William Thomas Clucas (14 April 19258 July 2016), better known as William Lucas, was an English film, theatre, radio and television actor.

Early years

William Lucas was born in Manchester, England. Before he became an actor, he was a commercial traveller, laundry hand, cook, farm labourer, and long-distance lorry driver, and served 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 F ...

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 opposin ...

Career

Lucas earned a scholarship to the Northern Theatre School, and trained there. He then became an assistant stage manager at the Chesterfield Civic Theatre in the late 1940s. Lucas had begun his stage career by the summer of 1950 in

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

and was still active in the theatre in late 1990 in '' Run for Your Wife''. His first film acting role was in the film ''

Portrait of Alison ''Portrait of Alison'' is a 1956 British atmospheric crime film directed by Guy Green. It was based on a BBC television series '' Portrait of Alison'' which aired the same year. In the United States the film was released as ''Postmark for Dang ...

'' (1955), and he later appeared in many

Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve clas ...

such as ''

The Shadow of the Cat ''The Shadow of the Cat'' is a 1961 British horror film directed by John Gilling for Hammer Film Productions. It stars André Morell and Barbara Shelley. It was photographed in black-and-white by Arthur Grant. It was released in May 1961 on a ...

'' (1961). He starred in a string of British crime b-movies such as Payroll, The Break, Breakout, and Calculated Risk. He usually played strong villain-types (lead villains) but he would also play unhinged, weak characters as well. Lucas is probably best known for his role in ''

The Adventures of Black Beauty ''The Adventures of Black Beauty'' is a British adventure family television series produced by London Weekend Television and shown by ITV in the United Kingdom between 1972 and 1974. It was distributed internationally by London Weekend Internat ...

'' (1972–1974) as Dr. James Gordon, and in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

series '' Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes'' as

Inspector Lestrade Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel ...

in the episode "

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title deri ...

" (1968). He also appeared in ''

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 on ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes foll ...

'', ''

Sir Francis Drake (TV series) ''Sir Francis Drake'' (aka ''The Adventures of Sir Francis Drake'') is a 1961–1962 British adventure television series starring Terence Morgan as Sir Francis Drake, commander of the sailing ship the ''Golden Hind''. As well as battles at sea ...

'' and the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

''.

Personal life

In 1954, Lucas married Doreen Moorehouse (whose stage name was Rowena Ingram). They had two children. After they divorced he married Camilla Idris-Jones.

Death

Lucas died in England on 8 July 2016.

Filmography

Film

*''

Timeslip ''Timeslip'' is a British children's science fiction television series made by ATV for the ITV network and broadcast between 1970 and 1971. It was first broadcast on Friday evenings at around 5:10-5:15pm in the ATV region with the other ITV re ...

'' (1955) - X-Ray Technician (uncredited) *''

'' (1955) - Reg Dorking *''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' (1956) - Press Photographer (uncredited) *''

X the Unknown ''X the Unknown'' is a 1956 British science fiction horror film directed by Leslie Norman and starring Dean Jagger and Edward Chapman. It was made by the Hammer Film Productions company and written by Jimmy Sangster. The film is significant i ...

'' (1956) - Peter Elliott *''

Up in the World ''Up in the World'' is a 1956 black and white comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom, Maureen Swanson and Jerry Desmonde. It was produced by Rank. Plot Norman is given a job as a window cleaner at a stately hom ...

'' (1956) - Mick Bellman *''

High Flight ''High Flight'' is a 1941 sonnet written by war poet John Gillespie Magee Jr. and inspired by his experiences as a fighter pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. Magee began writing the poem on 18 August, while stationed at List ...

'' (1957) - Controller (Cranwell) *'' Breakout'' (1959) - Chandler *''

Sons and Lovers ''Sons and Lovers'' is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It traces emotional conflicts through the protagonist, Paul Morel, and his suffocating relationships with a demanding mother and two very different lovers, which exert c ...

'' (1960) - William Morel *''

Crack in the Mirror ''Crack in the Mirror'' is a 1960 drama film directed by Richard Fleischer. The three principal actors, Orson Welles, Juliette Gréco, and Bradford Dillman, play dual roles in two interconnected stories as the participants in two love triangles. ...

'' (1960) - Kerstner *''

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 ...

'' (1960) - Philip Bowman *''

Payroll A payroll is the list of employees of some company that is entitled to receive payments as well as other work benefits and the amounts that each should receive. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time worked or tasks pe ...

'' (1961) - Dennis Pearson *''

'' (1961) - Jacob Venable *''

The Devil's Daffodil ''The Devil's Daffodil'' (also known as ''Daffodil Killer'' or german: Das Geheimnis der gelben Narzissen/ ''Secret of the Yellow Daffodils'') is a 1961 British-West German black-and-white crime film directed by Ákos Ráthonyi. The film was pro ...

'' (1961) - Jack Tarling (English Version) *''

Touch of Death The touch of death (or death-point striking) refers to any martial arts technique reputed to kill using seemingly less than lethal force targeted at specific areas of the body. The concept known as ''dim mak'' (), alternatively ' () traces its ...

