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Geoffrey Whitehead (born 1 October 1939)[1] is an English actor. He has appeared in a range of film, television and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at Shakespeare's Globe, St Martin's Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic.
Geoffrey Whitehead | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 October 1939 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Relatives | Celina Hinchcliffe (niece) |
Whitehead was born on 1 October 1939 in Grenoside, Sheffield.[2] When his father was killed in the Second World War, he received an RAF benevolent grant which sent him to a minor public school. He later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he became friends with fellow student John Thaw.[3]
Whitehead's film appearances have included The Raging Moon (1971), Kidnapped (1971), the vengeful woodsman in And Now the Screaming Starts! (1972), S.O.S. Titanic (1979) as shipbuilder Thomas Andrews, Inside the Third Reich (1982), Shooting Fish (1997) and Love/Loss (2010).
Whitehead's television appearances include Bulldog Breed (1962); Z-Cars (1964–1965 and 1972–1975), playing two different regular characters; Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973); Sweeney Season 2 Episode 6 "Trap" (1975);Thriller (1 episode, 1974); Wodehouse Playhouse, ('Rodney Fails to Qualify'); 'The Doll ', 1975; Robin's Nest (1977); Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1979–1980, as Sherlock Holmes); Peter the Great (1986); Chelmsford 123 (1988–1990); War and Remembrance (1988); Second Thoughts (1991–1994); The House of Eliott (1991); Executive Stress; Little Britain; and The Worst Week of My Life. He is seen regularly on British television as well as filling many roles on radio, where he featured in the third and fourth episodes of the fifth series of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Old Harry's Game in the role of Roland Kingworthy, as Prior Robert in the 1980s BBC radio dramatisations of Cadfael, as John Barsad in the radio dramatisation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities and most recently as Justice Wargrave in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None on 13 November 2010. He has starred on BBC radio in many comic roles, including Bleak Expectations, featuring as five entire families between 2007 and 2012. He appeared in two series of the BBC remake Reggie Perrin as Reggie's father-in-law, William.
In 2011, Whitehead joined the cast of Not Going Out in its fourth series as Geoffrey Adams, the father of Lucy and Tim. This character had been recurring since 2007, but had previously been played by Timothy West.
In 2013, Whitehead appeared on Comic Relief playing the vicar in the Simon Cowell wedding sketch.
He played Dr Fagan in Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Decline and Fall’ on Radio first broadcast in 2015.
From 2015 to 2019, Whitehead played Mr (Wilburn) Newbold in BBC One's Still Open All Hours.
Radio roles
Whitehead regular radio roles include:
- Cabin Pressure – Mr Birling
- Old Harry's Game – Roland Kingworthy
- Ayres on the Air – Gordon
- Weak at the Top – Sir Marcus.
- Rigor Mortis – Professor Donaldson
- Ed Reardon's Week – Stan
- Potting On – Gordon Grant, radio husband of comedian & poet Pam Ayres.
- Bleak Expectations – the Hardthrasher, Sternbeater, Whackwallop, Grimpunch and Clampvulture families
- Cadfael – Prior Robert
- Troy – Nikanor
- The Genuine Particle – Shale
- Hair in the Gate – Brian Melvyn
- The Architects – Sir Lucien
- The Skull Beneath the Skin – Inspector Grogan
- Adaptations of Terry Pratchett's novels Eric and Mort, as Death.
- The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes – Professor Moriarty
Whitehead is the uncle of broadcaster Celina Hinchcliffe and he is a Sheffield Wednesday supporter.[4]
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