William John Phillips MC (20 July 1914 – 11 May 1995) was an English actor. He is known for the role of Chief Superintendent Robins in the television series ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

'' and for his work as a

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

stage actor.

Early life

Phillips was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

in 1914, was educated at Oswestry and began his acting career at

Birmingham Rep Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

in the 1930s. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Phillips served in the

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

Career

Stage

His early theatre roles included the Ghost in the 1955

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...

–

Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony for his work. He won the three awards in a seve ...

production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' at the Phoenix Theatre; the American Ambassador in Peter Ustinov's 1957 production of '' Romanoff and Juliet''; and

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...

in the 1959 production of

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

and

William Davenant Sir William Davenant (baptised 3 March 1606 – 7 April 1668), also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned b ...

's version of '' The Tempest'', at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

. Phillips continued to work as a stage actor until his retirement in the 1980s.

Television

Phillips appeared in a number of television roles, which included: ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'' (1962), Lieutenant Colonel John Whitley in '' Frontier'' (1968), Jack Frazer in ''

The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, na ...

'' (1972–76), Grand Duke Nicholas in ''

Fall of Eagles ''Fall of Eagles'' is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the ruling dynasties of ...

'' (1974), Josiah Wedgewood in ''

Days of Hope ''Days of Hope'' is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced ...

'' (1975), Naso in '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977) and Dr Charles Langley-Beard in ''

The Old Men at the Zoo ''The Old Men at the Zoo'' is a novel written by Angus Wilson, first published in 1961 by Secker and Warburg and by Penguin books in 1964. It was adapted, with many changes—nuclear bombing of London, not present in the novel, is added—into ...

'' (1983). His role as Chief Superintendent Robins (1962–78) in ''

'' and '' Softly, Softly'' was perhaps his most memorable.

Death

Phillips died in Oswestry,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

on 11 May 1995.

Selected filmography

*1938: ''The Wooing of Anne Hathaway'' (TV Movie) *1952: '' Angels One Five'' .... Engineer Officer *1954: ''The Monkey's Paw'' (TV Short) .... Sergeant-Major Morris *1955: ''Noah Gives Thanks'' (TV Movie) .... Mr. Pebble, Vicar of Crockitt *1955: '' The Dark Avenger'' .... Second French Knight *1955: '' Richard III'' .... Norfolk *1955: ''The Vise'' (TV Series) .... Philip Twyford (uncredited) *1955-1959 ''

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, p ...

'' (TV Series) .... Jacob Dillon / Colonel Davies / Escales / Chorus *1956: '' Women Without Men'' .... Male Guard at Gate (uncredited) *1956: '' Passport to Treason'' .... Police Driver (uncredited) *1956: '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' (TV Series) .... Major Du Valle *1956: ''The Black Tulip'' (TV Series) .... John de Witte *1956: ''Theatre Royal'' (TV Series) *1957: '' The Adventures of Peter Simple'' (TV Series) .... Captain Savage, RN *1957: ''Theatre Night'' (TV Series) .... Hooper Moulsworth *1957: ''

Fortune Is a Woman ''Fortune Is a Woman'' is a 1957 black and white British-American film noir crime film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Jack Hawkins and Arlene Dahl. Its plot concerns an attempted insurance fraud that goes badly wrong. In the United Stat ...

'' .... Willis Croft *1957: '' The Shiralee'' .... Doctor *1957-1965: ''

ITV Play of the Week ''Play of the Week'' is a 90-minute British television anthology series produced by a variety of companies including Granada Television, Associated-Rediffusion, ATV and Anglia Television. Synopsis From 1955 to 1967 approximately 500 episodes ...

'' (TV Series) .... John Anthony / Prime Minister / Mr. Smith / John Graham Whitfield / Cromwell / Professor Robert Linden / Judge Gaunt / General von Sauberzweig / Anthony Folland / David Crampton / Mr. Friday *1958: ''Television World Theatre'' (TV Series) .... The Mayor / Count Peter Zichy *1958: ''

I Accuse! ''I Accuse!'' is a British 1958 CinemaScope biographical drama film directed by and starring José Ferrer. The film is based on the true story of the Dreyfus affair, in which a Jewish captain in the French Army was falsely accused of treason. ...

