Moray Watson
Moray Watson | |
---|---|
Moray Watson 2009 | |
Born |
Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, UK | 25 June 1928
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1953– |
Spouse(s) |
Pamela Marmont (1923-1999) (one daughter, one son) |
Moray Watson (born 25 June 1928 in Sunningdale, Berkshire) is an English actor.
Early life
Moray Watson's father was killed in Belgium in World War II. He was educated at Eton College. He met his future wife Pam Marmont at The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. They went on to marry in 1955 and had two children Emma in 1957 and Robin in 1959, both of whom went into the theatre. His father-in-law was the silent film star Percy Marmont.
Personal life
Watson made his first appearance on stage whilst still a student at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art at a matinee performance in memory of Ellen Terry at Hythe, Kent. After appearances in repertory, he appeared on the West End stage, including The Doctor's Dilemma and in The Rivals by Sheridan both at the Haymarket Theatre.
In 1963, he went to New York City to appear in The Private Ear and The Public Eye. He played the part of the Art Editor in the BBC series Compact for some years.
He appeared in several films, including Operation Crossbow and The Grass Is Greener, in which he played opposite Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons.
Watson has a series of television credits to his name, most notably as Brigadier Arthur Maiford, M.C. (ret.) (but always known to the Larkins as "The General") in The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993); and George Frobisher in Rumpole of the Bailey (1978–1992). He also appeared as Sir Robert Muir in the Doctor Who story Black Orchid; and has a small role in Yes Minister. He also appeared in the 1974 version of The Pallisers as Barrington Erle and in the Albert Campion mystery The Death of a Late Pig as the Chief Constable. He also played a Chief constable in the 1977 BBC series Murder Most English and Mr Bennet in the 1980 BBC series Pride and Prejudice.
In addition to his long career on stage, television and film Moray Watson has undertaken three one man shows. The first in the 1970s was The Incomprable Max based on the life and work of Max Beerbohm, written for him by Sheila Ward and Peter Ling. Years later in the early 2000s he took on Ancestral Voices, based on the diaries if James Lees Milne written by Hugh Massingberd. His final one man show was written and devised by himself based on his own life as an actor, entitled Looking Back and Dropping Names, which was published in book form in September 2016. (See link below)
Partial TV and filmography
- The Quatermass Experiment (1953) (TV) as Peter Marsh
- The Grass Is Greener (1960) as Trevor Sellers, the Butler
- No Wreath for the General (1960) (TV) as Major Johnny Brookman
- The Saint (1964) "The Imprudent Politician" (TV) as Ken Shield
- Silas Marner (1964) (TV) as Godfrey Cass
- Operation Crossbow (1965) as Colonel Kenneth Post
- The Avengers (1966) "The Danger Makers" (TV) as Peters
- Z-Cars (1969) "A Right Cock-'N-Bull Story" (TV) as Harold Thorburn
- Catweazle (1970) (TV) as Lord Collingford (1970)
- Every Home Should Have One (1970) as Chandler
- Rookery Nook (1970, TV drama)
- Upstairs, Downstairs (1972) "A Pair of Exiles" (TV) as Colonel Winter
- The Pallisers (1974) (TV) as Barrington Erle
- Murder Most English: "A Flaxborough Chronicle" as Chief Constable Chubb
- Quiller (1975) (TV) as Angus Kinloch
- Return of the Saint, The Judas Game (1978) (TV) as Buckingham
- Life of Shakespeare (1978) (TV) as Nicholas
- Rumpole of the Bailey as George Frobisher (1978–1992)
- The Professionals "It's Only a Beautiful Picture" (1980) (TV) as Jeremy Sangster
- Pride and Prejudice (1980) (TV) as Mr. Bennet
- The Sea Wolves (1980) as Breene
- Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981) (TV) as Major Desmond Morton
- The Walls of Jericho (1981) (TV) as Dr.George Balfour
- Tales of the Unexpected - "Death in the Morning" (1982) (TV) as Sir Ian Masterson
- Doctor Who - Black Orchid (1982) (TV) as Sir Robert Muir
- Miss Marple The Body in the Library (1984) (TV) as Colonel Arthur Bantry
- Minder - "Goodbye Sailor" (1984) (TV) as Commander Hawksly
- Who Dares Wins - Episode No. 3.4 (1986) (TV)
- Rude Health (1987) (TV) as Sir Nigel Toft (1987)
- Star Cops - "An Instinct for Murder" (1987) (TV) as the Commander
- Still Crazy Like a Fox (1987) (TV) as Hubbard
- Worlds Beyond - "The Haunted Garden" (1987) (TV)
- Campion - "The Case of the Late Pig" (1989) (TV) as Sir Leo Pursuivant
- Norbert Smith – a Life (1989) (TV) as Sir Donald Stuffy
- The House of Eliott - Episode No. 1.6 (1991) (TV) as The Judge
- The New Statesman - "The Party's Over" (1991) (TV) as Professor Eugene Quail
- A Murder of Quality (1991) (TV) as Maj. Harriman
- Haggard - "Orlando's Revenge" (1992) (TV) as Henry Nugent
- The Darling Buds of May as Brig. Arthur Maiford, M.C. (ret.)
- The Vicar of Dibley - "Animals" (1994) (TV) as The Stranger
- Kavanagh QC - "Previous Convictions" (1999) (TV) as Sir Henry Dorrister
- Midsomer Murders - "Judgement Day" (2000) (TV) as Edward Allardice
- Bertie and Elizabeth (2002) (TV) as Lord Dawson
- My Family - "Harper V Harper" (2011) (TV) as George
- Run for Your Wife (2012) as Man on the Bus
Publications
An autobiography, published in September 2016.