Richard Wilson (born Iain Carmichael Wilson; 9 July 1936) is a Scottish actor, theatre director and broadcaster. He is most famous for playing Victor Meldrew in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom '' One Foot in the Grave''. Another notable role was as

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (biblical figure) (1st century AD) *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist * Gaius Acilius * Gaius Antonius * Gaius Antonius Hybrida * Gaius Asinius Gal ...

, the court physician of Camelot, in the BBC drama ''

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

''.

Early life

Wilson was born in

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He went to Lady Alice Primary school in Greenock. He studied science subjects at Greenock Academy, then completed his National Service with the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving in Singapore.

Career

Wilson worked in a laboratory at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow as a research assistant before switching to acting, aged 27. He trained at

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 ...

(RADA) in London, graduating in 1965 with an Acting (RADA Diploma). He then appeared in repertory theatres in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

( Traverse Theatre),

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

(Stables Theatre). Wilson initially turned down the role of Victor Meldrew and it was almost offered to Les Dawson before Wilson changed his mind. Wilson has stated that he came to hate Meldrew's catchphrase of "I don't believe it!" to the point where he now refuses to say it except for charity. Wilson was appointed an OBE in the 1994 Birthday Honours for services to Drama. In April 1996, he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow for a term of three years. The narration of " The Man Who Called Himself Jesus", from Strawbs' 1969 eponymous first album, was performed by Wilson. Wilson's biography, ''One Foot on the Stage: The Biography of Richard Wilson'', was written by James Roose-Evans. In March 2011, Wilson presented an edition of the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

current affairs programme '' Dispatches'' entitled ''Train Journeys From Hell'', with transport journalist Christian Wolmar highlighting the failings of the British railway network.

Personal life

Wilson has lived in London since 1959. Wilson has been a campaigner for gay rights for many years. He appeared at charity events organised by gay rights campaign group Stonewall, but had not discussed his own sexuality in interviews with the media. He was named in a list of influential gay people in 2013 by '' Time Out'' magazine, which he considered to have outed him. Wilson is a supporter of his local football club, Greenock Morton, but he has come to lend greater support to English club

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

. He is a patron of the Manchester United Supporters Trust. Wilson is a good friend of his ''One Foot in the Grave'' co-star

Angus Deayton Gordon Angus Deayton (; born 6 January 1956) is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. Deayton was the original presenter of two successful British comedy panel shows, ''Have I Got News for You'' (1990–2002) and ''Woul ...

, and is godfather to Deayton's son. Wilson is one of the patrons of Scottish Youth Theatre. Wilson is also a long-time supporter of the charity Sense and in 2007 hosted their annual award ceremony. He is also one of the honorary patrons of the London children's charity, Scene & Heard. He has been Honorary President of the Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA) since 1998. Wilson is a supporter of the Labour Party. He donated more than £5,000 to the party in 1997 and recorded the party's manifesto on audio for the 2010 general election. On 12 August 2016, it was reported that Wilson had suffered a heart attack. He had been due to reprise the role of Victor Meldrew in a one-man show at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In June 2021, Wilson was the guest on BBC Radio 4's '' Desert Island Discs''. His choices included "Hammond Song" by The Roches, '' Symphony No. 6 in D minor'' by Sibelius and " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" performed by

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

. His book choice was the poetry of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

and his luxury item was a subscription to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. Wilson had one older sister, who died in 2021, at the age of 91.

Filmography

Films

* ''Junket 89'' (1970) as Mr Potter * ''The Trouble with 2B'' (1972) as Mr Potter * ''Mark Gertler: Fragments of a Biography'' (1981) as Clive Bell * '' Those Glory Glory Days'' (1983, TV Movie) as Arnold – Journalist * '' A Passage to India'' (1984) as Turton * '' Foreign Body'' (1986) as Col. Partridge * '' Whoops Apocalypse'' (1986) as Nigel Lipman * '' Prick Up Your Ears'' (1987) as Psychiatrist * '' How to Get Ahead in Advertising'' (1989) as Bristol * '' A Dry White Season'' (1989) as Cloete * '' Soft Top Hard Shoulder'' (1992) as Uncle Salvatore * '' Carry On Columbus'' (1992) as Don Juan Felipe * '' The Man Who Knew Too Little'' (1997) as Sir Roger Daggenhurst * '' Women Talking Dirty'' (1999) as Ronald * '' Love and Other Disasters'' (2006) as Registrar * '' Gnomeo & Juliet'' (2011) as Mr. Capulet (voice) * '' Sherlock Gnomes'' (2018) as Mr. Capulet (voice)

Television

* ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...

