David Graham | |
|---|---|
 Graham in 2016 | |
| Born | 11 July 1925 London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Known for | |
David Graham (born 11 July 1925) is an English actor. He is best known for voicing the Daleks in Doctor Who , Gordon Tracy, Brains, Aloysius Parker and Kyrano in Thunderbirds and Grandpa Pig in Peppa Pig .
Graham was born in London on 11 July 1925. [1] [2] His sister had married a G.I. and had moved to the United States, and his uncle had run away there, and so he became an actor after leaving his Orthodox Jewish household. He trained in New York City, at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre with Sanford Meisner, [3] following service in the Royal Air Force as a radar mechanic. [4]
He returned to England and began his theatre career, his breakout role being as Givola in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui , alongside Leonard Rossiter. A friend of his, actor Christopher Benjamin, recommended the role to him. He was then recommended by director Michael Blakemore to audition for Laurence Olivier's theatre company, [3] eventually appearing alongside him in Saturday Sunday Monday, using an Italian accent. [1]
While playing characters in TV series Private Investigator [3] [5] in 1958, Graham met writer and producer Gerry Anderson, who was planning his first puppet productions. Graham said that he could pull off accents well, which led to his first voiceover role in Four Feather Falls , as Grandpa Twink, who he based on Walter Brennan. [2] He would subsequently voice Dr. Beaker, Zarin and Mitch the Monkey in Supercar , Mat Matic and Lieutenant Ninety in Fireball XL5 and various guest characters in Stingray . Graham would also play Johnny in Crossroads to Crime , a live-action film Anderson directed.
In 1963, he became the voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who , alongside Peter Hawkins, who devised the way they spoke. [6] He believed Hawkins would always play superior and higher-pitched Daleks, while he voiced with a lower-pitch. He voiced the Daleks in all four of their major First Doctor era appearances, as well as two 1960s feature films: Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. , departing due to other commitments, [2] although he and Hawkins would remain lifelong friends. [7] Graham also voiced the Mechanoids and played the onscreen role of Charlie in The Gunfighters . He returned to his role as the voice of the Daleks in 2023, when he recorded new lines for that year's official colourised recut of the 1963 serial The Daleks for the show's 60th anniversary. [8]
In 1965, Graham became the voices of Gordon Tracy, Brains, Aloysius Parker and Kyrano in Thunderbirds , as well as its film sequels: Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 . He did not believe Brains had a stutter, claiming that he was instead trying to find the words to explain his latest ideas excitedly. He based the voice of Parker off of a waiter at the King’s Arms pub in Cookham, and he and Ray Barrett shared many of the guest villains. Although he was not highly paid for production, the many repeats earned him a lot more, [3] and Parker became Anderson’s favourite voice. [9]
Between 1975 and 1977, Graham was part of the Radio Drama Company. [10] In 1979, he played Professor Kerensky in the Doctor Who story City of Death . He, later, played the role of Big Brother in the "1984" television Super Bowl advert to introduce the Apple Macintosh computer. [11] before reuniting with Hawkins and his wife, Rosemary Miller, to provide voices together in the English dub of German animated film Stowaways on the Ark . In 2004, Graham became the voice of Grandpa Pig in Peppa Pig , having known creator Mark Baker from when he was younger. [12] The following year [13] he played Albert Einstein in a Horizon docudrama, for which he was very proud that the BBC would select him to play the lead role. [3]
In 2009, [14] Graham began playing Edward Elgar in Stirring the Spirit, for which he thoroughly researched the composer, [3] and would reprise the role many times over the next decade. From 2015 to 2020, he reprised his role as Parker in Thunderbirds Are Go , a computer-animated reboot of the original series. Although Kayvan Novak took over as Brains, Graham had wanted to reprise that role as well. Most of his dialogue was recorded with Rosamund Pike, who played Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. [15]
