David John Ryall
Retrieved 28 December 2014 (5 January 1935 – 25 December 2014) was an English stage, film and television character actor. He had leading roles in ''Lytton's Diary'' and '' Goodnight Sweetheart'', as well as memorable roles in

Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...

's '' The Singing Detective'' and Andrew Davies's adaptation of ''

To Play the King ''To Play the King'' is a 1993 BBC television serial and the second part of the '' House of Cards'' trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on Michael Dobbs' 1993 novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies. ...

''. He also portrayed Billy Buzzle in the ITV sitcom '' Bless Me, Father'' and Frank in the BBC sitcom '' Outnumbered''.

Early life

Born in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, Ryall was educated at Shoreham and Wallington grammar schools. He received a scholarship to the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

in 1962; during which time he won the Caryl Brahms Award for a Musical.

Career

On leaving RADA, he went into

repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawin ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

(including ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'' and ''

The Master Builder ''The Master Builder'' ( no, Bygmester Solness) is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works. Performance The play was published ...

'') and then into

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

's company with the National Theatre at the Old Vic from 1965 to 1973. During this time he was involved with many new and influential plays, including

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and polit ...

's ''

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's ''Ham ...

'' and '' Jumpers'', Peter Shaffer's '' The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' and

Adrian Mitchell Adrian Mitchell FRSL (24 October 1932 – 20 December 2008) was an English poet, novelist and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British Left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's Ca ...

's ''Tyger''. Other work at the National Theatre included ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

'', '' The Beggar's Opera'', '' Coriolanus'' (for which he won the Clarence Derwent Award in 1985) and ''Animal Farm'', ''

The School for Wives ''The School for Wives'' (french: L'école des femmes; ) is a theatrical comedy written by the seventeenth century French playwright Molière and considered by some critics to be one of his finest achievements. It was first staged at the Palai ...

'', ''Wild Oats'', ''

Democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose g ...

'' and ''The UN Inspector''. In 1979 Ryall played a small role as a mechanic in the episode, ''Earnshaw Strikes Back'', in the long running BBC series Last of the Summer Wine. In 1983 he worked on 'A Matter of the Officers' and ''

Jean Seberg Jean Dorothy Seberg (; ; November 13, 1938August 30, 1979) was an American actress who lived half of her life in France. Her performance in Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film ''Breathless'' immortalized her as an icon of French New Wave cinema. Seb ...

'' with

Julian Barry Julian Barry ( Julian Barry Mendelsohn; born December 24, 1930) is a retired American screenwriter and playwright, best-known for his Oscar-nominated script for the 1974 film ''Lenny'' about comedian Lenny Bruce. Barry adapted the script from his ...

, who remained a lifelong friend. In 1984 Ryall performed a one-man show of stories and poems by

Edward Bond Edward Bond (born 18 July 1934) is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them ''Saved (play), Saved'' (1965), the production of which was instrumental in the abol ...

at the NT, entitled ''A Leap in the Light''. Ryall portrayed discredited scientist

Frank Skuse Frank Skuse (born ca. 1934) is a British former forensic scientist for the North West Forensic Laboratories based in Chorley, Lancashire. His flawed conclusions, eventually discredited, contributed to the convictions of Judith Ward and the Birmingha ...

in the March 1990

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

, ''Who Bombed Birmingham?'' In 1994 he played Feste in Sir Peter Hall's production of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' – a performance which was praised highly by Sir

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...

in his autobiography. In 1996–97, working with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, he played God in '' The Mysteries'', and Polonius in ''

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 ...

'', for which he was nominated for the ''

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

Award'' during its tour of the United States. He worked with Sir Peter Hall again in the 1999 production of ''Lenny'' in the West End, and after that in the 2000 epic ''Tantalus'', in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

and the UK. Ryall continued to be a regular face in the theatre: with appearances in

Patrick Marber Patrick Albert Crispin Marber (born 19 September 1964) is an English comedian, playwright, director, actor, and screenwriter. Early life Marber was born and raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Wimbledon, London, the son of Angela (Benj ...

's ''Don Juan in Soho'' at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

in 2007. His television and film career included '' The Knowledge'', '' The Singing Detective'', '' Shelley'', '' Inspector Morse'', Doc Martin,

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

,'' Bertie and Elizabeth'', '' Juliet Bravo'', ''Down to Earth'' (2000 TV series), ''

Foyle's War ''Foyle's War'' is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after the Second World War, created by ''Midsomer Murders'' screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz and commissioned by ITV after the long-running series ...

'', '' Plotlands'', '' State of Play'', '' The Elephant Man'', '' Truly, Madly, Deeply'', '' Black Beauty'' and ''

Two Men Went to War ''Two Men Went to War'' is a 2002 British war comedy-drama film based on a true World War II story, from Raymond Foxall's book ''Amateur Commandos'' which describes the adventures of two army dental corps soldiers who sneak off on their own per ...

''. He appeared as Max, an antiques collector, in episode 4 of BBC drama '' Bonekickers''. In 2005, Ryall played the role of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

in the French television drama ''

Le Grand Charles ''Le Grand Charles'' is a 2006 French television miniseries on the life of Charles de Gaulle from 1939 to 1959, written and directed by Bernard Stora. Plot Cast * Bernard Farcy as Charles de Gaulle * Danièle Lebrun as Yvonne de Gaulle * Dav ...

