Robert Lankesheer (1914–1993) was a British stage, radio and television actor, best known for playing the character Leamington Sparr in the radio soap ''The Dales'' between 1963 and 1966 and Chamberlain in the television series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' in 1965.

Early life

He was born on 28 April 1914 in Southampton, England. Whilst working for the local government in the land registry department he took evening classes and qualified in law. He served in the army during World War II as an officer in the Royal Artillery. After the war he decided to take up acting professionally.

Career

On stage, in addition to his repertory theatre work, Robert Lankesheer played Sir Henry Burke in ''Templeton'' at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberl ...

in 1958 and Mr Quelch between 1960 and 1963 in the Billy Bunter Christmas shows at the Victoria Palace Theatre and Queen's Theatre, London. He had a long association with

The Royal Opera The Royal Opera is a British opera company based in central London, resident at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Along with the English National Opera, it is one of the two principal opera companies in London. Founded in 1946 as the Cove ...

, Covent Garden, performing roles in ''Carmen'' (1973), ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1974, 1976, 1984) and ''Die Zauberflöte'' (1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991). In films, Robert Lankesheer appeared in '' David Copperfield'' (1970) and '' Young Winston'' (1972). His television credits include: * ''The Malory Secret'' (1951) * ''At Your Service Ltd'' (1951) * ''The Trial of Andy Fothergill'' (1951) * ''Emil and the Detectives'' (1952) * ''Theatre Royal'' (1955) * ''Tales from Dickens'' (1960) * '' Starr and Company'' (1958) * ''Dancers in Mourning'' (1959) * ''An Arabian Night'' (1960) * ''

Deadline Midnight ''-30-'' (released as ''Deadline Midnight'' in the UK) is a 1959 film directed by Jack Webb and starring Webb and William Conrad as night managing editor and night city editor, respectively, of a fictional Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles new ...

'' (1960) * ''

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 ...

'' (1961, 1967) * '' Emergency Ward 10'' (1962) * ''

The Scales of Justice ''The Scales of Justice'' was a series of thirteen British cinema featurettes produced between 1962 and 1967 for Anglo-Amalgamated at Merton Park Studios in London. The first nine episodes were made in black and white, the last four in colour. ...

'' (1963) * '' Out of This World'' (1962) * ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'': '' Man with Two Shadows'' (1963) * ''

'': '' The Crusade'' (1965) * ''The Paradise Makers'' (1967) * ''

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 debuted ...

'' (1968, 1976) * '' Dad's Army'' (1969) * '' Rogues' Gallery'': The Wicked Stage (1969) * ''Junket 89'' (1970) * '' Bachelor Father'' (1970) * ''

Doctor in Charge ''Doctor in Charge'' is a British television comedy series based on a set of books by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of doctors. The series follows directly from its predecessor '' Doctor at Large''. It was produced by London ...

'' (1972) * ''An Evening with Francis Howerd'' (1975) * ''

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

'' (1975) * ''

The Professionals A professional is someone who is skilled in a profession. Professional or professionals may also refer to: * Professional sports Music *The Professionals (band), a British punk rock band formed in 1979 * ''The Professionals'' (The Professionals ...

'' (1978) * '' Fawlty Towers'' (1979) * '' Reilly, Ace of Spies'' (1983) * '' Full House'' (1985)

Death

Robert Lankesheer died on 29 December 1993 in London, England of emphysema."Beyond the TARDIS: Obituary", ''

Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the followi ...

'', No. 213, 8 June 1994, pg.7

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lankesheer, Robert English male stage actors English male television actors 1914 births 1993 deaths