Derek John Newark (8 June 1933 – 11 August 1998) was an English actor in television, film and theatre.

Career

Newark began his working life as a soldier in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

before joining the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. However, he wanted to become an actor, and left the Army to study at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

. Newark appeared in a large number of film and television roles, including '' The Baron'' (1967), '' The Avengers'' (three episodes in the 1960s), ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'' (six episodes between 1969 and 1972), '' Barlow'' in the regular role of Det. Insp. Tucker (1974–1975) and various other minor roles. He appeared in episodes two to four of the first ''

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 ...

'' story ''

An Unearthly Child ''An Unearthly Child'' (sometimes referred to as ''100,000 BC'') is the first serial of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 Decem ...

'' in 1963. Later he appeared opposite

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...

in the 1970 story '' Inferno''. Newark also played the role of Spooner, an ill-tempered former Red Devil turned professional wrestler in the series '' Rising Damp''. In the 1970s, Newark became more involved in the theatre, spending nearly a decade at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

. While there he was part of the company that opened its current South Bank home and was a cornerstone of the residential company that worked in the smaller Cottesloe Theatre under Bill Bryden's direction. His most important roles there were Bottom in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' and the world premiere of

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

's '' Glengarry Glen Ross'' where he played Shelley Levene (a role later played on screen by

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...

). At the National he also appeared as Malcolm in Alan Ayckbourn's '' Bedroom Farce'', which transferred to the West End and then Broadway. He also created the role of Roote in

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 play '' The Hothouse'' which premiered in 1980 in a production directed by the playwright. Amongst later work on television, he starred in the second series of '' Juliet Bravo'' as Councillor Jack Winterbottom. In 1982, Newark played

Martin Bormann Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery, private secretary to Adolf Hitler, and a war criminal. Bormann gained immense power by using his position as Hitler ...

in the TV series '' Inside the Third Reich''. He appeared as W. C. Fields with Caroline Quentin in the 1983

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

play ''Hollywood Hits Chiswick'' In the cinema Newark appeared as Jessard, Sgt. Johnson's (

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

) sidekick in the police drama '' The Offence'' (

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

1972).

Death

Newark died of a heart attack, brought on by

liver failure Liver failure is the inability of the liver to perform its normal synthetic and metabolic functions as part of normal physiology. Two forms are recognised, acute and chronic (cirrhosis). Recently, a third form of liver failure known as acute- ...

after years of alcoholism, on 11 August 1998 in West London.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre work

* '' Bedroom Farce'' (1977) * ''The Hothouse'' (1980) * ''

'' (1982) * '' The Mayor of Zalamea'' (1982) * '' Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1983) * ''Golden Boy'' (1984)

References

External links

*
Derek Newark
at Theatricalia {{DEFAULTSORT:Newark, Derek 1933 births 1998 deaths English male television actors English male film actors Actors from Great Yarmouth 20th-century English male actors Alcohol-related deaths in England Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Coldstream Guards soldiers Royal Artillery soldiers Military personnel from Great Yarmouth 20th-century British Army personnel