Nigel Stock (21 September 1919 – 23 June 1986) was a British actor who played character roles in many films and television dramas. He played

Dr. Watson Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). "The Adventure of Shosc ...

in the BBC's television adaptations of the

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

stories between 1964 and 1968, and is known for his supporting roles as a solidly reliable English soldier or bureaucrat in several war and historical film dramas. He also played the title role in '' Owen, M.D.'' (1971—73).

Early life

Stock was born in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, the son of an Army captain. He grew up in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

before attending St Paul's School, London and 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 ...

, where he earned the Leverhulme Exhibition, Northcliffe Scholarship, and the Principal's Medal.

Military service

Stock served in 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 ...

with the London Irish Rifles and the Assam Regiment of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Kohima Kohima (; Tenyidie: Kewhira ()) is the capital of the North East Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Kohima constitutes both a district and a municipality. The m ...

. He was honourably discharged with the rank of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, having twice been

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

Acting

Stock made his stage debut in 1931, and during his career achieved numerous classical and contemporary credits at various distinguished theatres, including the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

and on Broadway, with productions of ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'', ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', '' She Stoops to Conquer'', ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897, and first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre, directed by Konstan ...

''. His start in films came with uncredited bit parts in '' The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' (1938) and '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1939). In 1937 he made his first credited film appearance in '' Lancashire Luck''. After his wartime service, Stock returned to acting. His film appearances included popular releases such as '' Brighton Rock'' (1947), '' The Dam Busters'' (1955), '' Victim'' (1961), '' The Great Escape'' (1963), '' The Lion in Winter'' and '' The Lost Continent'' (both 1968), and ''

Russian Roulette Russian roulette () is a potentially lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against the head or body (their opponent's or their own), and pulls the trigger. If the ...

'' (1975). Between 1964 and 1968, Stock became a household name in the UK for his portrayal of

in a series of

dramas for BBC television. Later in life, he portrayed the mentor of Sherlock Holmes in ''

Young Sherlock Holmes ''Young Sherlock Holmes'' (also known with the title card name of ''Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear'') is a 1985 American mystery adventure film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Chris Columbus, based on the characters ...

''. His other numerous television credits included ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'' (1965), '' The Avengers'' (1964 & 1966), ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan portrays Number Six (The Prisoner), Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a The Village (The Prisoner), mysteri ...

'' (1967), '' The Doctors'' (1969–71), '' Owen, M.D.'' (1971–73), '' Quiller'' (1975), '' Van der Valk'' (1977), 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 ...

'' serial '' Time Flight'' (1982), ''

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 ...

'' (1982), '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (1979) and for a BBC dramatisation of ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...

'' (1980) as well as ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was the Debut novel, first novel serialised from March 1836 to November 1837 by English author Charles Dickens. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Bo ...

'' (1985) as

Mr. Pickwick Samuel Pickwick is a fictional character and the main protagonist in ''The Pickwick Papers'' (1836-37), the first novel by author Charles Dickens. One of the author's most famous and loved creations, Pickwick is a retired successful businessman ...

. Stock and his third wife, Richenda Carey, had just appeared together on stage in the world premiere of ''Mumbo Jumbo'' in May 1986, when, on 23 June 1986, he died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, aged 66.

Personal life and death

Stock was married three times. He married his first wife, Catherine Hodnett, in 1943; the couple had one son and divorced in 1947. His second marriage was to Sonia Williams in 1951. They divorced in 1980 after having three children together. Stock's third marriage was to actress Richenda Carey in 1979. They remained married until his death. Stock was found dead of natural causes on Monday 23 June 1986 at his home in north London. He was 66 years old.

Radio

* ''Giles Cooper - The return of General Forefinger'' (1961) *
Wimsey - Have His Carcase
' (BBC radio; 1981) as Inspector Umpelty * ''

Space Force A space force is a military branch of a nation's armed forces that conducts military operations in outer space and space warfare. The world's first space force was the Russian Space Forces, established in 1992 as an independent military service. ...

'' (1984–85) as Magnus Carter * ''221B'' (1986) as Dr Watson

Filmography

Film

Television

* ''

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 ...

'' (Episode: To Have and to Hold'') (1963) – George Matthews - (Working Title: '' BFI'': 'Sleep Long, My Love') * '' Espionage (TV series)'' ('Medal for a Turned Coat', episode) (1964) - Harry Forbes * '' The Prisoner (TV series)'' ('Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling', episode) (1967) - The Colonel

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stock, Nigel 1986 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British Army personnel of World War II English male film actors English male radio actors English male stage actors English male television actors London Irish Rifles officers People educated at St Paul's School, London 20th-century English male actors British Indian Army officers Indian Army personnel of World War II Maltese military personnel