Dudley Sutton (6 April 1933 – 15 September 2018) was an English actor. Active in radio, stage, film and television, he was best known for his role of Tinker Dill in the

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

comedy/drama series ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...

''.

Early life

Sutton was born in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

, and educated at a boys' boarding school at Lifton Park, Devon. He served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

as a mechanic before enrolling in 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 ...

, from which he was later expelled for responding to rock-and-roll.

Career

After early stage work with

Joan Littlewood Joan Maud Littlewood (6 October 1914 – 20 September 2002) was an English theatre director who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and is best known for her work in developing the Theatre Workshop. She has been called "The Mother of M ...

Theatre Workshop Theatre Workshop is a theatre group whose long-serving director was Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company, many of its productions were transferred to theatres in the West ...

, Sutton became known for his unusual roles in two films directed by Sidney J. Furie. He played a frustrated teenager accused with his friends of murder in '' The Boys'' (1962) and a gay biker in '' The Leather Boys'' (1964), both parts showing his potential for offbeat screen personae. At a reunion of the three surviving stars of the earlier film at Elstree Studios on 17 September 2017, Sutton related that he felt himself privileged that these films had dealt with two matters close to his heart: the iniquity of the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

, and

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...

. On stage, he played the title role in the original production of

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his murder in 1967 committed by his partner, was short but highly i ...

's ''

Entertaining Mr Sloane ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' is a three-act play written in 1963 by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964. Pl ...

'' (1964), and transferred with it to Broadway the following year. From 25 May 1966, he appeared in ''Tango'', a play by Slawomir Mrozek at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

alongside

Patience Collier Patience Collier (born Irene Marjorie Ritscher; 19 August 1910 – 13 July 1987) was a British actress. Career Patience Collier began her theatrical career in Manchester. In 1956 she played Maria in Denis Cannan and Pierre Bost's ''The Power ...

, Peter Jeffrey, Mike Pratt, and Ursula Mohan under director

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre director and lyricist. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has dir ...

. Sutton appeared in many films during his career, including '' Rotten to the Core'' (1965), '' Crossplot'' (1969), '' The Devils'' (1971), '' Madame Sin'' (1972), '' The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' (1976), ''

Fellini's Casanova ''Fellini's Casanova'' () is a 1976 Italian film directed by Federico Fellini from a screenplay he co-wrote with Bernardino Zapponi, adapted from the autobiography of 18th-century Venetian adventurer and writer Giacomo Casanova, played by Dona ...

'' (1976), ''

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

'' (1991), and '' The Football Factory'' (2004). Among his many television appearances were his roles as Tinker Dill in ''

'' (1986 and 1991–94) – whose friendship with Lovejoy, the title character, and expertise in the antique trade was the backbone of the show – as Mr Carter in the '' Beiderbecke Trilogy'' and as Oleg Kirov in '' Smiley's People'' (1982). He also featured as Max Deller, a career criminal involved in a heist of

gold bullion A gold bar, also known as gold bullion or a gold ingot, is a quantity of refining, refined metallic gold that can be shaped in various forms, produced under standardized conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record-keeping. Larger varietie ...

in '' The Sweeney'' episode "Golden Boy" and in a Christmas special episode of ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking 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, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

'' (1976) as the somewhat unstable, prison trusty-turned-hostage-taker Reg Urwin, with

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...

and

Richard Beckinsale Richard Arthur Beckinsale (6 July 1947 – 19 March 1979) was an English actor. He played Lennie Godber in the BBC British sitcom, sitcom ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'' (along with its sequel series ''Going Straight'') and Alan Moore ...

In 1999, he appeared in the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

play ''Cosmos the Mystic Dog''. In 2003, Sutton starred opposite Edward Hardwicke in David Bartlett's film ''The Goodbye Plane'', and in 2004, he made an appearance in the soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' for sixteen episodes, playing Wilfred Atkins, a conman. In 2003, Sutton found inspiration from the internet "where apparently people say that every time you masturbate God kills a kitten." From that statement, he developed a comic piece about "a young man's emotions and feelings, from the moment he's a baby tugging at his cock onwards." In August 2003, he performed the one-man ''Killing Kittens'' show at

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

's Underbelly. Sutton followed up ''Killing Kittens'' with a second

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

show ''Pandora's Lunchbox'' in 2006. Following a performance as

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

Peter Ackroyd Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949) is an English biographer, novelist and critic with a specialist interest in the history and culture of London. For his novels about English history and culture and his biographies of, among others, William ...

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 series ''The Romantics'', Sutton joined the cast of ''Albion Rising'' at St Giles in the Fields Church, London, in April 2007. He reprised the role in the film of the same name in 2009. Sutton had a small role in the British teenage drama '' Skins'' as Freddie's granddad. He also appeared in the episode of ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'' broadcast on 15 March 2011 as a patient who fell down an escalator in a shopping centre. In 2012, he featured in the video "Once And For All" by Clock Opera."Clock Opera 'Once and for All' by Ben Strebel"
, ''Promo News'', 4 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-07. Sutton also appeared in episode three of the BBC comedy series ''

Family Tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...

'' ("The Austerity Games"), which was first broadcast in July 2013, and was a guest star in episode three of the BBC series '' Boomers'' in 2014. He played William Makepeace in ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'' in 2014. In 2015 he appeared as a Roman Catholic rector in the BBC TV series ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective. He is featured in 53 short stories by English author G. K. Chesterton, published between 1910 and 1936. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuition and ...

