Glyndwr Desmond Houston (23 October 1925 – 30 June 2019) was a Welsh actor best known for his

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

work. He was the younger brother of film actor Donald Houston.

Early life

Houston was born at 10 Thomas Street, Tonypandy,

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

, Wales. He served in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and was briefly a stand-up comedian performing for soldiers during the war. He made his first film appearance in '' The Blue Lamp'' in 1950. In 1951 he appeared at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End in the comedy play '' The Happy Family'' by Michael Clayton Hutton.

Career

In the 1970s Houston played

Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A amateur, dilettante who solves myst ...

's valet Bunter opposite

Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who Ian Carmichael on stage, screen and radio, worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career that spanned seventy years. Born in Kingston upon ...

in television adaptations of several of Dorothy Sayers tales. His performance was praised in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Later, he had a role as a literary agent in the 1980s British sitcom '' Keep It in the Family''. He appeared in a number of films including '' The Great Game''. Other credits included 'Peter Ridgway' in 'Colonel March of Scotland Yard' Episode 'The Stolen Crime' (1956), ''My Good Woman'' (1973–1974), '' A Horseman Riding By'' (1978), ''

Inspector Morse Endeavour Morse, GM, is the namesake character of the series of "Morse" detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, a Detective Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. On television he was portrayed by John ...

'', '' It Ain't Half Hot Mum'', '' Minder'' and '' Doomwatch'', as well as the recurring character "Det Supt Jones" in '' Softly, Softly''. He also appeared twice as different characters in ''

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 ...

'' — as "Professor Owen Watson" in '' The Hand of Fear'' (1976) and as "Colonel Ben Wolsey" in '' The Awakening'' (1984). He also played Brother Cadfael in a 1979 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of '' One Corpse Too Many''. Houston had over two hundred television and film credits, dating back as early as 1950. Houston won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Cymru special award in April 2008. A highlight of Houston's career was his appearance at the concert to celebrate the opening of the

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

in 1999 along with other actors such as Ioan Gruffudd and Harry Secombe.

Personal life

Houston was married to the actress and model Shirley Lawrence and had two children. In May 2000 he unveiled a Mining Memorial in his native Rhondda at the Rhondda Heritage Park. He led the tributes to the thousands of miners who died and suffered during 150 years of mining in the

South Wales coalfield The South Wales Coalfield () extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, especially in the South Wales ...

. He released an autobiography titled ''Glyn Houston, A Black and White Actor'' in December 2009. Houston died at the age of 93 on 30 June 2019.

Selected filmography

* '' The Blue Lamp'' (1950) - Barrow Boy (uncredited) * '' Waterfront'' (1950) - Sailor (uncredited) * '' Trio'' (1950) - Ted (segment "The Verger") * '' The Clouded Yellow'' (1950) - Lancastrian Bus Conductor (uncredited) * '' Home to Danger'' (1951) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

'' (1951) - Railway Shunter (uncredited) * '' I Believe in You'' (1952) - Passerby (uncredited) * '' Wide Boy'' (1952) - George * '' The Gift Horse'' (1952) - Assistant Engineer (uncredited) * '' Girdle of Gold'' (1952) - Dai Thomas * '' The Great Game'' (1953) - Ned Rutter * '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953) - Phillips * '' Turn the Key Softly'' (1953) - Bob * '' Stryker of the Yard'' (1953) * '' Hell Below Zero'' (1954) - Borg * '' River Beat'' (1954) - Charlie Williamson * '' The Rainbow Jacket'' (1954) - (uncredited) * '' The Sleeping Tiger'' (1954) - Bailey * '' Betrayed'' (1954) - Paratrooper Corporal (uncredited) * '' The Sea Shall Not Have Them'' (1954) - Knox * '' The Happiness of Three Women'' (1954) - Morgan * '' Passage Home'' (1955) - Charley Boy * '' Lost'' (1956) - Bus Driver (uncredited) * ''

Private's Progress ''Private's Progress'' is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Boulting and starring Richard Attenborough, Dennis Price, Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael. The script was by John Boulting and Frank Harvey, based on the novel of the same ...

