted in the UK at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds.
Richards and Henry then went on to form their own theatre company, Theatre South, [6] which toured a New Zealand version of The Drawer Boy , by Michael Healey, to audiences at the Fortune Theatre in Dunedin, the Court Theatre in Christchurch, Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North and at Downstage in Wellington. The production also played in Blenheim, Invercargill, Whangārei, Tauranga and Hamilton. Theatre South is the only professional theatre company in Malrborough. Past productions include a schools' workshop production, The Hole in the Sky, and Tittle Tattle 1 & 2 by 'Emmerdale' TV script writer Lesley Clare O'Neill (December 2005 and October 2006).
Theatre South also produced War Child, written and directed by Richards. Dedicated to War Child Australia, [7] part of the international relief and development agency working for the rehabilitation of child soldiers, the show featured a cast of 9- to 18-year-olds from Marlborough, plus a full professional crew, and was received enthusiastically by audiences over its eight-day run, winning a local community award. [8]
Richards has also appeared as Patrick in Tony McCaffrey's (A Different Light Company) production of The Night Season by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, at the University Theatre, Christchurch and as Claudius in both Hamlet and Rosencranz & Guildenstern for the Court Theatre, Christchurch, in April 2006. In 2007 he appeared as Creon in Tolis Papazoglou's production of Antigone , at Studio 77 in Wellington.
In 2008, Theatre South produced Peter Quilter's 'Glorious!' and Chris Bond's version of Dracula.
In 2009 he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and following an extended period of illness, began work on a book of poetry entitled 200 Weeks published by Muswell Press [9] in January 2015.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Love Story" | Jack |
| 1972 | "Play for Today" ('The Reporters') | Des |
| 1978 | "Z-Cars" | Major Philpot |
| 1982 | "Oi for England" | The Man |
| 1983 | "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" | Maniac |
| 1984 | "Driving Ambition" | Ken Lark |
| 1985 | "Titus Andronicus" | Lucius |
| 1984 to 1986 | Hi-de-Hi! | Harold Fox |
| 1986 | "Ladies in Charge" | Cosmo Keble |
| 1986 | "Call Me Mister" | Miller |
| 1986–1987 | "C.A.T.S. Eyes" | Maitland / Quist |
| 1987 | "Yesterday's Dreams" | Mr. Fisher |
| 1987 | "Hardwicke House" | Dick Flashman / Mr. Flashman |
| 1987 | "Bust" | Alan Hardy |
| 1987 to 1989 | 'Allo 'Allo! | Captain Alberto Bertorelli |
| 1988–1989 | 'Hannay" | Count Otto Von Schwabing |
| 1991 | "T-Bag and the Rings of Olympus" | Count Von Fledermause |
| 1993 | 'Inspector Morse" | Steven Trevors |
| 1989–1993 | "Mike & Angelo" | Brett Douglas |
| 1993 | "Minder" | Vic |
| 1993 | 'A Touch of Frost" | Les Wingham |
| 1994 | "Coronation Street" | Alex Christie |
| 1993–1994 | "Between the Lines" | Det. Supt. Tyler |
| 1994 | "Lovejoy" | Oliver Jeffries |
| 1995 | "Full Throttle" | W.O Bentley |
| 1995 | "Pie in the Sky" | Fisher's Assistant |
| 1992–1995 | "The Bill" | Ken Mackie / Det. Supt. Wells / Terry Ford |
| 1996 | "Annie's Bar" | Nick Buckley |
| 1996 | 'The Upper Hand" | Charlie Bennett |
| 1997 | "Soldier Soldier" | Al Springer |
| 1997 | "The Locksmith" | Max Parker |
| 1998 | "The Prince of Hearts" | Chief Superintendent |
| 1996 to 2002 | EastEnders | Terry Raymond |
| 2005 | "Kidnapped" | Captain Hoseason |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "Triple Echo" | Stan |
| 1982 | "Crystal Gazing" | Neil Holt |
| 1988 | "Whoops Apocalypse" | Donald |
| 1994 | "Being Human" | Da Cunha |
| 1995 | "Savage Play" | Kim |
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a French café owner in the town of Nouvion, during the German occupation of France in World War II, in which he deals with problems from a dishonest German officer, local French Resistance, the handling of a stolen painting and a pair of trapped British airmen, all while concealing from his wife the affairs he is having with his waitresses.
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English international cricketer and current television and radio personality.
