Eric Norman Dodson (1 December 1920 – 13 January 2000) was an English

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

born in

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, who played many roles in films and on television. After amateur acting he joined 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 ...

in 1941. Following training in Canada he served in

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

, flew bombers and was a liaison officer in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. He then returned to acting with a repertory theatre in Edinburgh. He appeared as bar owner Jack Pomeroy in Series Three to Five of ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, ...

''. He also appeared in the sitcom ''

It Ain't Half Hot Mum ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' is a British television sitcom about a Royal Artillery concert party based in Deolali in British India and the fictional village of Tin Min in Burma, during the final months of the Second World War. It was written by ...

'' as a Brigadier, the ''

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 '' The Visitation'', in ''

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 ...

'' as Banyard and many other roles.BFI.org
/ref> His film appearances included ''

The Dock Brief ''The Dock Brief'' (US title ''Trial and Error''; also known as ''A Case for the Jury'') is a 1962 black-and-white UK, British legal satire directed by James Hill (British director), James Hill, starring Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough, a ...

'' (1962), '' Danger by My Side'' (1962), '' Strictly for the Birds'' (1963), ''

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

'' (1969), '' The Mirror Crack'd'' (1980), ''

The Masks of Death ''The Masks of Death'' is a 1984 British mystery television film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes and John Mills as Doctor Watson. Plot In 1913, Sherlock Holmes, virtually in retirement, is persuaded by ...

'' (1984) and '' Jekyll & Hyde'' (1990). In the late 1980s, Eric and his wife Rosaline made their home in Sherborne, Gloucestershire where he took a hobby repairing and making harpsichords. He was also asked on many occasions to play the organ at the village church. He was unable to work for the last five years of his life due to illness and died in 2000 at age 79.

Filmography

*'' A Touch of the Sun'' (1956) – Hotel Head Waiter (uncredited) *''

Night Train for Inverness ''Night Train for Inverness'' (also known as ''Night Train to Inverness'') is a 1960 black and white British second feature ('B') drama film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Norman Wooland, Jane Hylton and Dennis Waterman. It was writte ...

'' (1960) – Railwayman (uncredited) *'' Sentenced for Life'' (1960) – (uncredited) *'' Fate Takes a Hand'' (1961) – Janitor *''

Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''Th ...

'', ('' Solo for Sparrow'', episode) (1962) – Dr. Wolfson *'' Danger by My Side'' (1962) – Warder Davis *''

'' (1962) – Examiner *''Gang War'' (1962) – Quigley *'' The Set Up'' (1963) – Walker *'' Dr. Crippen'' (1963) – Defence QC Clerk (uncredited) *'' Strictly for the Birds'' (1963) – George *''

'' (1969) – RAF Officer (uncredited) *'' The Mirror Crack'd'' (1980) – The Major *''

'' (1984) – Lord Claremont

Notes

External links

* 1920 births 2000 deaths English male television actors Male actors from Peterborough 20th-century English male actors Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force officers {{UK-tv-actor-1920s-stub