Moray Robin Philip Adrian Watson (25 June 1928 – 2 May 2017) was an English actor from

Sunningdale Sunningdale is a village and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England and is adjoined by green buffers including Sunningdale Golf Club and Wentworth Golf ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

Life

Watson was born in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to Gerard Arthur Watson (1901–1940), a ship broker, who was killed during World War II at Anzegem in Belgium as a Captain in the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foo ...

, and Jean, née McFarlane. His two elder brothers - the younger being J. N. P. Watson (1927-2008), author, hunting correspondent for '' Country Life'' magazine and formerly polo correspondent for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' - were Majors in the British Army. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. He met his future wife Pam, daughter of silent film star Percy Marmont, at The

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

. They went on to marry in 1955 and had two children, Emma in 1957 and Robin in 1959, both of whom went into the theatre world.

Career

Watson made his first appearance on stage while still a student at the

at a matinee performance in memory of

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

Hythe, Kent Hythe () is an old market town and civil parish on the edge of Romney Marsh in Kent, England. ''Hythe'' is an Old English word meaning haven or landing place. History The earliest reference to Hythe is in Domesday Book (1086) though there i ...

. After appearances in

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

, he appeared on the West End stage, including '' The Doctor's Dilemma'' and in ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 List of Maverick ...

'' by Sheridan both at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

. In 1963, he went to New York City to appear in ''The Private Ear and The Public Eye''. He played the part of the Art Editor in the BBC series ''

Compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact, a type of agreement used by U.S. states * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a t ...

'' for some years. He appeared in several films, including ''

Operation Crossbow ''Crossbow'' was the code name in World War II for Anglo-American operations against the German V-weapons, long range reprisal weapons (V-weapons) programme. The primary V-weapons were the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket, which were launched agai ...

'' and ''

The Grass Is Greener ''The Grass Is Greener'' is a 1960 British romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. It was directed by Stanley Donen, with a screenplay adapted by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner from t ...

'', in which he played opposite

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...

and

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Britain during and after the ...

. Watson had a series of television credits to his name, most notably as

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Arthur Maiford, MC (ret.) (but always known to the Larkins as "The General") in '' The Darling Buds of May'' (1991–1993); and George Frobisher in ''

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, ...

'' (1978–1992). He also appeared as Sir Robert Muir in 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 '' Black Orchid''; and had a small role in ''

Yes Minister ''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes f ...

''. He also appeared in the 1974 version of '' The Pallisers'' as Barrington Erle and in the Albert Campion mystery ''The Case of the Late Pig'' as the Chief Constable. He also played a Chief constable in the 1977 BBC series ''Murder Most English'' and Mr Bennet in the 1980 BBC series ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

''. In addition to his long career on stage, television and film Moray Watson undertook three one-man shows. The first in the 1970s was ''The Incomparable Max'' based on the life and work of

Max Beerbohm Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, Parody, parodist and Caricature, caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the theatre crit ...

, written for him by Sheilah Ward and Peter Ling. Years later in the early 2000s he took on ''Ancestral Voices'', based on the diaries of

James Lees-Milne (George) James Henry Lees-Milne (6 August 1908 – 28 December 1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses, who worked for the National Trust from 1936 to 1973. He was an architectural historian, novelist and biographer. His extens ...

written by Hugh Massingberd. His final one-man show was written and devised by himself based on his own life as an actor, entitled ''Looking Back and Dropping Names'', which was published in book form in September 2016. Watson died at the age of 88 on 2 May 2017.

Partial TV and filmography

* ''

The Quatermass Experiment ''The Quatermass Experiment'' is a British science fiction serial broadcast by BBC Television during the summer of 1953 and re-staged by BBC Four in 2005. Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, it tells th ...

'' (1953, TV Series) as Peter Marsh * '' Find the Lady'' (1956) as Jimmy * ''No Wreath for the General'' (1960, TV Series) as Major Johnny Brookman * ''

'' (1960) as Trevor Sellers, the Butler * '' The Valiant'' (1962) as Captain Turnbull * ''

'' (1962-1965, TV Series) as Richard Lowe * ''

Silas Marner ''Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe'' is the third novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It was published on 2 April 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism a ...

'' (1964, TV Series) as Godfrey Cass * '' The Saint'' (1964, TV Series) as Ken Shield * ''

'' (1965) as Colonel Kenneth Post * '' The Avengers'' (1966, TV Series) as Peters * ''

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 ...

