Tim Preece (born 5 August 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared on British television since the 1960s and also acted on stage.

Early life

Preece was born in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

and was educated at

the Priory Grammar School for Boys, Shrewsbury The Priory Grammar School for Boys was a maintained (state-funded) grammar school for boys located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. It was established in 1910 and the last grammar school students left in 1983. History Th ...

. He trained as an actor at the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

Career

In 1965, Preece was cast as Nipple in '' Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs'' by David Halliwell. He played the role in 1965 at the Dublin Theatre Festival, at the West End premiere opposite

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

in 1966, and later that autumn in the Broadway premiere directed by

Alan Arkin Alan Wolf Arkin (March 26, 1934 – June 29, 2023) was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. In a career spanning seven decades, he received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony A ...

. He was the only original cast member to transfer to Broadway. Preece's television roles include playing Codal in the six-part ''

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 '' Planet of the Daleks'' (1973) and Tom Patterson in the first two series of ''

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. Three series were produced from 1976 to 1979, based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the fi ...

'' (1976–77). He later returned to the role for ''

The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. Three series were produced from 1976 to 1979, based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the fi ...

'' (1996). He also appeared as the editor of a local newspaper in "The Journalist", an episode of '' People Like Us'' (2001) with

Chris Langham Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is an English writer, actor, and comedian. He is known for playing the cabinet minister Hugh Abbot in the BBC sitcom ''The Thick of It'', and as presenter Roy Mallard in '' People Like Us'', first on ...

. Preece played the recurring role of Rev. Sparrow in '' Waiting for God'' (1992–94). His other television appearances include the ''

Foyle's War ''Foyle's War'' is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after the Second World War, created by '' Midsomer Murders'' screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz and commissioned by ITV after the long-running series ...

'' episode " War Games" (2003) as James Philby, the pilot of a doomed holiday jet in the ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' episode "Cascade" (1992), and as Mark's careers guidance counsellor and therapist in the ''

Peep Show A peep show, peepshow, or, a peep booth is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the devel ...

'' episode "Dream Job" (2003). In 2017, Preece appeared in a

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, ...

production of the improvised play ''Lost Without Words''.

Selected filmography

* '' Crossplot'' (1969) * '' Out of the Trees'' (1976, TV) * '' Brimstone and Treacle'' (1982) * '' Vanity Fair'' (2004) * '' Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' (2007) * '' The Ghost Writer'' (2010)

References

External links

* *
Amanda Howard Associates
1938 births Living people Male actors from Shrewsbury Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School English male stage actors English male television actors {{UK-tv-actor-1930s-stub