Bennett Roberts (1 July 1950 – 7 June 2021) was a Welsh actor most famous for his portrayal of Chief Inspector

Derek Conway Derek Leslie Conway TD (born 15 February 1953) is an English politician and television presenter. A member of the Conservative Party, Conway served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham from 1983 to 199 ...

in the ITV British television series ''

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 ...

''.

Early life

Roberts was born in Bangor,

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

on 1 July 1950. He attended Friars School and went on to study at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

in London, graduating in 1978.

Career

He was best known for playing Chief Inspector Derek Conway in ''The Bill'' between 1987 and 2002. Other numerous television appearances include '' The Professionals'', ''

Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'', '' The Queen's Nose'', ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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''. He had also been active in films. In 2010, he appeared in the Mike Leigh film, '' Another Year''. In 2011, he played Briggs in Cary Fukunaga's ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

''. In 2014, he played Jean in '' A Little Chaos'' directed by Alan Rickman, and then in 2016 appearing in ''

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' is a 2011 contemporary fantasy debut novel by American author Ransom Riggs. The story is told through a combination of narrative and a mix of vernacular and found photography from the personal ...

'', directed by Tim Burton. In 2019, he appeared as William, in the Danish biographical film '' Daniel''.

Personal life

Roberts lived in

Ilkeston Ilkeston ( ) is a town located in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England, with a population of 40,953 at the 2021 census. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared. Part of t ...

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 ...

, with his wife, Helen Lloyd, a former television producer and

continuity announcer In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...

for Central TV. Roberts had one son and one granddaughter. Roberts died on 7 June 2021, at the age of 70.

Filmography

Television

*'' A Woman's Place?'' (1978) – Mark *'' The Professionals'' (1980) – CI5 Man *''

'' (1980) – Graham *''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' (1984) – Trooper * '' Special Squad'' (1984) *'' The Bretts'' (1987) – Milkman *''

Hard Cases "Hard Cases" is the fourth episode of the second season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by Joy Lusco from a story by David Simon & Joy Lusco and was directed by Elodie Keene. It originally aired on June 22, 20 ...

'' (1988) – Tom Gregory *''

'' (1988–2002) – Chief Inspector Derek Conway *''Tales of Sherwood Forest'' (1989) – Malcolm *''

: Target'' (1996) – Acting Supt. Conway *''

Sooty Heights ''Sooty Heights'' is a British children's television series, created and presented by Richard Cadell, co-stars Liana Bridges and Brenda Longman, produced by Granada Television, and aired on the CITV block of ITV from 27 September 1999 to 11 ...

'' (2000) – Policeman *'' The Queen's Nose'' (2001) – Sir Cedric Barkhouse *''

'' (2005) – Mike Meller *''

'' (2010) – Brian Taylor *''

'' (2012) – Dennis Hirst

Film

*'' Fallet - Skandia'' (TV movie) (2009) – Will Mesdag *'' Another Year'' (2010) – Mourner *''

'' (2011) – Briggs *'' A Little Chaos'' (2014) – Jean *''

'' (2016) – 40's First Old Man *'' Daniel'' (2019) – William

References

External links

* Actors from Bangor, Gwynedd Welsh male television actors 1950 births 2021 deaths Male actors from Gwynedd {{UK-screen-actor-stub