'' .... Prosecutor - Esterhazy Trial *1958: ''Doomsday for Dyson'' (TV Movie) .... General Schalz *1958: '' Dunkirk'' .... Boat Owner Spokesman (uncredited) *1958: '' Floods of Fear'' .... Dr. Matthews *1959: ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Mr. Tulkinghorn *1960: ''Saturday Playhouse'' (TV Series) .... Jeffrey Bellenger *1960: ''Somerset Maugham Hour'' (TV Series) .... Jeffrey Bellenger *1960: '' Village of the Damned'' .... General Leighton *1960: ''

Follow That Horse! ''Follow That Horse!'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Alan Bromly from a screenplay by William Douglas-Home. It stars David Tomlinson, Cecil Parker, Richard Wattis, Mary Peach and Dora Bryan. Various parties including scientists and ...

'' .... American Delegate (uncredited) *1960: ''

Man in the Moon In many cultures, several pareidolic images of a human face, head or body are recognized in the disc of the full moon; they are generally known as the Man in the Moon. The images are based on the appearance of the dark areas (known as lunar ma ...

'' .... Professor Stephens *1960-1961: ''

'' (TV Series) .... Coyannis / Paul *1961: '' Romanoff and Juliet'' .... Hooper Moulsworth *1961: '' One Step Beyond'' (TV Series) .... Frank *1961: '' Offbeat'' *1961: '' The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone'' .... Tom Stone *1961-1962: ''

BBC Sunday-Night Play ''BBC Sunday-Night Play'' is the anthology drama series which replaced ''Sunday Night Theatre'' in 1960. It was broadcast on what was then BBC Television (now BBC One). The series often included versions of modern theatrical successes, but orig ...

'' (TV Series) .... Trifonov / Prince Galitzin *1962: ''Under Western Eyes'' (TV Movie) .... Ivanovich *1962: '' Suspense'' (TV Series) .... Luther Ross *1962: ''The Hatchet Man'' (TV Movie) .... George Curnic, head of studio *1962: ''

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and cultu ...

'' (TV Series) .... Duncan Dullamy *1962: '' Man of the World'' (TV Series) .... General Montreaux *1962: '' A Prize of Arms'' .... Col. Fowler *1962: '' We Joined the Navy'' .... Rear Admiral *1962: ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' (TV Series) *1962-1978: ''

Z Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

'' (TV Series) .... Asst. Chief Constable Robins *1963: ''

The Mouse on the Moon ''The Mouse on the Moon'' is a 1963 British comedy film, the sequel to ''The Mouse That Roared''. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel '' The Mouse on the Moon'' by Irish author Leonard Wibberley, and was directed by Richard Lester. In it, the ...

'' .... Bracewell - U.S. Delegate *1963: ''

First Night First Night is a North American artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all their events during the celebration outside, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors ...

'' (TV Series) .... Gideon Cobb *1963: ''

The Sentimental Agent ''The Sentimental Agent'' is a television drama series spin-off from '' Man of the World.'' It was produced in the United Kingdom in 1963 by Associated Television and distributed by ITC Entertainment. The series ran for 13 one-hour monochrome ...

'' (TV Series) .... Henry Peabody Sr. *1964: ''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

'' .... Bishop of Winchester *1964: ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canad ...

'' (TV Series) .... George *1964: ''

Rupert of Hentzau ''Rupert of Hentzau'' is a sequel by Anthony Hope to ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', written in 1895 but not published in book form until 1898. The novel was serialized in '' The Pall Mall Magazine'' and '' McClure's Magazine'' from December 1897 t ...

'' (TV Series) .... Colonel Zapt *1964: ''

Smuggler's Bay ''Smuggler's Bay'' is a British period television drama series which aired on BBC One in 6 episodes in 1964. It is an adaptation of the 1898 adventure novel '' Moonfleet'' by J. Meade Falkner.''Radio Times, Volume 171''. No recordings of this pr ...