'' episode 3.6 "The Upcott Fraternity". He also appeared in two episodes of the BBC's day time show, ''Doctors'', in August 2015. He narrated the 2016 documentary '' The Future of Work and Death''. In November 2017 he played the lead role in a video for the Tom Chaplin song "Midnight Mass".

Personal life

He married American actress Marjorie Steele in 1961; she had previously been married to the millionaire producer Huntington Hartford. Sutton and Steele had one child together, but divorced in 1965. He had two more children.

Death

Sutton died of cancer on 15 September 2018 at the age of 85.

Filmography

* '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) – lookout (uncredited) * '' Go to Blazes'' (1962) – boy lover * '' The Boys'' (1962) – Stan Coulter * '' The Leather Boys'' (1964) – Pete * '' The Human Jungle'' (1964, TV Series) - ' Ring of Hate ' episode - Leigh Garner * '' The Saint'' (1964, S3E4: "The Scorpion") – Eddy * '' Rotten to the Core'' (1965) – Jelly * '' Crossplot'' (1969) – Warren * ''

The Walking Stick ''The Walking Stick'' is a 1970 British crime drama film directed by Eric Till and starring David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar. It was based on the 1967 novel of the same title by Winston Graham. Plot Deborah Dainton suffers from a limp as a ...

'' (1970) – Ted Sandymount * ''

One More Time One More Time may refer to: Film and television * ''One More Time'' (1931 film), a Merrie Melodies cartoon * ''One More Time'' (1970 film), a film by Jerry Lewis * ''One More Time'', a 1974 TV special with Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, and other ...

'' (1970) – Wilson * '' A Town Called Bastard'' (1971) – Spectre * '' The Devils'' (1971) – Baron De Laubardemont * '' Family Life'' (1971) – Ambulance man (uncredited) * '' Mr. Forbush and the Penguins'' (1971) – Starshot * '' Madame Sin'' (1972) – Monk * '' Diamonds on Wheels'' (1973, TV Movie) – Finch * '' Paganini Strikes Again'' (1973) – Raddings * '' The Stud'' (1974, by Wilbur Stark) – Randy Warpshot / Longstreet / Charlady / Yidnar Warpshot / Newsboy * '' The Sweeney'' (1975) – Golden Boy / Max Deller * ''

'' The Desperate Hours'' (1976) - Reg Urwin * '' Pure as a Lily'' (1976) – Jack * ''

'' (1976) – Duke of Wuertemberg * '' The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' (1976) – Hugh McClaren * '' The Glitterball'' (1977) - (uncredited) * ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot conce ...

'' (1977) – Hodge * '' Valentino'' (1977) – Willie Coleus * '' No. 1 of the Secret Service'' (1977) – K.R.A.S.H. Leader * '' The Big Sleep'' (1978) – Lanny * '' The Playbirds'' (1978) – Hern * '' The London Connection'' (1979) – Goetz * '' The Island'' (1980) – Dr. Brazil * '' George and Mildred'' (1980) – Jacko * '' Brimstone and Treacle'' (1982) – Stroller * '' Smiley’s People'' (1982, TV Mini-Series) - Oleg Kirov * ''

Widows A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

'' (1983, TV Mini-Series) - Boxer Davis * '' Those Glory Glory Days'' (1983, TV Movie) – Arthur – Journalist * '' Lamb'' (1985) – Haddock * ''

'' (TV Series 1986–1994) – Tinker Dill * ''A State of Emergency'' (1986) – Soviet professor * ''

The Rainbow ''The Rainbow'' is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence, first published by Methuen & Co. in 1915. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family living in Nottinghamshire, focusing particularly on the individual's struggle for growt ...

'' (1989) – MacAllister * ''

'' (1991) – Bishop of Winchester * ''

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

'' (1992) – King James I * ''

Incognito Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity". Incognito may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''Incognito'', a 1915 film featuring Rae Berger * ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Dan ...

'' (1998) – Halifax / Offul * '' The Tichborne Claimant'' (1998) – Onslow Onslow * '' Up at the Villa'' (2000) – Harold Atkinson * ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'' (2000, TV Movie) - Mr Dick * ''This Filthy Earth'' (2001) – Papa * '' Tomorrow La Scala!'' (2002) – Dennis * ''The Goodbye Plane'' (2003) - Harry * '' Song for a Raggy Boy'' (2003) – Brother Tom * '' The Football Factory'' (2004) – Bill Farrell * ''

'' (2004) – Wilfred Atkins * '' Irish Jam'' (2006) – Pat Duffy * '' Dean Spanley'' (2008) – Marriot * ''Sezon tumanov'' (2009) – Darby * ''Albion Rising'' (2009) – William Blake * ''Skins'' (2010, TV Series) – Norman McClair * ''The Shouting Men'' (2010) – Charlie * ''Weekend Retreat'' (2011) – Paulie * ''Billy the Kid'' (2011) – Billy * '' Outside Bet'' (2011) – Alfie Hobnails * '' Cockneys vs Zombies'' (2012) – Eric * '' Katherine of Alexandria'' (2014) – Marcellus * ''Tin'' (2015) – Zachariah Bennett * ''Father Brown'' (2015) - The Upcott Fraternity (episode 6, season 3) - Father Francis Palfreyman * ''When the Devil Rides Out'' (2017) – George * ''Steven Berkoff's Tell Tale Heart'' (2019) – Old Man

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Dudley 1933 births 2018 deaths Male actors from Surrey English male film actors English male soap opera actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Royal Air Force airmen Actors from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames People from Kingston upon Thames