Colin Tarrant (14 June 1952 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor best known for playing Inspector Andrew Monroe in ITV's ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...
'' between 1990 and 2002.
Early life and career
Tarrant was born in 1952 in
Shirebrook
Shirebrook is a town and civil parish in the Bolsover District of Derbyshire, England.OS Explorer Map 270: Sherwood Forest: (1:25 000): It had a population of 13,300 at the 2021 Census. The town is on the B6407 road and close to the A632 road ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
, and studied for a degree in English and Drama at
Exeter University
The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School o ...
The People The People may refer to:
Legal jargon
* The People, term used to refer to the people in general, in legal documents
* "We the People of the United States", from the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution
* In philosophy, economics, and political scienc ...
'', 29 January 2012 then at the cutting edge of
dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The role of a dramaturg in the field of modern dramaturgy is to help realize the multifaceted world of the play for a production u ...
. He briefly worked as a teacher before taking up acting, first at the
Northcott Theatre
The Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England. It opened in 1967 and was run until 2010 by the Northcott Theatre Foundation, when the company ceased operating after a pe ...
,
Exeter
Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
and then with Medium Fair Community Theatre Company, Exeter 1975–77 (a company developed from the university drama department). After leaving Medium Fair he was part of
Peter Cheeseman
Peter Barrie Cheeseman, CBE (27 January 1932, Cowplain, Hampshire – 27 April 2010,
Stoke-on-Trent) was a British theatre director who is credited with having pioneered "theatre in the round".
Early life
His father's work as a Naval Commun ...
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
. He worked with Foco Novo,
Shared Experience
Shared Experience is a British theatre company. Its current joint
< ...
, the
RSC
RSC may refer to:
Arts
* Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company
* Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe
* Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England
* Rock Ste ...
and the Leicester Phoenix Arts Centre.
His first major television role was that of Will Brangwen in the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
miniseries ''
The Rainbow
''The Rainbow'' is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence, first published by Methuen & Co. in 1915. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family living in Nottinghamshire, focusing particularly on the individual's struggle for growt ...
'' (1988), playing opposite
Imogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer.
Her first leading part was in '' Privileged'' (1982), followed by '' A Summer Story'' (1988).
Her first play, ''We Happy Few'', was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined ' ...
. A twelve-year run in ''The Bill'' followed between 1990 and 2002, after which he made many appearances on other television programmes as well as returning to the theatre.
In June 2005, he played
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...
in the
Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', 20 June 2005, retrieved 29 January 2012 The play returned several times to the Nottingham Playhouse and played in other venues across England.That's the spirit Cloughie , ''Wandsworth Guardian'', 16 March 2006, retrieved 29 January 2012 He followed this with the role of the vagrant Davies in a Nottingham Playhouse production of
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...
's '' The Caretaker'', his performance described by ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...
'' as "brilliant – wild-eyed, twitchy, aggressive, over-defensive and ungrateful".Asworth, Pat (2006) The Caretaker , ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...
'', 3 November 2006, retrieved 29 January 2012 He starred as the 'Old Gent' in an adaptation of ''
The Railway Children
''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by E. Nesbit, Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the ...
'' at the
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum (NRM) is a museum in York, England, forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historical ...
Calendar Girls
''Calendar Girls'' is a 2003 British comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Harbour Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi, based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produced a ...
'' which began in Chichester in January 2010.
Television roles included appearances in ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...
Doctors
Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to:
Titles and occupations
* Physician, a medical practitioner
* Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree
** Doctorate
** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
'', ''
Midsomer Murders
''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...
'' and as Ted Williamson in an episode of ''
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 ...
'' which aired on
BBC 1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
on 11 December 2010.
Tarrant also taught at secondary schools between acting roles.
Personal life
Tarrant suffered from depression and died on 26 January 2012 at the
Bristol Royal Infirmary
The Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) is a large teaching hospital in the centre of Bristol, England. It has links with the nearby University of Bristol and the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of the West of England, also in Brist ...
from self-inflicted stab wounds at his home in Bristol. In April 2012, Tarrant's death was ruled a suicide by
Flax Bourton
Flax Bourton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, with a population of 715, is situated within the unitary authority of North Somerset, on the edge of Nailsea Moor on the A370 road south west of Bristol city centre.
...