Thomas Welsh Watson (21 March 1932 – 18 August 2001) was a Scottish-born stage, television and film actor.

Early life

Watson was born on 21 March 1932 at Auchinleck,

Ayrshire Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...

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 ...

. His family later moved to

Cambuslang Cambuslang (, from ) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th-largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a town hall, it may also be cons ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

, and he studied at the Hamilton Academy, where he excelled in amateur dramatics.

Career

Following National Service with the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...

, Watson joined the

Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...

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 ...

, a semi-professional theatre company. In 1956 he joined the Byre Theatre in St Andrews, Scotland, before moving on to Perth Repertory Theatre. There he met his future wife, the actress Joyce Bain.

Television

By 1960 Watson had moved to London and was appearing regularly in

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 ...

radio repertory. In 1964 he was cast in the BBC television production of ''

Martin Chuzzlewit ''The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit'' (commonly known as ''Martin Chuzzlewit'') is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between January 1843 and July 1 ...

''. During his long career Watson appeared in numerous television series, including ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'', '' Dr Finlay's Casebook'', ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries ''Killer'' from 6 until 20 Septe ...

'', ''

Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television series devised by Lynda La Plante. Broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 2006, it stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater Lo ...

'', ''

Hamish Macbeth Hamish Macbeth is the police constable of the fictional Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highland town of Lochdubh, in a series of murder mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). Considered by many to be a useless, lazy moocher, M ...

'', ''

Heartbeat (British TV series) ''Heartbeat'' is a British police procedural period drama series, based upon the ''Constable'' series of novels written by Nicholas Rhea, and produced by Yorkshire Television until it was merged with ITV, then by ITV Studios, from 1992 until ...

'', ''The Main Chance,'' '' Two Thousand Acres of Sky'',

Inspector Rebus The ''Inspector Rebus'' books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin, Sir Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on Inspector#United Kingdom, Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh. They ...

and ''

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It originally starred Kevin Whately as Dr Jack Kerruish, Amanda Burton ...

''. In ''Your Cheatin' Heart'' by

John Byrne (Scottish playwright) John Patrick Byrne (6 January 1940 – 30 November 2023) was a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, artist and designer. He wrote ''The Slab Boys Trilogy'', plays which explore working-class life in Scotland, and the TV dramas ''Tutti Frutti (19 ...

he played six different parts. Following his return to Scotland in 1970 Watson worked regularly for the

and

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

, including appearances as Mobilis in

Cedric Messina Cedric Messina (14 December 1920 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa — 30 April 1993 in London) was a South-African born British television producer and director who worked for the BBC and is best remembered for his involvement in television pro ...

's production of ''The Physicist'' and the Miller in ''

The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' () is a collection of 24 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The book presents the tales, which are mostly written in verse, as part of a fictional storytelling contest held ...

'' for the

, for which he also appeared in such series and dramas as ''The Standard'', ''Hunting Tower'', ''The Camerons'', '' The Nightmare Man'', '' A Wholly Healthy Glasgow'' and '' Govan Ghost Story''. From 1994 to 1996 Watson played the consultant surgeon Mr Ernest Docherty in the BBC series ''

Cardiac Arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

''. He was portrayed as the voice of reason against a management intent on alienating the nursing and clinical staff.

Theatre

Watson's other stage appearances included ''The Catch'' at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

Upstairs in London,

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

's '' Every Good Boy Deserves Favour'' and, as Stanley Evening, ''Bugler Boy'' for the

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded as The Traverse Theatre Club in 1962 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes, Richard Demarco, Terry Lane, Andrew Muir, John Martin and Sheila Colvin. The Traverse Th ...

in Edinburgh. At the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

he appeared in 1970 in Middleton's '' The Changeling (play)'', directed by Richard Eyre, Sir David Lyndsay's '' Ane Satire of the Thrie Estates'' (1984), and ''A Wholly Healthy Glasgow'', directed by Richard Wilson, in 1987. Watson’s theatre credits continued with appearances in

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

's '' Fool for Love (play)'' at the

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, ...

and in the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, Central London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London an ...

, ''In Time of Strife'' at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, '' Born Yesterday'' at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, ''The Treatment'' and ''Some Voices'' at the

, ''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' (, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the play was revised for an 1842 edition. Base ...

'' at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

, Islington, in 1997 and 1998,and ''Victoria'' for 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 2000.

Films

Watson’s film work included '' Silent Scream'', '' The Big Man'' (1990) and

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, wikt:languid#Etymology 1, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b ...

's ''

The Winter Guest ''The Winter Guest'' is a 1997 drama film directed by Alan Rickman (in his feature directorial debut) and starring Phyllida Law and Emma Thompson. Plot Set in Scotland on one wintry day, the film focuses on eight people; a mother and daughter ...

''.

Poems

Watson also produced a volume of poems, ''Dark Whistle'', published in 1997. Scottish Poetry Library listing – Dark Whistle by Tom Watson
Retrieved 20 October 2010

Death

Watson died on 18 August 2001 at St Andrew's Memorial Hospital in St Andrews, Fife.

References

External links

Television guide and credits, Tom Watson * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Tom 1932 births 2001 deaths People educated at Hamilton Academy Scottish male stage actors Scottish male film actors Scottish male television actors 20th-century Scottish male actors People from Auchinleck People from Cambuslang Royal Scots soldiers Military personnel from East Ayrshire 20th-century British Army personnel Male actors from East Ayrshire Male actors from South Lanarkshire