Derek Godfrey (3 June 1924 – 18 June 1983) was an English actor, associated with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

from 1960, who also appeared in several films and

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 ...

television dramatisations during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in London, he performed with the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

from 1956 where he played the roles of Iachimo and Enobarbus.Michael Dobson, Stanley W. Wells. ''Oxford Companion to Shakespeare''. Oxford University Press, 2001 With the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1960, he performed as Orsino,

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

Petruchio Petruchio ( ; an anglicisation of the Italian name Petruccio, ) is the male protagonist in Shakespeare's '' The Taming of the Shrew'' (c. 1590–1594). Plot In the play, Petruchio comes to the town of Padua in the hopes of marrying a wealthy ...

and Malvolio. According to ''The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare'', Godfrey " th his fine voice and often sardonic appearance...was a loyal company actor who revealed an intuitive grasp of the dark characters in Jacobean plays". Also in 1960, he appeared on television in the series ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'' in the episode entitled "Position of Trust" as a casino manager. http://danger-man.co.uk/episodeDetails.asp?episodeID=7&seriesNo=1 He created the role of Jack Gurney in Peter Barnes's play '' The Ruling Class''. He also appeared in a number of films such as '' Hands of the Ripper'' and '' The Abominable Dr. Phibes'', and the BBC television dramas '' The Pallisers'' (as Robert Kennedy), ''

Warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

'' (as Captain Edward Holt) and ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'', or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'', is the third novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839. The character of Nickleby is a young man who must support his ...

'' (1977, as Ralph Nickleby).

Family

Derek Godfrey was married to Australian actress Diana Fairfax; the couple had two daughters.

Filmography

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Derek 1924 births 1983 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male stage actors English male Shakespearean actors Male actors from London 20th-century English male actors