Anecdotes

He was educated at Lord William's Grammar School in Thame and he was a former lab assistant before deciding to train for an acting career at RADA.

Perhaps best known as the investigating doctor in the cult classic Le Loup-garou de Londres (1981).

He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1988 (1987 season) for Best Comedy Performance for The Henrys.

In 1979 his voice was used in two television commercials at the same time, one promoting Scottish and Newcastle Breweries beer and the other on the abuse of drink for the Health Education Council.

He'd been away from the North East for so long that he'd lost his accent and had to take a crash course in speaking Geordie when he got the role of Inspector White in the series 'Z Cars'.

After his graduation from RADA he started as a classical actor with the Michael Bentall Old Vic in 1954 and played the Lord Chief Justice in Henry IV.

He went to RADA in 1952 and some years after his graduation he became an Associate of RADA.

In August 2008, he played in Hamlet at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Daughters Emma (1963) and Mary Woodvine (1967) from his first marriage.

He is the father of actress Mary Woodvine.

His favourite Shakespearean role was Falstaff.

After he did his National Service he got a job as a clerk in a wool merchants which went bankrupt three years late.

His father was a stoker on seagoing ships.

He was considered for Dr. Hans Fallada, Dr. Bukovsky, Sir Percy Heseltine, Dr. Armstrong and Lamson in Lifeforce - L'étoile du mal (1985).