Richard Davies (Welsh actor)

Dennis Wilfred "Richard" Davies (25 January 1926 – 8 October 2015) was a Welsh character actor.[1] He was probably best known for his performance as the exasperated schoolmaster Mr. Price in the popular LWT situation comedy Please Sir!.[2] He used a broad Welsh accent for much of his work, but had used other accents to play a wide range of characters, in addition to several Welsh stereotypes.[3]

Richard Davies
Born
Dennis Wilfred Davies

(1926-01-25)25 January 1926
Died8 October 2015(2015-10-08) (aged 89)
Conford, Hampshire, England, UK
OccupationActor
Spouse(s)Jill Britton 1955-2015 (2 Children)
Beryl Armstrong 1944-? (1 Child) (divorced)
Children3

Biography

Davies was born in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, the son of a railway guard.[2] He played Idris Hopkins in Coronation Street between 1974 and 1975, and appeared in several science-fiction series, among them Robert's Robots, Out of the Unknown, and a well-received performance as Burton in the 1987 Doctor Who story Delta and the Bannermen.[2][4][5][6] He played Mr. White in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Kipper and the Corpse" and also appeared in Yes Minister, Wyatt's Watchdogs, May to December, Whoops Apocalypse, 2point4 Children and One Foot in the Grave.[7] In 1970, he appeared in an episode of Two in Clover as Victor Spinetti's character's brother when Spinetti was unavailable.[8] His other main role was in the comedy series Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt! where he played Clive.[2]

Davies had a recurring role as Jim Sloan in Z-Cars between 1962 and 1965, returning to the series playing different characters in 1968 and in its spin-off Softly, Softly.[1] He also appeared in Dixon of Dock Green, The Sweeney and Van der Valk. He impersonated Clive Jenkins in a spoof edition of Question Time in a sketch on Not the Nine O'Clock News.[9] He appeared in the Please Sir! spin-off series The Fenn Street Gang. In 1951, he made an uncredited appearance in the Ealing Studios comedy The Lavender Hill Mob.[2] He had appeared in films such as Zulu (1964), the film adaptation of Please Sir! (1971), and Under Milk Wood (1972).[10] In 1988, he played the schoolteacher in Queen Sacrifice.[11] He died on 8 October 2015 at the age of 89, survived by his wife and two children, and a son from his first marriage.[3] He had Alzheimer's disease.[12]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRolesNotes
1949A Run for Your MoneyRugby FanUncredited
1951The Lavender Hill MobPolice DriverUncredited
1955The Night My Number Came UpWireless Operator
1956The Long ArmDetectiveUncredited
1961A Fever in the BloodBatesUncredited
1962Some PeopleHarper
1963Critic's ChoiceSpectatorUncredited
1964ZuluPrivate 593 Jones
1966Sky West and CrookedRick
1968Twisted Nerve'Taffy' Evans
1968The Fiction MakersReporter
1969Oh! What a Lovely WarSergeant in Burial PartyUncredited
1971Please Sir!Mr. Price
1972Under Milk WoodMr. Pritchard
1973Steptoe and Son Ride AgainButcher
1974The MutationsDoctor
1974Blue BloodJones
1988Queen SacrificeWil BevanShort

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
19621965Z-CarsJim Sloan
1968Softly, Softly
1962Z-Cars
19681972Please Sir!Mr. Price
1970Two in CloverDavid Evans
19741975Coronation StreetIdris Hopkins
19741977Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!Clive
1979Fawlty TowersMr. White
1980Yes, MinisterJoe Morgan
1982Whoops ApocalypseChancellor of the Exchequer
1983Give Us a BreakTaffy
1984Bottle BoysStan Evans
1985Big DealDai Phillips
1986That Uncertain FeelingMr. Davis
1987Doctor WhoBurton
1988Wyatt's Watchdogs
1989EastEndersTed
1992One Foot in the GraveBilly Whitney
19922point4 ChildrenGareth
1993The BillCaretaker

References

  1. "Richard Davies, actor - obituary". 15 October 2015 via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  2. "Richard Davies: Character actor best known as Mr Price in 'Please Sir!". The Independent. 23 October 2015.
  3. Anthony Hayward. "Richard Davies obituary". The Guardian.
  4. "Follow That Robot (1973)". BFI.
  5. "The Midas Plague (1965)". BFI.
  6. "BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Delta and the Bannermen - Details". www.bbc.co.uk.
  7. "Richard Davies". www.aveleyman.com.
  8. "Two in Clover[26/02/70] (1970)". BFI.
  9. Houghton, Tom (27 October 2015). "Zulu actor Richard Davies dies aged 89". walesonline.
  10. "Richard Davies". BFI.
  11. "Queen Sacrifice (1988)". BFI.
  12. "Richard Davies – Welsh Character Actor – RIP 1926–2015". Toby Hadoke – Comedian, actor, Writer (quite likes Doctor Who).
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