Gordon Irving Kaye, known professionally as Gorden Kaye, was an English actor, best known for playing womanising café owner René Artois in the television comedy series 'Allo 'Allo!.
James Philip Laurenson was a New Zealand stage and screen actor, based in the UK.
John Bluthal was a Polish-born Australian actor and comedian, noted for his six-decade career internationally in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Sophie Okonedo is a British actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019, both for services to drama.
William Tulloch Paterson is a Scottish actor with a career in theatre, film, television and radio. Throughout his career he has appeared regularly in radio drama and provided the narration for a large number of documentaries. He has appeared in films and TV series including Comfort and Joy (1984), Traffik (1989), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1986), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), The Witches (1990), Wives and Daughters (1999), Sea of Souls (2004–2007), Amazing Grace (2006), Miss Potter (2006), Little Dorrit (2008), Doctor Who (2010), Outlander (2014), Fleabag (2016–2019), Inside No. 9 (2018), Good Omens (2019), Brassic (2020) and House of the Dragon (2022). He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Scottish BAFTAs.
Ralph William John Brown is an English actor and writer, known for playing Danny the drug dealer in Withnail and I, the security guard Aaron in Alien 3, DJ Bob Silver in The Boat That Rocked aka Pirate Radio, super-roadie Del Preston in Wayne's World 2, the pilot Ric Olié in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and Henry Clinton in Turn: Washington's Spies. He won the Samuel Beckett Award for his first play Sanctuary written for Joint Stock Theatre Company in 1987, and the Raindance and Sapporo Film Festival awards for his first screenplay for the British film New Year's Day in 2001.
Roger Michael Kelly, known by the stage name Sam Kelly, was an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Captain Hans Geering in 'Allo 'Allo!, Warren in Porridge, Sam in On the Up, and Ted Liversidge in Barbara.
Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey. She later co-wrote and starred in the Sky One comedy-drama Stella (2012–2017), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Female Comedy Performance and won the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Screenwriter.
Paul Nicholas is an English actor and singer, best known for his work in the 1983 BBC sitcom Just Good Friends. The show won a BAFTA and Nicholas was nominated for best comedy performance.
Francesca Gonshaw is an English former actress who appeared in television, theatre and cinema productions in the 1980s. From 1982 to 1987, she appeared as Maria Recamier in the BBC's 'Allo 'Allo! television situation comedy series set in occupied France during World War II.
Richard Hope is a British actor who gained recognition from Brideshead Revisited as the doltish junior officer, Hooper, under Jeremy Irons' charge. He is best known for playing Harris Pascoe in the UK TV drama Poldark. His theatre career includes portraying Pierre Bezukhov in War and Peace at the Royal National Theatre and having starred as Levin in an adaptation of Anna Karenina by Helen Edmundson. In 2015, he played Hector in The History Boys. In 2018–2019, he starred in the West End production The Woman in Black as Arthur Kipps.
Roger Daniel Kitter was an English actor, comedian and impressionist, best known for playing Captain Alberto Bertorelli in series 7 of the British sitcom TV series 'Allo 'Allo! after the actor Gavin Richards left the role.
Ben Richards is a British stage and television actor and dancer. Richards studied dance from an early age and later took part in theatre. He gained supporting roles in London's West End and gradually filled the role of the lead. After small roles in two films, Richards began his television career with guest roles in various British serials. In 2004, he joined the regular cast of the ITV drama Footballers' Wives and after the series ended he resumed theatre work. Richards went on to secure roles in Holby City and The Bill. While working on the latter, Richards said that he would always pursue his career in theatre. After leaving the series he returned to theatre work. In 2015, he joined the cast of the soap opera Hollyoaks and finished filming the following year. He then returned to stage roles in the West End.
Christopher Winton Beeny was an English actor and dancer. He had a career as a child actor, but was best known for his work as the footman Edward Barnes on the 1970s television series Upstairs, Downstairs, as Billy Henshaw in the sitcom In Loving Memory, and as the incompetent debt collector and golfer Morton Beamish in Last of the Summer Wine.
The sixth series of the British Sitcom series 'Allo 'Allo! contains eight episodes which first aired between 2 September and 21 October 1989 and repeated between 11 May and 29 June 1992.
The fifth series of the British sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! contains twenty-six episodes, which first aired between 3 September 1988 and 25 February 1989.
Timothy William Marriott is a British television actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his role as Gavin Featherly in the BBC sitcom The Brittas Empire.
Gavin Muir, was a British actor and musician probably best known for his role in the 1983 Television version of Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
