Moray Robin Philip Adrian Watson (25 June 1928 – 2 May 2017) was an English actor from

Sunningdale Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

Life

Watson was born in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to Gerard Arthur Watson (1901–1940), a ship broker, who was killed during World War II at

Anzegem Anzegem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Anzegem proper, Gijzelbrechtegem, Ingooigem, Kaster, Tiegem and Vichte. On 1 January 2006 Anzegem had a total population of 1 ...

in Belgium as a Captain in the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot a ...

, and Jean, née McFarlane. His two elder brothers - the younger being J. N. P. Watson (1927-2008), author, hunting correspondent for Country Life magazine and formerly polo correspondent for

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

) - were Majors in the British Army. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

. He met his future wife Pam, daughter of silent film star

Percy Marmont Percy Marmont (25 November 1883 – 3 March 1977) was an English film actor. Biography Marmont appeared in more than 80 films between 1916 and 1968. A veteran film actor by 1923, he scored a big hit that year in ''If Winter Comes'', later rem ...

, at The

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: * Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) ...

. They went on to marry in 1955 and had two children, Emma in 1957 and Robin in 1959, both of whom went into the theatre.

Career

Watson made his first appearance on stage while still a student at the

at a matinee performance in memory of

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

Hythe, Kent Hythe () is a coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the district of Folkestone and Hythe on the south coast of Kent. The word ''Hythe'' or ''Hithe'' is an Old English word meaning haven or landing place. History The town has m ...

. After appearances in

repertory 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 ...

, he appeared on the West End stage, including '' The Doctor's Dilemma'' and in '' The Rivals'' by

Sheridan Sheridan may refer to: People Surname *Sheridan (surname) *Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), U.S. Army general after whom the Sheridan tank is named *Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), Irish playwright (''The Rivals''), poet and politician ...

both at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

. In 1963, he went to New York City to appear in ''The Private Ear and The Public Eye''. He played the part of the Art Editor in the BBC series ''

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 Britis ...

'' for some years. He appeared in several films, including ''

Operation Crossbow ''Crossbow'' was the code name in World War II for Anglo-American operations against the German long range reprisal weapons (V-weapons) programme. The main V-weapons were the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket – these were launched against Brita ...

'' and ''

The Grass Is Greener ''The Grass Is Greener'' is a 1960 British romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. The screenplay was adapted by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner from the The Gra ...

'', in which he played opposite

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. During her international film career, Kerr won a ...

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

and

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and aft ...

. Watson had a series of television credits to his name, most notably as

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

Arthur Maiford, MC (ret.) (but always known to the Larkins as "The General") in '' The Darling Buds of May'' (1991–1993); and George Frobisher in '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1978–1992). He also appeared as Sir Robert Muir in the ''

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 ...

'' story '' Black Orchid''; and had a small role in ''

Yes Minister ''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes fr ...

''. He also appeared in the 1974 version of '' The Pallisers'' as Barrington Erle and in the

Albert Campion Albert Campion is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Margery Allingham. He first appeared as a supporting character in ''The Crime at Black Dudley'' (1929), an adventure story involving a ring of criminals ...

mystery ''The Case of the Late Pig'' as the Chief Constable. He also played a Chief constable in the 1977 BBC series ''Murder Most English'' and Mr Bennet in the 1980 BBC series ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

''. In addition to his long career on stage, television and film Moray Watson undertook three one-man shows. The first in the 1970s was The Incomparable Max based on the life and work of

Max Beerbohm Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, Parody, parodist and Caricature, caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the drama critic ...

, written for him by Sheila Ward and Peter Ling. Years later in the early 2000s he took on Ancestral Voices, based on the diaries of James Lees Milne written by

Hugh Massingberd Hugh John Massingberd (30 December 1946 – 25 December 2007), originally Hugh John Montgomery and known from 1963 to 1992 as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English journalist and genealogist. He was chief editor of ''Burke's Peerage''/''Bu ...

. His final one-man show was written and devised by himself based on his own life as an actor, entitled ''Looking Back and Dropping Names'', which was published in book form in September 2016. Watson died at the age of 88 on 2 May 2017.

Partial TV and filmography

* '' The Quatermass Experiment'' (1953, TV Series) as Peter Marsh * '' Find the Lady'' (1956) as Jimmy * ''No Wreath for the General'' (1960, TV Series) as Major Johnny Brookman * ''

'' (1960) as Trevor Sellers, the Butler * '' The Valiant'' (1962) as Captain Turnbull * ''

'' (1962-1965, TV Series) as Richard Lowe * '' Silas Marner'' (1964, TV Series) as Godfrey Cass * '' The Saint'' (1964, TV Series) as Ken Shield * ''

'' (1965) as Colonel Kenneth Post * '' The Avengers'' (1966, TV Series) as Peters * ''

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 deb ...

'' (1969, TV Series) as Harold Thorburn * '' Every Home Should Have One'' (1970) as Chandler * '' Rookery Nook'' (1970, TV Movie) as Clive Popkiss * ''

Catweazle ''Catweazle'' is a British children's fantasy television series, starring Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and created by Richard Carpenter for London Weekend Television. The first series, produced and directed in 1969 by Quentin Lawren ...

