Richard Henry Beale (13 May 1920 – 27 March 2017) was a British actor. He had a long career in television, stage and film, dating back to the 1950s.

Early years

Born in Hackney, London, England, Beale was the son of Henry and Constance Beale. He served as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

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 ...

. He worked ten years at his father's printing business before he ventured into acting.

Career

Beale's early films included ''

The Battle of the River Plate The Battle of the River Plate was fought in the South Atlantic on 13 December 1939 as the first naval battle of the Second World War. The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser , commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a Royal Navy squadron, command ...

'' (1956), '' A Night to Remember'' (1958), and ''

Sink the Bismarck! ''Sink the Bismarck!'' is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the 1959 book ''The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck'' by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert.Weiler, A.H ...

'' (1960).

Personal life

His wife, whom he divorced, was named Anne. They had two children.

Death

He died 27 March 2017 at the age of 96.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1956) – Capt. Pottinger (uncredited) *'' A Night to Remember'' (1958) – Harbour Pilot (uncredited) *''

'' (1960) – Petty Officer in Phone Montage (uncredited) *''The Flood'' (1963) – Grout *''

Compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...

'' (1963–1964, TV Series) – Detective Sergeant Birling *''

The Caves of Steel ''The Caves of Steel'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov. It is a detective story and illustrates an idea Asimov advocated, that science fiction can be applied to any literary genre, rather than just being a limited g ...

'' (1964) – Controller *''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with ' ...

'' (1964) – Capt. Vanner *'' Doctor Who'' (1966–1973, TV Series) – Minister of Ecology / Broadcaster / Propaganda Seller / Bat Masterson / Refusian (voice) *'' Where Eagles Dare'' (1968) – Telephone Orderly (uncredited) *'' Softly Softly'' (1970, TV Series) – Harry *''

Jude the Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'' (1971, TV Mini-Series) – Chivers *''

Young Winston ''Young Winston'' is a 1972 British biographical adventure drama war film covering the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, based in particular on his 1930 book, ''My Early Life''. The first part of the film covers Churchill' ...

'' (1972) – Boer Sentry (uncredited) *''

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 ...

'' (1972–1974, TV Series) – Bordman / Peters *''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (1973, TV Series) – Hetman *'' Special Branch'' (1974, TV Series) – Commander Glover *''

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 ...

'' (1975, TV Series) – Fred Gilbraithe *''

Madame Bovary ''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emp ...

'' (1975, TV series) – Rouault *''

Emmerdale Farm ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'' (1979, TV Series) – Tober Moore *'' Secret Army'' (1979, TV Series) – Inspector Benet *'' Stay with Me Till Morning'' (1981, TV series) – Jesse Thomas *''

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George ''The Life and Times of David Lloyd George'' is a BBC Wales drama serial first broadcast in 1981 on BBC Two. It stars Philip Madoc as David Lloyd George, the final Liberal prime minister of the UK. The cast also includes Lisabeth Miles, Kik ...

'' (1981, TV Series) – Lord Kitchener *'' Bergerac'' (1983, TV Series) – Bank Manager *'' Camille'' (1984, TV Movie) – Farmer *'' C.A.T.S. Eyes'' (1985, TV Series) – Prinley *''

The Tripods ''The Tripods'' is a series of young adult novels written by John Christopher, beginning in 1967. The first two were the basis of a science fiction TV series, produced in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. Synopsis The story of ''The Tripods'' ...

'' (1985, TV Series) – Ulf *'' Return to Treasure Island'' (1986, TV Series) – Captain Smollett *''

A Handful of Dust ''A Handful of Dust'' is a novel by the British writer Evelyn Waugh. First published in 1934, it is often grouped with the author's early, satirical comic novels for which he became famous in the pre– World War II years. Commentators have, ...

'' (1988) – Ben *''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'' (1988–1996, TV Series) – Geoffrey Rowley / Walter Lepore / Tommy Reeves / Goodhall *''

A Bit of a Do ''A Bit of a Do'' is a British comedy-drama series based on the books by David Nobbs. The show starred David Jason and Gwen Taylor. It was produced by Yorkshire Television for two series and aired on the ITV network from 13 January to 1 Decembe ...

'' (1989, TV Series) – Lester Griddle *''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (1990, TV Movie) – Mr. Arrow *''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...

'' (1990, TV Series) – Merritt *'' EastEnders'' (1990–1991, TV Series) – Jackie Stone *''

Hedd Wyn Hedd Wyn (born Ellis Humphrey Evans, 13 January 188731 July 1917) was a Welsh-language poet who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I. He was posthumously awarded the bard's chair at the 1917 National ...

'' (1992) – Army Representative *'' Lovejoy'' (1994, TV Series) – Mervyn The Fisherman *'' Food of Love'' (1997) – William *''

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama television series, series about a General Practice, GP surgery in Cardale—a small List of fictional towns in television, fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the Physician, doctors who wor ...

'' (2002, TV Series) – Julian Rankin *''

All About Me ''All About Me'' is a British television sitcom starring Jasper Carrott about a multicultural family living in Birmingham. It was broadcast on BBC One from 2002 to 2004. ''All About Me'' was created by Steven Knight, who also wrote two of the e ...

'' (2002) – Local *''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' (2004, TV Series) – Geoff Slavin *'' Afterlife'' (2005, TV Series) – Mr. Keyhoe (final appearance)

References

External links

*
Richard Beale
at Theatricalia 1920 births 2017 deaths British male film actors British male soap opera actors Royal Navy officers of World War II {{UK-screen-actor-stub