'', based on the life of

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

. Ryall appeared in the BBC One sitcom '' Outnumbered'' from 2007 to 2011, in which he played Frank (known as "Grandad"), a character who suffers from

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

. The character appeared in series 1 and 2. Ryall reprised his role in the Christmas specials in 2009 and 2011. On 26 December 2016 the Christmas special was dedicated to his memory. In 2010, Ryall portrayed

Elphias Doge The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organisation in the ''Harry Potter'' series of fiction books written by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the ...

in '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1''. Ryall appeared as Dr Rant in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

adaptation of the

M.R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridg ...

ghost story ''

The Tractate Middoth "The Tractate Middoth" is a short ghost story by British author M. R. James. It was published in 1911 in ''More Ghost Stories'', James's second collection of ghost stories. Plot Mr. Garrett, an employee of a university library, searches for a ...

'' as part of the 2013 edition of A Ghost Story for Christmas. He also appeared briefly in 2013 as an old soldier in the BBC Drama '' Our Girl'' starring

Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2010, 2014–present), for which she has won over thirty awards, including four ...

, and he was cast in the BBC Drama ''The Village'', as Old Bert, Britain's oldest man who recounts his long life through a series of flashbacks. Ryall's last appearance was in '' Call the Midwife'', where he played Tommy Mills. This episode was aired on BBC One on 1 March 2015 and was dedicated to his memory in the closing credits.

Personal life

Ryall had one son and two daughters: Jonathan Ryall (born 1966), who was the manager of the Australian band Glide; Imogen Ryall (born 1967), who is a singer and Charlie Ryall (born 1986), who is also an actor. Ryall died on 25 December 2014 aged 79.

Filmography

*''

The Dance of Death The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification ...

'' (1969) – Sentry *'' Black Joy'' (1977) – Butcher *'' Love for Lydia'' (1977, TV Series) – Bretherton *''

Enemy at the Door ''Enemy at the Door'' is a British television drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The series was shown between 1978 and 1980 and dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second W ...

'' (1978-1980, TV Series) - Capt. Tom Foster-Smythe *'' Bless Me, Father'' (1978–1981, TV Series) – Billy Buzzle *'' The Knowledge'' (1979) – Titanic *'' The Elephant Man'' (1980) – Man With Whores *''Fords on Water'' (1983) – Mister Jack *''

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer w ...

'' (1988, TV Series) – Bowyer *''

The Woman in Black ''The Woman in Black'' is a 1983 gothic horror novel by English writer Susan Hill. The plot concerns a mysterious spectre that haunts a small English town. A television film based on the story, also called '' The Woman in Black'', was produce ...

'' (1989) – Sweetman *'' Wilt'' (1990) – Rev. Froude *'' Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1990) – George *'' The Russia House'' (1990) – Colonial Type *'' Shelley'' (1990-1992, TV Series) – Ted Bishop *''

Shuttlecock A shuttlecock (also called a birdie or shuttle) is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger tea ...

'' (1993) – Pound *''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'' (1993) – English Minister *'' Black Beauty'' (1994) – Carriagemaker *''

Giorgino ''Giorgino'' is a 1994 French thriller film directed by Laurent Boutonnat. Plot In the 1918 war-stricken Giorgio Volli returns to the orphanage where he had been working with children for a while. When arriving he finds out that the tragedy ha ...

'' (1994) – Professor Beaumont *'' Carrington'' (1995) – Mayor *'' Restoration'' (1995) – Lord Bathurst *''Mad Cows'' (1999) – Man outside Harrods *'' Unconditional Love'' (2002) – Funeral Director *''

'' (2002) –

*'' Blackball'' (2003) – Giles Wilton *'' Around the World in 80 Days'' (2004) – Lord Salisbury *''

The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse ''The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse'' is a 2005 disaster horror comedy film based on the British television series ''The League of Gentlemen''. It is directed by Steve Bendelack at his directorial debut and written by the series' cast alon ...

'' (2005) – Tom Tit *'' Doc Martin'' ep. - "Happily Ever After" (2007) - Drunk Vicar *'' City of Ember'' (2008) – Chief Builder *'' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' (2010) – Elphias Doge *''

Hysteria Hysteria is a term used colloquially to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that ...

'' (2011) – Judge *'' Trollied'' (2011–2012, TV series) – Vic *''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'' (2012) – Harry *'' A Ghost Story for Christmas:

'' (2013) – Dr. Rant *''

Mr. Turner ''Mr. Turner'' is a 2014 biographical drama film based on the last 25 years of the life of artist J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851). Written and directed by Mike Leigh, the film stars Timothy Spall in the title role, with Dorothy Atkinson, Paul J ...

'' (2014) – Footman *''

Autómata ''Autómata'' is a 2014 English-language Spanish-Bulgarian science fiction action film directed by Gabe Ibáñez starring Antonio Banderas (who also co-produced). The film is co-written by Ibáñez with Igor Legarreta and Javier Sánchez Donate, ...

'' (2014) – Dominic Hawk *'' Call the Midwife'' (2015, series 4, episode 7) – Tommy Mills (final appearance)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryall, David 1935 births 2014 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors People from Shoreham-by-Sea