In April 2021, Graham announced his retirement from his Thunderbirds characters. [16] In December, actor George Layton, a longtime friend of Graham's, announced on Twitter that Graham had suffered a stroke six months earlier and was unable to leave his home in London. However, Layton stated that Graham was recovering by performing voice-overs of his characters, [17] [18] and he has since conducted interviews from his home. [19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Crossroads to Crime | Johnny | |
| 1962 | K.I.L. 1 | Alvero Beda | |
| 1965 | The Pleasure Girls | First Gambler | |
| 1965 | Dr. Who and the Daleks | Daleks | |
| 1966 | Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. | Daleks | |
| 1966 | Thunderbirds Are Go | Gordon Tracy Brains Parker | |
| 1968 | Thunderbird 6 | Gordon Tracy Brains Parker | |
| 1971 | Freelance | General | |
| 1985 | King David | Ephraimite Elder | |
| 1988 | Stowaways on the Ark | Brown Bear | |
| 2008 | Back in Ten | Janis | |
| 2009 | The End | Ernest Samson | |
| 2015 | Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots | Grandpa Pig Mr. Zebra |
| Year | Title | Row | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | O.S.S. | Pilot | Episode 14 “Operation Yo-Yo” |
| 1958-1959 | Private Investigator | Luis d’Crux Shakespeare | 3 episodes |
| 1959 | Dial 999 | Meaker Vince Radio Operator | 3 episodes |
| 1960 | Four Feather Falls | Grandpa Twink Fernando | 39 episodes |
| 1961-1962 | Supercar | Dr. Beaker Zarin Mitch the Monkey | 39 episodes |
| 1962-1963 | Fireball XL5 | Mat Matic Lieutenant Ninety | 39 episodes |
| 1963 | The Avengers | Producer | Episode “Man in the Mirror” |
| 1963-1979, 2023 | Doctor Who | Dalek voices Mechanoid voices Charlie Professor Kerensky | 36 episodes [lower-alpha 1] |
| 1964 | The Saint | Ahmed Juan Gamma | 2 episodes |
| 1964-1965 | Stingray | Various | 39 episodes |
| 1965 | Danger Man | Detective | Episode 17 “The Affair at Castelevara” |
| 1965-1966 | Thunderbirds | Gordon Tracy Brains Parker Kyrano | 32 episodes |
| 1969 | The Secret Service | King of Muldovia Air Traffic Controller Lord Edward Hazelwell | 2 episodes, uncredited |
| 1970-1971 | Timeslip | 2957 | 7 episodes |
| 1972 | Ace of Wands | Landlord | Episode “The Meddlers: Part 1”, uncredited |
| 1976-1981 | When the Boat Comes In | Kaganovich Morty Black | 3 episodes |
| 1989 | Screen One | Malcolm Druce | Episode 3 “The Accountant” |
| 1990-1991 | Moomin | Snork | English version, 77 episodes |
| 1992-1994 | So Haunt Me | Mr. Bloom | 13 episodes |
| 2004-2021 | Peppa Pig | Grandpa Pig Mr. Zebra Father Christmas | 65 episodes |
| 2005 | Horizon | Albert Einstein | Episode “Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony” |
| 2009-2012 | Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom | Wise Old Elf Mr. Gnome | 47 episodes |
| 2015-2020 | Thunderbirds Are Go | Parker Vic Malloy | 40 episodes |
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating foes. The Doctor often travels with companions.
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 Doctor Who serial The Daleks, in casings designed by Raymond Cusick.
Thunderbirds is a 2004 science fiction action-adventure film directed by Jonathan Frakes, written by William Osborne and Michael McCullers, and based on the 1960s TV series Thunderbirds created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.
The Daleks is the second serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to 1 February 1964. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Christopher Barry and Richard Martin, this story marks the first appearance of the show's most popular villains, the Daleks, and the recurring Skaro people, the Thals. In the serial, the First Doctor, his granddaughter Susan Foreman, and her teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright land in an alien jungle and are captured by the Daleks, a race of mutated creatures who survive off the radiation that remains in the atmosphere after a nuclear war with their enemies. As the group attempt to escape the Daleks, they discover more about the planet and the ensuing war, and attempt to broker a peace.