'' (1969, TV Series) as Harold Thorburn * '' Every Home Should Have One'' (1970) as Chandler * '' Rookery Nook'' (1970, TV Movie) as Clive Popkiss * ''

Catweazle ''Catweazle'' is a British children's fantasy television series, starring Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and created by Richard Carpenter for London Weekend Television. The first series, produced and directed in 1969 by Quentin Lawrence ...

'' (1971, TV Series) as Lord Collingford * '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1972, TV Series) as Colonel Winter * '' The Pallisers'' (1974, TV Mini-Series) as Barrington Erle * '' Quiller'' (1975, TV Series) as Angus Kinloch * ''Murder Most English'' (1977, TV Series) as Chief Constable Chubb * '' Life of Shakespeare'' (1978, TV Mini-Series) as Nicholas * '' Return of the Saint'' (1978, TV Series) as Buckingham * ''

'' (1978–1992, TV Series) as George Frobisher * ''

'' (1980, TV Mini-Series) as Mr. Bennet * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) as Breene * '' The Professionals'' (1980, TV Series) as Jeremy Sangster * '' Nobody's Perfect'' (1980–1982, TV Series) as Henry Armstrong * '' Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years'' (1981, TV Mini-Series) as Major Desmond Morton * ''The Walls of Jericho'' (1981, TV Mini-Series) as Dr. George Balfour * ''

'' (1982, TV Series - '' Black Orchid'') as Sir Robert Muir * '' Union Castle'' (1982, TV series) - Wordsworth * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1982, TV Series) as Sir Ian Masterson * ''

'' (1982, TV Series - '' The Challenge'') as BBC Director of Policy * ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' (1984, TV Series) as Commander Hawksly * ''

Miss Marple Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of St Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one ...

'' (1984, TV Mini-Series - ''

The Body in the Library ''The Body in the Library'' is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1942 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in May of the same year. The US edition retailed at ...

'') as Colonel Bantry * '' Who Dares Wins'' (1986, TV Series) * '' Still Crazy like a Fox'' (1987, TV Movie) as Hubbard * '' Worlds Beyond'' (1987, TV Series) as Roger Cranley * ''Rude Health'' (1987, TV Series) as Sir Nigel Toft * '' Star Cops'' (1987, TV Series) as Commander * '' Campion'' - "The Case of the Late Pig" (1989, TV Series) as Sir Leo Pursuivant * '' Norbert Smith: A Life'' (1989, TV Movie) as Sir Donald Stuffy * ''

The New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'' (1991, TV Series) as Professor Eugene Quail * ''

The House of Eliott ''The House of Eliott'' is a British television series produced and broadcast by the BBC in three series between 31 August 1991 and 6 March 1994. The series starred Stella Gonet as Beatrice Eliott and Louise Lombard as Evangeline Eliott, two s ...

'' (1991, TV Series) as The Judge * '' A Murder of Quality'' (1991, TV Movie) as Major Harriman * '' The Darling Buds of May'' (1991-1993, TV Series) as Brigadier * '' To Be the Best'' (1992, TV Movie) as Hunter * '' Haggard'' (1992, TV Series) as Henry Nugent * ''

The Vicar of Dibley ''The Vicar of Dibley'' is a British sitcom. It consists of three series, which aired on BBC One from 10 November 1994 to 1 January 2000, and several specials, the most recent of which aired on 23 December 2020. It is set in the fictional Oxfor ...

'' (1994, TV Series) as The Stranger * ''

Kavanagh QC ''Kavanagh QC'' is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV between 3 January 1995 and 25 April 2001. All five series are available on DVD in both Region 1 and Region 2. Plot The series starred John Thaw as barrister J ...

'' (1999, TV Series) as Sir Henry Dorrister * ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'' (2000, TV Series) as Edward Allardice * '' Bertie and Elizabeth'' (2002, TV Movie) as Lord Dawson * ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...

'' (2011, TV Series) as George * '' Run for Your Wife'' (2012) as Man on the Bus

Publications

* ''Looking Back and Dropping Names'' An autobiography, published in September 2016.

References

External links

*
Moray Watson
Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Moray 1928 births 2017 deaths English male stage actors English male television actors English male film actors People educated at Eton College People from Sunningdale