Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a British stage and screen actor, with a strong reputation for Shakespearean roles in the theatre.
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including:
**ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
drama series ''The Sandbaggers
''The Sandbaggers'' is a British spy thriller television series created by Ian Mackintosh, about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV from 1978 to 1980, ''The Sandbaggers'' e ...
'' as Matthew Peele. He also appeared in ''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 ...
'' as DCS Richards, ''Within These Walls
''Within These Walls'' is a British television drama programme made by London Weekend Television for ITV and shown between 1974 and 1978. It portrayed life in HMP Stone Park, a fictional women's prison. Unlike later women-in-prison TV series ...
'' as Charles Radley, and ''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 corporate polluter Stevens in ''The Green Death
''The Green Death'' is the fifth and final serial of the Doctor Who (season 10), tenth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 19 May to 23 June 19 ...
''. He played Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard (Latin language, Latin: ''cohortes praetoriae'') was the imperial guard of the Imperial Roman army that served various roles for the Roman emperor including being a bodyguard unit, counterintelligence, crowd control and ga ...
commander Macro in the ITV Roman series '' The Caesars''. His other television appearances include the cult children's television series ''Freewheelers
''Freewheelers'' is a British television series made by Southern Television between 1968 and 1973 for the ITV network. It was created by the television producer Chris McMaster, who was aware of the popularity of adult action series such as '' ...
'' as the manic Professor Nero, and the science fiction police drama ''Space Precinct
''Space Precinct'' is a British television series that was first broadcast by syndication in the United States between 1994 and 1995. In the UK, it was first shown on channel Sky One between March and August 1995, and later BBC Two from Septem ...
'' as Captain Podley.
In 2002 Willis appeared 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 ...
, in ''Pericles
Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...
'' at the Roundhouse in London.
His film credits included ''Siege of the Saxons
''Siege of the Saxons'' is a 1963 British medieval adventure film directed by Nathan H. Juran and released by Columbia Pictures. Starring Janette Scott and Ronald Lewis, the film is set in the time of King Arthur, but, as with many Arthurian t ...
'' (1963), ''A Jolly Bad Fellow
''A Jolly Bad Fellow'' (U.S. title: ''They All Died Laughing''; also known as ''Don Among the Dead Men'') is a 1964 British black comedy film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Leo McKern and Janet Munro. '' (1964), ''Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan.
Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...
'' (1966), '' The Magus'' (1968), ''Doomwatch
''Doomwatch'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC1 between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist ( ...
'' (1972), '' Yellow Dog'' (1973), '' Winstanley'' (1975), '' Lifeforce'' (1985), '' God's Outlaw'' (1986), ''Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady
''Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady'' and its sequel, '' Incident at Victoria Falls'' (1992), are a pair of TV films made in 1991 under the banner ''Sherlock Holmes the Golden Years''. Harry Alan Towers was executive producer and Bob Shayne wa ...
'' (1991), ''Incident at Victoria Falls
''Incident at Victoria Falls'' (also known as ''Sherlock Holmes and the Incident at Victoria Falls'' and ''Sherlock Holmes: The Star of Africa'') is the 1992 sequel to ''Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady'', and the second and final film in th ...
'' (1992) and ''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).
Early career
Jerome Willis started his career as a newsreader, disc jockey and actor when he was posted to Ceylon
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, now Sri Lanka, in 1946 as a part of his national service 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 ...
. He served in communications for the Ceylonese station Radio SEAC.Michel Saint-Denis
Michel Jacques Saint-Denis (13 September 1897 – 31 July 1971), ''dit'' Jacques Duchesne, was a French actor, theatre director, and drama theorist whose ideas on actor training have had a profound influence on the development of European th ...
. Fellow students included Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier (; 28 October 1929 – 16 January 2025), commonly known as Dame Joan Plowright, was an English actress whose career spanned over six decades. She received several accolades including two Golden Globe Awards, an ...
and Prunella Scales
Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales (''née'' Illingworth; born 22 June 1932) is an English retired actress. She portrayed Sybil Fawlty, the bossy wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy ''Fawlty Towers'' and Queen Elizabeth ...
. Upon graduating in 1951, he joined the West of England Touring Company, alongside fellow student Plowright.
Filmography
References
External links
*
Obituary in ''Doctor Who online''
1928 births
2014 deaths
English male film actors
English male television actors
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