"Mission to the Unknown" is the second serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Derek Martinus, the single episode was broadcast on BBC1 on 9 October 1965. The only standalone regular episode of the show's original run, it serves as an introduction to the 12-part story The Daleks' Master Plan. It is notable for the complete absence of the regular cast and the TARDIS; it is the only serial in the show's history not to feature the Doctor at all. The story focuses on Space Security Agent Marc Cory and his attempts to warn Earth of the Daleks' plan to take over the Solar System.
Thunderbird 6 is a 1968 British science fiction puppet film based on Thunderbirds, a Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by the Andersons and directed by David Lane, it is the sequel to Thunderbirds Are Go (1966).
The Chase is the eighth serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Martin, the serial was broadcast on BBC in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. Set in multiple time periods on several different planets, including Aridius, Earth, and Mechanus, the serial features the Dalek race travelling through time while pursuing the TARDIS and its occupants—the First Doctor and his companions Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright, and Vicki —to kill them and seize the TARDIS for themselves. The Doctor and companions encounter several characters, including monsters Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, human astronaut Steven Taylor, and an android replica of the Doctor.
Nicholas Briggs is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Daleks and the Cybermen in the 21st century series.
Roy William Skelton was a British actor most noted for his voice work. He was best known for playing Zippy and George in Rainbow, and for voicing the Daleks and the Cybermen in Doctor Who.
Peter John Hawkins was a British actor. From the 1950s to 1980s, he was one of the most sought-after voice artists for television.
"Trapped in the Sky" is the first episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Written by the Andersons, it was first broadcast on ATV Midlands on 30 September 1965.
"Desperate Intruder" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Donald Robertson and directed by David Lane, it was first broadcast on 18 November 1965 on ATV Midlands as the eighth episode of Series One. In the official running order, it is the 17th episode.
Jeff Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation television show Thunderbirds and the subsequent films Thunderbirds Are GO and Thunderbird 6. The voice for the character in these shows was supplied by Peter Dyneley. The character also appeared in the live-action movie Thunderbirds, played by actor Bill Paxton.
"Brink of Disaster" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed by David Lane, it was first broadcast on 24 February 1966 on ATV Midlands as the 22nd episode of Series One. It is the 11th episode in the official running order.
"Ricochet" is the 31st episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess, it was first broadcast on 6 November 1966 on ATV London and Anglia Television as the fifth episode of Series Two. It had its first UK-wide network transmission on 15 May 1992 on BBC2.
Brains is a fictional character introduced in the British mid-1960s Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds, who also appears in the sequel films Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968) and the 2004 live-action adaptation Thunderbirds. The puppet character was voiced by David Graham in the TV series and the first two films, while Anthony Edwards played the role for the live-action film. Brains is voiced by Kayvan Novak in the CGI remake series Thunderbirds Are Go, which aired in 2015.
The Hood is a fictional criminal and terrorist and the recurring villain of the 1960s puppet television series Thunderbirds and its adaptations. He is the primary antagonist of the International Rescue organisation, founded by Jeff Tracy. In the original series, the character possesses powers of hypnosis and telepathy and uses an array of disguises to carry out his activities undetected. He operates from a temple in the Malaysian jungle.
Thunderbirds is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It was made between 1964 and 1966 using a form of electronic marionette puppetry combined with scale model special effects sequences. Two series, totalling thirty-two 50-minute episodes, were filmed; production ended with the completion of the sixth episode of the second series after Lew Grade, the Andersons' financial backer, failed in his bid to sell the programme to American network television.
An Adventure in Space and Time is a 2013 British biographical television film, starring David Bradley, Brian Cox, Jessica Raine and Sacha Dhawan. Directed by Terry McDonough, and written by regular Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, it premiered on BBC Two on 21 November 2013, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the science fiction television series. Further, international broadcasts of the television film were made after its premiere on British television.
[...] yesterday was my birthday [...]
The year of my birth was 1925.
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