'' (1961) - Pete Mellor *'' The Break'' (1962) - Jacko Thomas *''

The Very Edge ''The Very Edge'' is a 1963 British drama film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Anne Heywood, Richard Todd, Jack Hedley, Jeremy Brett and Maurice Denham. The screenplay concerns a young woman who is assaulted and stalked by a maniac. Plo ...

'' (1963) - Inspector Davis *'' Bitter Harvest'' (1963) - Mr. Medwin *''

The Marked One ''The Marked One'' is a 1963 British crime film directed by Francis Searle and starring William Lucas (who starred in several crime b-movies at this time), Zena Walker and Patrick Jordan. The screenplay concerns a forger whose daughter is thr ...

'' (1963) - Don Mason *''

Calculated Risk Calculated Risk may refer to: * Calculated Risk (blog), a finance and economics blog * ''Calculated Risk'' (film), a 1963 British crime thriller film * ''Calculated Risk'' (novel), a 1960 science fiction novel by Charles Eric Maine * '' A Calcul ...

'' (1963) - Steve *''

Dateline Diamonds ''Dateline Diamonds'' is a 1965 British music-film. The film was shot in black and white. The "pop and cop" genre of film was a popular concept in the UK during the early 1960s to highlight young music talent and was geared to appeal directly to ...

'' (1966) - Major Fairclough *''

Night of the Big Heat ''Night of the Big Heat'' is a science fiction novel written in 1959 by John Lymington. It tells the story of an unnamed British island that is experiencing a bizarre and stifling heatwave. Plot summary The main characters are a former noveli ...

'' (1967) - Ken Stanley *'' The Sky Bike'' (1967) - Mr. Smith *''Scramble'' (1970) - (uncredited) *''

Tower of Evil ''Tower of Evil'', also known by the titles ''Horror on Snape Island'' and ''Beyond the Fog'', is a 1972 British horror film directed by Jim O'Connolly. Plot The movie opens with a boat cruising through heavy fog, on a spooky night. The boat ...

'' (1972) - Inspector Hawk *'' Man at the Top'' (1973) - Marshall *''

Operation Daybreak ''Operation Daybreak'' (also known as ''The Price of Freedom'' in the U.S. and ''Seven Men at Daybreak'' during production) is a 1975 war film based on the true story of Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of SS general Reinhard Heydrich in ...

'' (1975) - Doctor (Sonja's Father) (uncredited) *''

The Plague Dogs ''The Plague Dogs'' is the third novel by Richard Adams, author of ''Watership Down'', about the friendship of two dogs that escape an animal testing facility and are subsequently pursued by both the government and the media. It was first pub ...

'' (1982) - Civil Servant #5 (voice)

Television

* ''

'' (1955) - Reg Dorking * '' Solo for Canary'' (1958) - Durea * ''

Champion Road ''Champion Road'' is a British television series which originally aired on the BBC in 1958.Baskin p.32 Main cast * William Lucas as Jonathan Briggs * Anna Turner as Nellie Greenhalgh * Joby Blanshard as Alf Burton * John Paul as A.J. Clough * ...

'' (1958) - Jonathan Briggs *''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...

'' (1958) - Sir Jack of Southwark *'' The Infamous John Friend'' (1959, BBC) - John Friend *''

The Adventures of William Tell ''The Adventures of William Tell'' is a British swashbuckler adventure series, first broadcast on the ITV network in 1958, and produced by ITC Entertainment. In the United States, the episodes aired on the syndicated NTA Film Network in 1958 ...

'' (1959) - Kramer *''

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

'' (1962) - Count Julio *''

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 ...

'' (1965) - Bernhard *''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' (1965, Episode: "Crime of the Century") as Crantor *''

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 ...

'' (1965–1967) - Det. Insp. Carter / Frank Jordan *'' The Avengers'' (1967–1968) - Brett / Stapley *''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

'' (1967–1968) *'' Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes'' (1968, Episode: "

") - Inspector Lestrade *''

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 ...

'' (1968–1971) - Sawyer / Philip Chapman *'' Doctor at Large'' (1971) - QC Mortimer Turnbull *''

'' (1971, 1996) - Dennis Maxwell/Judge Parrish *''

'' (1972–1974) - Dr. James Gordon *''

The Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following ''UFO''), and his second to be firmly set in ...

'' (1973) - Eastbrook *'' The Spoils of War'' (1980–1981) - George Hayward *''

'' (1984, Episode: "

Frontios ''Frontios'' is the third serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 26 January to 3 February 1984. Set in the far future, the seri ...

") - Mr Range *''

The New Adventures of Black Beauty ''The New Adventures of Black Beauty'' was a television drama series produced in the early 1990s. The show was produced first in New Zealand, then in Australia. The two different productions had different characters and plotlines, un-related e ...

'' (1990–1992) - Dr. James Gordon *'' On the Up'' (1992) - Sir Douglas Hoyle *''

Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

'' (1992–1993) - Stanley Webb *''

'' (2003) - Norris

References

External links

*
William Lucas Obituary in ''The Guardian''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, William 1925 births 2016 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male stage actors Male actors from Manchester Royal Navy personnel of World War II