'' (1971, TV Series) as Lord Collingford * '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1972, TV Series) as Colonel Winter * '' The Pallisers'' (1974, TV Mini-Series) as Barrington Erle * ''

Quiller Quiller is a fictional character created by English novelist Elleston Trevor. Quiller, whose one-word name is a pseudonym, works as a spy, and he is the hero of a series of 19 Cold War thrillers written under the pseudonym Adam Hall, and becam ...

'' (1975, TV Series) as Angus Kinloch * ''Murder Most English'' (1977, TV Series) as Chief Constable Chubb * '' Life of Shakespeare'' (1978, TV Mini-Series) as Nicholas * ''

Return of the Saint ''Return of the Saint'' is a British action-adventure television series that aired for one series in 1978 and 1979 in Britain on ITV, and was also broadcast on CBS in the United States. It was co-produced by ITC Entertainment and the Italian b ...

'' (1978, TV Series) as Buckingham * '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1978–1992, TV Series) as George Frobisher * ''

'' (1980, TV Mini-Series) as Mr. Bennet * ''

The Sea Wolves ''The Sea Wolves'' is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film, which is based on the 1978 book ''Boarding Party'' by James Leasor, is a fictionalised account of Operation Creek during the Second World War. In ...

'' (1980) as Breene * '' The Professionals'' (1980, TV Series) as Jeremy Sangster * '' Nobody's Perfect'' (1980–1982, TV Series) as Henry Armstrong * '' Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years'' (1981, TV Mini-Series) as Major Desmond Morton * ''The Walls of Jericho'' (1981, TV Mini-Series) as Dr. George Balfour * ''

'' (1982, TV Series - '' Black Orchid'') as Sir Robert Muir * '' Union Castle'' (1982, TV series) - Wordsworth * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1982, TV Series) as Sir Ian Masterson * ''

'' (1982, TV Series - '' The Challenge'') as BBC Director of Policy * ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' (1984, TV Series) as Commander Hawksly * ''

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of Ch ...

'' (1984, TV Mini-Series - ''

The Body in the Library ''The Body in the Library'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1942 and in UK by the Collins Crime Club in May of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.0 ...

'') as Colonel Bantry * ''

Who Dares Wins ''Who Dares Wins'' (Latin: ''Qui audet adipiscitur''; el, Ο Τολμών Νικά, ''O tolmón niká''; french: Qui ose gagne; it, Chi osa vince; Portuguese: ''Quem ousa vence''; German: ''Wer wagt, gewinnt'') is a motto made popular in the ...

'' (1986, TV Series) * '' Still Crazy like a Fox'' (1987, TV Movie) as Hubbard * '' Worlds Beyond'' (1987, TV Series) as Roger Cranley * ''Rude Health'' (1987, TV Series) as Sir Nigel Toft * ''

Star Cops ''Star Cops'' is a British science fiction television drama series first broadcast on BBC2 in 1987. It was devised by Chris Boucher, a writer who had previously worked on the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and ''Blake's 7'' a ...

'' (1987, TV Series) as Commander * '' Campion'' - "The Case of the Late Pig" (1989, TV Series) as Sir Leo Pursuivant * '' Norbert Smith: A Life'' (1989, TV Movie) as Sir Donald Stuffy * ''

The New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' (1991, TV Series) as Professor Eugene Quail * ''

The House of Eliott ''The House of Eliott'' is a British television series produced and broadcast by the BBC in three series between 1991 and 1994. The series starred Stella Gonet as Beatrice Eliott and Louise Lombard as Evangeline Eliott, two sisters in 1920s Lon ...

'' (1991, TV Series) as The Judge * '' A Murder of Quality'' (1991, TV Movie) as Major Harriman * '' The Darling Buds of May'' (1991-1993, TV Series) as Brigadier * ''

To Be the Best ''To Be the Best'' is a 1991 British television miniseries directed by Tom Wharmby. Based on the 1988 novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford, it was the fourth mini-series based on a Bradford novel he had directed. It was produced by London Weekend Tel ...

'' (1992, TV Movie) as Hunter * ''

Haggard Haggard may refer to an adjective reflecting exhaustion or poverty. Haggard may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Haggard (band), a German symphonic metal group * ''Haggard'' (TV series), a British comedy television series * '' ...

'' (1992, TV Series) as Henry Nugent * ''

The Vicar of Dibley ''The Vicar of Dibley'' is a British sitcom which originally ran on BBC One from 10 November 1994 to 1 January 2007. It is set in a fictional small Oxfordshire village called Dibley, which is assigned a female vicar following the 1992 changes ...

'' (1994, TV Series) as The Stranger * ''

Kavanagh QC ''Kavanagh QC'' is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV between 1995 and 2001. All five series are available on DVD in both Region 1 and Region 2. Plot The series starred John Thaw as barrister James Kavanagh QC, ...

'' (1999, TV Series) as Sir Henry Dorrister * ''

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 ...

'' (2000, TV Series) as Edward Allardice * '' Bertie and Elizabeth'' (2002, TV Movie) as Lord Dawson * ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...

'' (2011, TV Series) as George * '' Run for Your Wife'' (2012) as Man on the Bus

Publications

* ''Looking Back and Dropping Names'' An autobiography, published in September 2016.

References

External links

*
Moray Watson
Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Moray 1928 births 2017 deaths English male stage actors English male television actors English male film actors People educated at Eton College People from Sunningdale