'' (1956) (Uncredited) * '' Dr. Finlay's Casebook'' (1965) – as Mason * ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

'' (1970s) – as Jeremy Parsons QC (1972–1984) * ''My Good Woman'' (1972–1974) – as Rev. Martin Hooper (in 3 episodes) * Soldier and me (1974) – as Dr Nixon * '' A Sharp Intake of Breath'' 1977 to 1980 * '' The Sweeney'' episode "The Bigger They Are" as DCI Anderson (1978) * ''

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC1, created and written by Raymond Allen (scriptwriter), Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice. It was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for two series, inc ...

'' episode "Wendy House" as Mr Harris The Insurance Man (1978) * '' Only When I Laugh'' (1979–1982) as Gordon Thorpe * '' In Loving Memory'' as Percy Openshaw (in two episodes) * '' Andy Robson'' (1982–1983) – as Mr Ridley (in 3 episodes) * '' The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' episode ''The Red Headed League'' as Duncan Ross (1985) * '' Have I Got News for You'' * '' Screen Two'': Poppyland (1985) as Theodore Watts-Dunton * '' Howards' Way'' (1986 one episode) as Viscount Cunningham * ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'' (1986) * '' Room at the Bottom'' (1986–1988) as Toby Duckworth * '' High & Dry'' as Richard Talbot * '' Tutti Frutti'' (1987) * '' Hot Metal'' (1988) * '' The Play on One: Normal Service'' (1988) as Max * '' Screen Two'': Fellow Traveller (1989) Sir Hugo * '' One Foot in the Grave'' (1990–2000) as Victor Meldrew * ''

Cluedo ''Cluedo'' (), known as ''Clue'' in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players (depending on editions) that was devised in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The game was first manufactured by Waddingt ...

'' (1991) as Reverend Jonathan Green * '' Selling Hitler'' (1991) * '' Mr. Bean'' – episode '' The Trouble with Mr. Bean'' as Mr A. M. Peggit The Dentist (1992) * ''

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 ...

'' – episode "Absolute Conviction (1992)" * '' The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends'' as Mr. McGregor (1992) * '' Under the Hammer'' (1994) (as Ben Glazier) * ''

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...

'' (1996) * ''Lord of Misrule'' (1996) (as Bill Webster). Filmed at Fowey in Cornwall * '' Duck Patrol'' (1998) * ''

Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...

'' – episode " The Mainland" as himself (1998) * '' The Mrs Merton Show'' (1998) guest appearance alongside

Bernard Manning Bernard John Manning (13 August 1930 – 18 June 2007) was an English comedian and nightclub owner. He gained a high profile on British television during the 1970s, appearing on shows such as '' The Comedians'' and '' The Wheeltappers and Shun ...

* '' Other Animals'' (1999) (as Alex Cameron) * '' High Stakes'' (2001) * ''Life As We Know It'' (2001) * '' Jeffrey Archer: The Truth'' as

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

(2002) * ''King of Fridges'' (2004) (as Frank) * ''

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 ...

'' – episodes " The Empty Child" and " The Doctor Dances" (2005) – Doctor Constantine * '' Born and Bred'' (2005) * '' The F Word'' – Appeared as himself in the middle of the first series. (2005) * '' A Harlot's Progress'' (2006) * '' Would I Lie to You?'' (2007) * '' Thank God You're Here'' (2008) * ''

''– (all 65 episodes + 2 Children in Need specials) as

(2008–2012) * '' Demons'' – as Father Simeon (2009) * '' Britain's Best Drives'' (2009) * ''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural comedy drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall (until its final year, when it was handled by Headstrong Pictures), and broadcast on BBC On ...