'' (TV Series) .... Elzevir Block *1964-1966: ''

Sergeant Cork ''Sergeant Cork'' is a British detective television series which first aired between 1963 and 1968 on ITV. It was a police procedural show that followed the efforts of two police officers and their battle against crime in Victorian London. In ...

'' (TV Series) .... Col. Haverlock / Big Ben Lewis *1965: ''Alexander Graham Bell'' (TV Series) .... Professor Bell *1965: ''Legend of Death'' (TV Series) .... Edward Gargan *1965: ''

Knock on Any Door ''Knock on Any Door'' is a 1949 American courtroom trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. The picture gave actor John Derek his breakthrough role, and was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Willard Motley ...

'' (TV Series) .... Robert Prettyman *1965: ''

'' (TV Series) .... Dr. Brajanska *1965: '' Joey Boy'' .... Insp. Morgan *1965-1968: ''

Theatre 625 ''Theatre 625'' is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production a ...

'' (TV Series) .... Clifford Dyke / Alfred Truelove *1965-1968: ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic adaptations of fiction ...

'' (TV Series) .... Councillor Percival / Sir Gilbert Hardacre / Cardinal Runan / Forbes-Wainwright *1966: ''

BBC Play of the Month ''Play of the Month'' is a BBC television anthology series, which ran from 1965 to 1983 featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays (or adaptations) which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different wo ...

'' (TV Series) .... Major General Atkins *1966: ''

Mystery and Imagination ''Mystery and Imagination'' is a British television anthology series of classic horror and supernatural dramas. Five series were broadcast from 1966 to 1970 by the ITV network and produced by ABC and (later) Thames Television. Outline The se ...

'' (TV Series) .... Colonel Gaillarde *1966-1967: ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'' (TV Series) .... Magistrate / Mr. Parry *1967: '' The Avengers'' (TV Series) .... Nesbitt *1967: ''

The Mummy's Shroud ''The Mummy's Shroud'' is a 1967 British DeLuxe colour horror film made by Hammer Film Productions which was directed by John Gilling. It stars André Morell and David Buck as explorers who uncover the tomb of an ancient Egyptian mummy. It als ...

'' .... Stanley Preston *1967: ''

Thirty-Minute Theatre ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' was a British anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which t ...

'' (TV Series) .... Mr. Tredgold *1967: ''

The Forsyte Saga ''The Forsyte Saga'', first published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by the English author John Galsworthy, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature. They chronicle the vici ...

'' (TV Series) .... Sir Alexander MacGown *1967: ''

This Way for Murder This may refer to: * ''This'', the singular proximal demonstrative pronoun Places * This, or ''Thinis'', an ancient city in Upper Egypt * This, Ardennes, a commune in France People with the surname * Hervé This, French culinary chemist Arts ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Barnton *1967: ''Out of Town Theatre'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Sir Howard Price *1967: '' Torture Garden'' .... Eddie Storm (segment 2 "Terror Over Hollywood") *1968: '' Softly, Softly'' (TV Series) .... Det. Chief Supt. Robins *1968: '' Frontier'' (TV Series) .... Lt. Col. Whitley *1968: '' The Caesars'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Piso *1969: ''W. Somerset Maugham'' (TV Series) .... Commandant *1969: ''Christ Recrucified'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Pope Grigoris *1969: ''Who-Dun-It'' (TV Series) .... Det. Insp. Hollis *1970: ''

Manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

'' (TV Series) .... Klintzch *1970: ''

Doctor in the House ''Doctor in the House'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel by Gordon, and follows a group of s ...

'' (TV Series) .... Sir Hartley Maynard *1970: ''Confession'' (TV Series) .... Headmaster *1970: ''

The Black Tulip ''The Black Tulip'' is a historical novel and a work of Romantic poetry written by Alexandre Dumas, père, and first published in 1850. Story It begins with a historic event of 1672, the lynching of the Dutch Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt an ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Cornelius de Witt *1970: ''

The Main Chance ''The Main Chance'' is a British television series first aired on ITV in four series between 1969 and 1975. It is a drama series that depicts the sudden transformation in the life of a solicitor, David Main (played by John Stride), after he ...

