Eric Norman Dodson (1 December 1920 – 13 January 2000) was an English

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

born in

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, who played many roles in films and on television. After amateur acting he joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in 1941. Following training in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

he served in

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

, flew bombers and was a liaison officer in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. He then returned to acting with a repertory theatre in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. He appeared as bar owner Jack Pomeroy in Series Three to Five of ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, o ...

''. He also appeared in the sitcom " It Ain't Half Hot Mum" as a Brigadier, 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 u ...

'' story '' The Visitation'', in ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...

'' as Banyard and many other roles.BFI.org
/ref> His film appearances included ''

The Dock Brief ''The Dock Brief'' (US title ''Trial and Error'') is a 1962 black-and-white British legal satire directed by James Hill, starring Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough, and based on the play of the same name written by John Mortimer (creator o ...

'' (1962), ''

Danger by My Side ''Danger by My Side'' is a 1963 British crime thriller directed by Charles Saunders and starring Anthony Oliver. Plot Lynne Marsden sees her undercover detective brother killed by a speeding car. She goes in search of the murderers, which lead ...

'' (1962), ''

Strictly for the Birds ''Strictly for the Birds'' is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Tony Tanner, Joan Sims and Graham Stark. Terry Blessing seems to be having a lucky day, winning at gambling, until a woman with whom he'd had an assig ...

'' (1963), ''

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

'' (1969), '' The Mirror Crack'd'' (1980), ''

The Masks of Death ''The Masks of Death'' is a 1984 British mystery television film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes and John Mills as Doctor Watson. Plot In 1913, Sherlock Holmes, virtually in retirement, is persuaded by ...

'' (1984) and ''

Jekyll & Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' (1990). In the late 1980s, Eric and his wife Rosaline made their home in Sherborne, Gloucestershire where he took a hobby repairing and making harpsichords. He was also asked on many occasions to play the organ at the village church. He was unable to work for the last five years of his life due to illness and died in 2000 at age 79.

Filmography

*'' A Touch of the Sun'' (1956) - Hotel Head Waiter (uncredited) *''

Night Train for Inverness ''Night Train for Inverness'' is a black and white 1960 British drama film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Norman Wooland, Jane Hylton and Dennis Waterman. It is notable as the film debut of Dennis Waterman. The film was referenced in an ...

'' (1960) - Railwayman (uncredited) *'' Sentenced for Life'' (1960) - (uncredited) *'' Fate Takes a Hand'' (1961) - Janitor *'' Edgar Wallace Mysteries'', (''

Solo for Sparrow ''Solo for Sparrow'' is a 1962 crime film directed by Gordon Flemyng and produced by Jack Greenwood and Abhinandan Nikhanj, part of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series of British second-features. It stars Glyn Houston, Anthony Newlands and Nadja Reg ...

'', episode) (1962) - Dr. Wolfson *''

'' (1962) - Warder Davis *''

'' (1962) - Examiner *''Gang War'' (1962) - Quigley *''The Set Up'' (1963) - Walker *'' Dr. Crippen'' (1963) - Defence QC Clerk (uncredited) *''

'' (1963) - George *''

'' (1969) - RAF Officer (uncredited) *'' The Mirror Crack'd'' (1980) - The Major *''

'' (1984) - Lord Claremont

Notes

External links

* 1920 births 2000 deaths English male television actors People from Peterborough Male actors from Cambridgeshire 20th-century English male actors Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force officers {{UK-tv-actor-1920s-stub