'' (2009) – as Father Bernárd in episode "The War Against Drugs" * ''Confessions from the Underground'' – Narrated (2012) * ''All Aboard East Coast Trains'' – Narrated (2013) * ''Richard Wilson on the Road'' (2015) * '' Trollied'' (2015) * ''Coming Oot! A Fabulous History of Gay Scotland'' – Narrated (2015) * (2017) travel in style by rail and ship through the Scottish Highlands (documentary) * '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (2021) * '' Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (2023) * '' One Foot in the Grave - 30 Years Of Laughs'' (2023)

Stage acting

* ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', as Malvolio –

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 ...

* ''Whipping it Up'' by Steve Thompson – Bush Theatre, Ambassadors Theatre * '' What the Butler Saw'', as Dr Rance –

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

* '' Peter Pan'', as Mr Darling/Captain Hook –

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

* ''

Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...

'', as Vladimir – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh and Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester * '' Uncle Vanya'', as Vanya – Traverse Theatre * '' A Little Hotel on the Side'' by Georges Feydeau – Theatre Royal, Bath, August 2013 * '' Krapp's Last Tape'', as Krapp, Sheffield Crucible Theatre, 25 June – 19 July 2014 * '' Forty Years On'' by Alan Bennett – Chichester Festival Theatre, as the Headmaster 21 April – 20 May 2017.

Theatre direction

Wilson won the TMA Best Director Award in 2000 for ''Mr Kolpert''. * An Inspector Calls by J B Priestley – The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 1986 * ''A Wholly Healthy Glasgow'' by Ian Heggie – The Royal Exchange Theatre, Edinburgh International Festival, The Royal Court, 1988/89 * ''Women Laughing'' by Michael Wall – The Royal Exchange Theatre, (1992) * ''The Lodger'' by Simon Burke. World premiere at the Royal Exchange Theatre, (1994) * '' Primo'' 2004 * '' The Woman Before'' by Roland Schimmelpfennig –

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

, May 2005 * '' East Coast Chicken Supper'' by Martin J Taylor – The Traverse, 2005 * '' Rainbow Kiss'' by Simon Farquhar –

, April 2006 * '' Smack Family Robinson'' by Richard Bean –

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

, March and April 2013 * '' Blasted'' by

Sarah Kane Sarah Kane (3 February 1971 – 20 February 1999) was an English playwright, screenwriter and theatre director. She is known for her plays that deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture—both physical and psychological ...

– Sheffield Studio, 2015 * ''Peggy For You'' by

Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. He is best known for the sitcom ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' and th ...

– Hampstead Theatre, 2021

Radio

* ''The Corrupted'' (BBC Radio 4, 2017) as Melford Stevenson * ''Radio Diaries'' (BBC Radio 4, 2021) as Archie, a former tango dance partner/teacher on cruise liners, now in a care home, looking back over his life relationship with the tango. Written by Ron Hutchinson. * ''Believe It!'' (BBC Radio 4, 2012-22) as himself in a spoof comic autobiography written by Jon Canter * ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (BBC Radio 4, 2025) as King Lear

Exercise videos

* ''Let's Dance'' (1996)

References

External links

*
The Official Richard Wilson Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Richard 1936 births 20th-century British Army personnel Actors from Greenock Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners Labour Party (UK) donors LGBTQ theatre directors Living people Male actors from Inverclyde Officers of the Order of the British Empire Rectors of the University of Glasgow Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers Royal Shakespeare Company members Scottish gay actors Scottish LGBTQ broadcasters Scottish LGBTQ rights activists Scottish male film actors Scottish male radio actors Scottish male Shakespearean actors Scottish male stage actors Scottish male television actors Scottish television presenters Scottish theatre directors

Early life

Career

Personal life

Filmography

Films

Television

Stage acting

Theatre direction

Radio

Exercise videos

References

Further reading

External links