'' (1956) - Corporal on Sick Call (uncredited) * '' Who Done It?'' (1956) - Arresting Policeman (uncredited) * '' The Long Arm'' (1956) - Detective-Sergeant in 'Q' car * '' High Flight'' (1957) - Controller Leuchars * '' The Birthday Present'' (1957) - Police Officer in Court (uncredited) * '' The One That Got Away'' (1957) - Harry 'Hurricane' (uncredited) * '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) - Stoker (uncredited) * '' A Cry from the Streets'' (1958) - Police Sergeant (uncredited) * '' Nowhere to Go'' (1958) - Box Office Clerk (uncredited) * '' Tiger Bay'' (1959) - Detective at Police Station (uncredited) * '' Breakout'' (1959) - Man in pub (uncredited) * '' Jet Storm'' (1959) - Michaels * '' Four Desperate Men'' (1959) (aka ''Siege of Pinchgut'') - Navy Rating (uncredited) * '' Follow a Star'' (1959) - Fred (Steam Cleaner) (uncredited) * '' Sink the Bismarck!'' (1960) - Seaman on 'Prince of Wales' (uncredited) * '' The Battle of the Sexes'' (1960) - 2nd Porter * '' Circus of Horrors'' (1960) - Carnival Barker (uncredited) * '' There Was a Crooked Man'' (1960) - Smoking Machinist * '' The Bulldog Breed'' (1960) - Gym Instructor (uncredited) * '' How Green Was My Valley'' (1960, TV series) - Davy Morgan * '' Mill of Secrets'' (1960, TV series) - Douglas Wallace * '' Deadline Midnight'' (1961, TV series) - Mike Grieves * ''

Payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

'' (1961) - Frank Moore * '' The Wind of Change'' (1961) - Det. Sgt. Parker * '' The Green Helmet'' (1961) - Pit Manager * '' Flame in the Streets'' (1961) - Hugh Davies * ''

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

'' (1962) - Inspector Harris * '' Mix Me a Person'' (1962) - Sam * '' Solo for Sparrow'' (1962) - Inspector Sparrow * '' A Stitch in Time'' (1963) - Cpl. Welsh, St. John's Ambulance Brigade * '' Panic'' (1963) - Mike * '' One Way Pendulum'' (1965) - Detective Inspector Barnes * '' The Secret of Blood Island'' (1965) - Berry * '' The Brigand of Kandahar'' (1965) - Marriott * ''

Invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

'' (1965) - Police Sergeant Draycott * ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series that was made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, following the 1958 film, '' Gideon's Day''. The film and series are based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. ...

'' Episode: 'Fall High, Fall Hard' (TV series 1965) - Det. Sgt. Carmichael (his actor brother Donald Houston also appeared in the episode) * '' Headline Hunters'' (1968) - Gresham * ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by David Croft (TV producer), David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Croft also served as executive producer and television directo ...

'' (1977) - Cesar Rodriguez * '' A Horseman Riding By'' (1978, TV Series) - John Rudd * ''Breakaway: A Family Affair'' (1980) - Chief Superintendent Bert Sinclair (six episodes) * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) - Peters * '' If You Go Down in the Woods Today'' (1981) - Ticket Collector * ''Conspiracy'' (1989) - William Brain * ''

Old Scores ''Old Scores'' is a 1991 television film jointly produced by New Zealand and Wales, about the two countries' mutual national sport of rugby union. It is notable for the appearance of many notable Wales national rugby union team, Welsh and All B ...

'' (1991) - Aneurin Morgan * '' The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' (1993) - Grewgious

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Glyn 1925 births 2019 deaths British Army personnel of World War II People from Clydach Vale Welsh male film actors Welsh male comedians Welsh male television actors Welsh people of Scottish descent Male actors from Rhondda Cynon Taf