Don Warrington
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Don Warrington
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
(born Donald Williams, 23 May 1951) is a
Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...
-born British actor. He is best known for playing Philip Smith in the ITV sitcom ''
Rising Damp Structural dampness is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building, either the result of intrusion from outside or condensation from within the structure. A high proportion of damp problems in buildings are caused by ambient ...
'' (1974–78), and Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in the
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 exam. ...
...
detective series '' Death in Paradise'' (2011–present). He was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in the
2008 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...
.


Early life

Warrington was born in
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, but moved to England with his mother and brother at a young age, while his sister stayed in Trinidad. He was brought up in
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
. His father, Basil Kydd, was a Trinidadian politician who died in 1958. Warrington attended Harris College (now the University of Central Lancashire) and trained as an actor at the
Drama Centre London Drama Centre London (often abbreviated as Drama Centre) was a British drama school in King's Cross, London, where it moved in 2011 after a major reshaping of the University of the Arts London. It was part of Central Saint Martins, a constitu ...
. As there was already an actor called Don Williams when he joined Equity, he took the stage surname "Warrington" after Warrington Road, the street he grew up on. He started acting in repertory theatre at the age of 17.


Career


Television and film

Warrington is best known for playing Philip Smith in ''
Rising Damp Structural dampness is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building, either the result of intrusion from outside or condensation from within the structure. A high proportion of damp problems in buildings are caused by ambient ...
'', from 1974 to 1978, alongside
Leonard Rossiter Leonard Rossiter (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was an English actor. He had a long career in the theatre but achieved his highest profile for his television comedy roles starring as Rupert Rigsby in the ITV series '' Rising Damp'' fro ...
,
Richard Beckinsale Richard Arthur Beckinsale (6 July 1947 – 19 March 1979) was an English actor. He played Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom ''Porridge'' (along with its sequel series '' Going Straight'') and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom ''Rising Damp''. He is t ...
, and Frances de la Tour. Warrington also appeared as series regular in the crime drama '' C.A.T.S. Eyes'', as government contact Nigel Beaumont (1985–1987); in ''Impact Earth'' (2007) playing General Harris; and in ''
New Street Law ''New Street Law'' is a British legal drama television series produced by Red Production Company in association with One-Eyed Dog Ltd for BBC One. The series was created by G. F. Newman and Matthew Hall, and starred an ensemble cast headed by ...
'' as Judge Ken Winyard. In 1993 Warrington played television reporter Graham Gaunt in ''
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. ...
'', the second part of the BBC's ''House of Cards'' trilogy. He has had smaller roles in many programmes including '' Red Dwarf'', '' Lovejoy'', '' Manchild'', and '' Diamond Geezer''. Warrington portrayed the founder of
Time Lord The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, the Doctor, is a member. Time Lords are so named for their command ...
society,
Rassilon Rassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey and its first lea ...
, in several '' Doctor Who'' audio plays, and also appeared as the President of an alternative-universe Great Britain in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "
Rise of the Cybermen "Rise of the Cybermen" is the fifth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 13 May 2006. The episode introduces a terrestrial reinvention of the Cyb ...
" (2006). Soon after, he recorded an abridged audio book of the ''Doctor Who'' novel '' The Art of Destruction'' by Stephen Cole. He is one of the interviewees on the BBC 2 series '' Grumpy Old Men'', and he appears in a series of
Kenco Kenco is a British brand of instant, roast and ground coffee sold by JDE Peet's in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Originally known as the Kenya Coffee Company, they started distributing coffee to Britain in 1923. Shortly after, they opened a c ...
coffee advertisements in the United Kingdom in which he plays an African coffee plantation owner. He regularly provides voice-overs for both BBC television and radio. Warrington has also appeared in
BBC1 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, ...
sitcom ''
The Crouches ''The Crouches'' is a sitcom that aired on BBC One between 2003 and 2005. It starred Rudolph Walker, Robbie Gee, Jo Martin and Mona Hammond. Plot Childhood sweethearts Roly Crouch (Robbie Gee) and Natalie (Jo Martin) have been married for 18 year ...
'', which aired from 9 September 2003 until 2005. He played Bailey, who was Roly's boss at a London Underground station in South London. Roly was played by
Robbie Gee Robbie Gee (born 24 March 1970) is a British actor, best known for his ''Desmond's'' character "Lee Stanley", for appearing in Guy Ritchie's crime caper '' Snatch'', and for his comedy roles in TV series like ''The Real McCoy'' and '' The Crou ...
. Warrington played the role of the Hospital Chaplain in ''
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 ...
'', assuming the role of Trevor. He also starred in the 2010 film ''
It's a Wonderful Afterlife ''It's a Wonderful Afterlife'' is a 2010 British comedy film directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay centres on an Indian mother whose obsession with marrying off her daughter leads her into the realm of serial murder. It was filmed primarily ...
''. He also appeared in Grange Hill as Mr Peters, the father of pupil Lauren Peters. He provided voiceover links, reading out the various methods of contacting the show on the ''
Chris Evans Breakfast Show ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'' (currently referred to on-air due to sponsorship reasons as ''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky'') is the name given to two versions of a radio programme hosted by broadcaster Chris Evans in the United ...
'' on BBC Radio 2, which was broadcast from 11 January 2010. Since 2011, Warrington has played Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in the BBC show '' Death in Paradise''. He also appeared as jazz musician Frederick J. Louden in a BBC radio production of ''The Devil's Music'', written by
Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. Career Plater was born in Jarrow, County Durham, although his family ...
. In 2011, Warrington played the father of a suspected terrorist in the last series of the BBC drama '' Waking the Dead''. In 2012, he played master of the college Marcus Harding in “Generation of Vipers”, S6:E2 of ''
Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
''. His film roles included the movie version of ''
Rising Damp Structural dampness is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building, either the result of intrusion from outside or condensation from within the structure. A high proportion of damp problems in buildings are caused by ambient ...
'' (1980), the
Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid-1960s, he was one of the fi ...
horror comedy ''
Bloodbath at the House of Death ''Bloodbath at the House of Death'' is a 1984 British comedy horror film directed by Ray Cameron and starring the comedian Kenny Everett and featuring Vincent Price. It is an over-the-top spoof loosely inspired by ''The Amityville Horror (1979 film ...
'' (1983), '' The Lion of Africa'' (1987),
Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...
's ''
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 ...
'' (1996),
Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are th ...
's ''
8½ Women '' Women'' is a 1999 comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Greenaway and starring John Standing, Matthew Delamere, and Vivian Wu. An international co-production of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany, it was en ...
'' (1999) and the horror film '' Lighthouse'' (1999).


