Terence Alexander | |
---|---|
File:Terence Alexander.jpg | |
Personal details | |
Born |
Terence Joseph Alexander 11 March 1923 Islington, London, England |
Died |
28 May 2009 London, England | (aged 86)
Spouse |
Jane Downs (1976–2009) Juno Stevas (1949-1972, divorced) |
Occupation | Actor |
Terence Joseph Alexander (11 March 1923 – 28 May 2009) was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama Bergerac, which ran for nine series on BBC One between 1981 and 1991.
Early life and career[]
Alexander was born in London, the son of a doctor, and grew up in Yorkshire.[1] He was educated at Ratcliffe College, Leicestershire, and Norwood College, Harrogate, and started acting in the theatre at the age of 16. During the Second World War he served in the British Army as a lieutenant with the 27th Lancers, and was seriously wounded when his armoured car was hit by artillery fire in Italy. In 1956, Alexander appeared on stage in Ring For Catty at the Lyric Theatre in London. He is probably best remembered as Charlie Hungerford from the detective series Bergerac, though he was also very prominent in the 1967 BBC adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. One of his early roles was in the children's series Garry Halliday. He also appeared in one episode of Please Sir in 1970 as the headteacher of a rival school.
Also in 1970, Alexander played Lord Uxbridge in Sergei Bondarchuk's war epic Waterloo.
Alexander appeared in many other film and television roles including three appearances in different roles in The Champions, The Avengers, The Persuaders! (Powerswitch), Terry and June (1979–1980), Behind the Screen (1981–1982), the 1985 Doctor Who serial The Mark of the Rani, and The New Statesman (1987). On radio he starred as The Toff in the BBC radio adaptation of the John Creasey novels. He appeared in all but one episode of Bergerac from 1981 to 1991. He also played Commander Duffield in the 1985 pilot episode of Dempsey and Makepeace, Armed and Extremely Dangerous.
Alexander appeared on the West End in comedies and farces, and his credits included Move Over Mrs Markham (1971), Two and Two Make Sex (1973), There Goes The Bride (1974–75) and Fringe Benefits (1976).[2]
Personal life[]
By the time of Bergerac Alexander was blind in one eye due to a condition of the retina.[3] He retired from acting in 1999, suffering from Parkinson's disease.[4] He lived in London with his second wife, the actress Jane Downs. He died on 28 May 2009 aged 86.[5]
Filmography[]
- Comin' Thro the Rye (1947) as Robert Burns
- The Woman with No Name (1950) as 2nd Sapper office
- The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) as Duke of Dorset
- A Tale of Five Cities (1951)
- Death Is a Number (1951) as Alan Robert
- The Gentle Gunman (1952) as Ship's Officer (uncredited)
- Top Secret (1952) as 2nc M.V.D.
- Glad Tidings (1953) as First Lieutenant Spud Cusack
- Park Plaza 605 (1953) as Hotel Manager
- The Runaway Bus (1954) as Peter Jones
- Dangerous Cargo (1954) as Harry Fraser
- The Green Scarf (1954) as Wireless Operator
- Hands of Destiny (1954) as Randal's Office Manager
- Out of the Clouds (1955) as Bob Robins - Duty Room Radio Operator (uncredited)
- Portrait of Alison (1955) as Fenby
- Who Done It? (1956) as Radio Show Official (uncredited)
- The Green Man (1956) as Radio Announcer (uncredited)
- The Eternal Question (1956)
- The One That Got Away (1957) as R.A.F. Intelligence Officer
- The Square Peg (1958) as Captain Wharton
- The Doctor's Dilemma (1958) as Mr. Lanchester
- Danger Within (1959) as Lt. Gibbs
- Breakout (1959) as Farrow
- Don't Panic Chaps! (1959) as Lieutenant Babbington
- The Price of Silence (1959) as John Braine
- The League of Gentlemen (1960) as Rupert
- The Bulldog Breed (1960) as Defending Counsel
- The Man at the Carlton Tower (1961) as Johnny Time
- Carry On Regardless (1961) as Trevor Trelawney
- The Gentle Terror (1961) as David
- The Fast Lady (1962) as Policeman on Motorcycle
- On the Beat (1962) as Chief Supt. Bert Belcher
- She Always Gets Their Man (1962) as Bob Conley
- The Mind Benders (1963) as Rowing Coach (uncredited)
- The V.I.P.s (1963) as Captain
- Bitter Harvest (1963) as Andy
- The Intelligence Men (1965) as Reed
- Judith (1966) as Carstairs
- The Long Duel (1967) as Major
- The Spare Tyres (1967) as Dennis Colville
- Only When I Larf (1968) as Gee Gee Gray
- What's Good for the Goose (1969) as Frisby
- Run a Crooked Mile (1969) as Peter Martin
- The Magic Christian (1969) as Mad Major
- Waterloo (1970) as Lieutenant-General Henry Paget, 2º Conde de Uxbridge
- All the Way Up (1970) as Bob Chickman
- The Vault of Horror (1973) as Breedley (segment 5 "Drawn and Quartered")
- The Day of the Jackal (1973) as Lloyd
- Claudine (1974) as Teddy (uncredited)
- The Internecine Project (1974) as Business tycoon
- The Seven Dials Mystery (1981) as George Lomax
- That Englishwoman: An Account of the Life of Emily Hobhouse (1989) as Rev. Reginald Hobhouse
References[]
- ↑ Slide, Anthony (1996). Some Joe you don't know : an American biographical guide to 100 British television personalities (1 ed.). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 0-313-29550-6.
- ↑ Higson, Peter. "Terence Alexander : Obituary - ThisIsAnnouncements". Lastingtribute.co.uk. http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/tribute/alexander/3089289. Retrieved 2013-05-23.[dead link]
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/jun/03/terence-alexander-obituary
- ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/terence-alexander-actor-who-played-the-lovable-rogue-charlie-hungerford-in-lsquobergerac-1699431.html
- ↑ 02 Jun 2009 (2009-06-02). "Terence Alexander". Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/5428471/Terence-Alexander.html. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
External links[]
- Terence Alexander at the Internet Movie Database
- Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
- Obituary in The Guardian
- Obituary in The Independent
- Obituary in The Times - subscribers only
- Obituary in The Scotsman
- Juno Alexander obituary in The Daily Telegraph 1 August 2014
The original article can be found at Terence Alexander and the edit history here.