'' (TV Series) .... Arnold Bingley *1970: ''Horizon'' (TV Series documentary) .... Mr. Bidder *1970-1972: ''

Crime of Passion A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...

'' (TV Series) .... Maître Lacan *1970-1980: '' Play for Today'' (TV Series) .... Examining judge / Rev. Howard Whithead - Anglican Vicar *1971: '' The Persuaders'' (TV Series) .... Lanning Koestler *1972: '' Man of Straw'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Dr. Heuteufel *1972-1976: ''

'' (TV Series) .... Jack Frazer *1973: '' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'' (TV Series) .... Professor Dyne *1973: ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Mr. Brocklehurst *1973: ''Wipers Three'' (TV Movie) .... Admiral Sir John Jellicoe *1974: ''

John Halifax, Gentleman ''John Halifax, Gentleman'' is a novel by Dinah Craik, first published in 1856. The novel was adapted for BBC Radio 4 in 1970 and on television on BBC in 1974. Plot summary The action is centred on the town of Tewkesbury, scarcely disguised ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Abel Fletcher *1974: ''

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Grand Duke Nicholas *1974: ''

The Pallisers ''The Pallisers'' is a 1974 BBC television adaptation of Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels. Set in Victorian era England with a backdrop of parliamentary life, Simon Raven's dramatisation covers six of Anthony Trollope's novels and follows the e ...

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Sir Gregory Grogram *1974: ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intui ...

'' (TV Series) .... Brander Merton *1975: ''

'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Josiah Wedgwood *1975 '' Quiller'' (TV Series) .... Henry Tulliver *1976: ''The Flight of the Heron'' (TV Series) .... Cameron of Lochiel *1977: '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (TV Mini-Series) .... Naso *1977: ''Mr. Big'' (TV Series) .... Leopold Ruchworth *1977: ''

Ripping Yarns ''Ripping Yarns'' is a British television adventure comedy anthology series. It was written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame. It was transmitted on BBC 2. Following an initial pilot episode in January 1976, it ran for two ser ...

'' (TV Series) .... Colonel Harcourt Badger Owen *1977: ''

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

'' (TV Series) .... Attorney General Graham *1977: ''

Three Dangerous Ladies ''Three Dangerous Ladies'' is a 1977 British-Canadian horror film, horror anthology film composed of three episodes of the six-part ITV Wales & West, Harlech Television and TVOntario, The Ontario Educational Communications Authority co-produced ...

'' .... Urcombe (segment "Mrs. Amworth") *1978 '' Hazell'' (TV Series) .... Det. Supt. Bull *1978: ''Mrs. Amworth'' (Short) .... Francis Urcombe *1978: '' Lillie'' (TV Mini-Series) .... W. E. Gladstone *1979: ''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whil ...

'' .... Magistrate *1983: '' Ascendancy'' .... Wintour *1983: ''

'' (TV Series) .... Dr. Charles Langley-Beard *1984: '' Strangers and Brothers'' (TV Series) .... Reggie Collingwood *1985: ''TV Eye'' (TV Series) .... Committee Member *1987: '' One by One'' (TV Series) .... Ben Friedhofer *1991: ''Merlin of the Crystal Cave'' (TV Series) *1992: ''

Leon the Pig Farmer ''Leon the Pig Farmer'' is a 1992 United Kingdom, British comedy about a Jewish estate agent in London who discovers that thanks to an artificial insemination mishap, his real father owns a pig farm in Yorkshire. It was directed by Vadim Jean an ...

'' .... Trevor (final film role)

References

External links

*
Obituary: ''The Independent''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, John 1914 births 1995 deaths Male actors from Birmingham, West Midlands English male stage actors English male television actors English male film actors English male Shakespearean actors Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers British Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross 20th-century English male actors