Theatre

Warrington is also a theatre actor and has performed with the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company,
Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...
and the Royal Exchange, Manchester. In 2012–13, he toured with
Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor (born 19 February 1939) is an English actress who has appeared in many British television programmes. She is known for her roles as Amy Pearce in the sitcom ''Duty Free'' (1984–1986); Barbara Liversidge in the sitcom '' Barbara'' ...
in a new stage version of ''
Driving Miss Daisy '' Driving Miss Daisy'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Alfred Uhry, based on his 1987 play of the same name. The film stars Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, and Dan Aykroyd. Freeman reprised his ro ...
''. In 2013, Warrington played the lead role of Joe Keller, in
Talawa Theatre Company Talawa Theatre Company is a Black British theatre company founded in 1986.
's all-black revival of
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
's tragedy '' All My Sons'' at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, directed by
Michael Buffong Michael Buffong (born 1964) is an English theatre director and the Artistic Director of Talawa Theatre Company. His work is characterised by reworking stage classics delivered to high degree of detail. Buffong has been described as "one of the most ...
– a production that ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' reviewer called "flawless", giving it a five-star rating. Warrington performed in the lead role of ''
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 ...
'' in a 2016
Talawa Theatre Company Talawa Theatre Company is a Black British theatre company founded in 1986.
and Royal Exchange, Manchester production.
Mark Shenton Mark Shenton (born 12 September 1962 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a London-based British arts journalist and theatre critic. Between April 2002 and December 2013 he was chief Theatre Critic for the '' Sunday Express''. He formerly wrote a da ...
wrote in ''
The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' that "Warrington seizes and owns it with magnetic, majestic power" as "one of many virtues in this outstanding production." Claire Allfree in ''The Telegraph'' wrote: "Lear is the Everest of roles, and Don Warrington ... ascends the cliff face with magnificent authority. He rages around his daughters like a hulking thunder cloud in human form, not just the incarnation of absolute rule but of something more ancient and of the earth." Warrington appeared as George in
David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...
's ''
Glengarry Glenn Ross ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is a play by David Mamet that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts ...
'' between October 2017 and February 2018 at the
Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...
alongside
Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." D ...
,
Robert Glenister Robert Lewis Glenister (born 11 March 1960 in Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English actor. The son of the television director John Glenister and the older brother of actor Philip Glenister, his roles include con man Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in ...
,
Kris Marshall Kristopher Marshall (born 11 April 1973) is an English actor, starring in films, television and on stage for more than 20 years. He has played Nick Harper in ''My Family'', Colin Frissell in the 2003 film ''Love Actually'', Gratiano in ''The Me ...
and Daniel Ryan. He appeared as the central protagonist
Willy Loman William "Willy" Loman is a fictional character and the protagonist of Arthur Miller's play ''Death of a Salesman'', which debuted on Broadway with Lee J. Cobb playing Loman at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949. Loman is a 63-year-old t ...
in
Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...
's ''
Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...
'' at the
Royal Exchange Theatre The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
from October to November 2018.


''Strictly Come Dancing''

In 2008, Warrington competed in the sixth series of '' Strictly Come Dancing'', partnered with the 2005 and 2006 British National Champion in
Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...
dance,
Lilia Kopylova Lilia Andreyevna Kopylova (russian: link=no, Лилия Андреевна Копылова; born 18 June 1978) is a Russian professional dancer. With her husband Darren Bennett, she has been competing as an amateur since July 1997 and as a p ...
. After Week 4, Warrington was joint seventh out of the remaining 12 contestants with an average of 24.5 points. In Week 5, he was eliminated, having lost the dance-off against
Heather Small Heather Margarita Small (born 20 January 1965) is a British soul singer and former lead vocalist of the band M People. Her subsequent debut solo studio album, ''Proud'', was released in 2000. Career 1987–1998: Hot House and M People Small ...
, with the first three judges all voting for Small over Warrington. He joined the show to step out of his comfort zone, and he appreciated the opportunity to learn to dance.Alex Fletcher
"Don Warrington ('Strictly Come Dancing')"
Digital Spy, 22 October 2008.


Selected television roles


Footnotes


External links

*

* * ttp://www.bentagoe.co.uk/pdf/Rum_cola.pdf West Yorkshire Playhouse "Interview with Don Warrington". {{DEFAULTSORT:Warrington, Don 1951 births Living people 20th-century British male actors 21st-century British male actors Alumni of the Drama Centre London Alumni of the University of Central Lancashire Black British male actors English male television actors English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Members of the Order of the British Empire Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United Kingdom Trinidad and Tobago male stage actors Trinidad and Tobago male television actors