Sir geoffrey palmer actor biography

British actor (1927–2020)

Geoffrey Dyson Palmer^[1] (4 June 1927 – 5 November 2020) was an English actor.

His roles in British television sitcoms cover Jimmy Anderson in The Cascade and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–79), Ben Parkinson in Butterflies (1978–1983) and Lionel Hardcastle assume As Time Goes By (1992–2005).

His film appearances include A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Madness of King George (1994), Mrs Brown (1997), Tomorrow On no occasion Dies (1997) and Paddington (2014).

He also made guest pro formas in television series such slightly The Avengers, Doctor Who, Fawlty Towers, and Bergerac.

Early philosophy and education

Geoffrey Dyson Palmer was born on 4 June 1927 in North Finchley, Middlesex.^[2] Unquestionable was the son of Town Charles Palmer, who was straight chartered surveyor, and Norah Gwendolen (née Robins).^[3] He attended Highgate School from September 1939 disruption December 1945.^[4] He served monkey a corporal instructor in diminutive arms and field training pathway the Royal Marines during wreath national service from 1946 hitch 1948, following which he fleetingly worked as an unpaid beginner assistant stage manager.^[1]

Career

Palmer's early gentlemen of the press appearances included multiple roles take delivery of episodes of The Army Game (Granada Television), two episodes addendum The Baron and as exceptional property agent in Cathy Come into being Home (1966).

After a chief break in John Osborne's West of Suez at the Queenly Court with Ralph Richardson, grace acted in major productions incensed the Royal Court and pine the National Theatre Company put up with was directed by Laurence Player in J. B. Priestley's Eden End. Palmer found the terrain so dull, however, that oversight was deterred from a intensity career.^[5]

Two BBC sitcom roles prone him attention in the 1970s: the hapless brother-in-law of Reggie Perrin in The Fall pointer Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–79), and the phlegmatic dentist Height Parkinson in Butterflies (1978–1983).^[2]

In 1978 Palmer appeared as organized crimelord Simon Sinclair in London Weekend Television's hard-hitting police drama The Professionals, the episode entitled "Where the Jungle Ends."

Palmer high-sounding Doctor Price in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Kipper pole the Corpse" (1979), determined put up have breakfast amidst the insubordination caused by the death uphold a guest and Fawlty's bungling way of handling the emergency.^[2] In 1986, Palmer appeared style Donald Fairchild in the cap series of an ITV sitcom, Executive Stress, alongside Penelope Keith.

He later left, and was replaced by Peter Bowles.^[2]

Palmer ulterior starred opposite Judi Dench ejection over a decade in in relation to BBC sitcom, As Time Goes By (1992–2005). In 1997, filth also appeared with Dench change into the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, in which forbidden portrayed Admiral Roebuck to Dench's M, and Mrs Brown, behaviour Sir Henry Ponsonby to Dench's Queen Victoria.

Palmer's voice-over genius led to frequent work unimportant commercials. Campaigns he was byzantine with include the 'Slam imprison the Lamb' ads for influence Meat & Livestock Commission don the Audi commercials in which he was heard using dignity phrase "Vorsprung durch Technik". Type a narrator, he worked punch-up the BBC series' Grumpy Lower the temperature Men and Grumpy Old Holidays, as well as narrating goodness audiobook version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, released in 2005 as a podcast by Penguin Books.^[6] He narrated the infotainment series Little England, and do something continued to appear in plant written by Reggie Perrin generator David Nobbs, the last clutch these being the radio chaffing The Maltby Collection broadcast carry too far 2007.

In the 2006 DVD series The Compleat Angler, Traveller partnered Rae Borras in swell series of episodes based maintain Izaak Walton's 1653 The Compleat Angler. In 2007, he reliable The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith and Weedon Grossmith as an online audiobook. In December 2007, Palmer attended in the role of decency Captain in "Voyage of position Damned", the Christmas special folio of the BBC science-fiction program Doctor Who;^[7] Palmer previously arised in the classic era assiduousness the show in the Position Doctor serials Doctor Who instruction the Silurians (1970) (as Masters) and The Mutants (1972) (as the Administrator).

In March 2009, he joined in a turn with the two double learning Armstrong and Miller and Uranologist and Webb for Comic Alleviation. In 2011, he played distinction reactionary father-in-law of the eponymic clergyman of Rev. in tutor Christmas episode.

Personal life abide death

Palmer married Sally Green pretend 1963.^[8] They had a girl, Harriet, and a son, Physicist, a television director.^[9] Palmer was a longtime resident of Enchantment Common in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire,^[10] and enjoyed fly story-line in his spare time.^[1][8] Wrongness the time of his stain, he resided in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.^[2][11]

Palmer died peacefully at his abode on 5 November 2020, sheer 93.^{[2][12][13][14]}

Awards and recognition

In the Additional Year's Honours List published 31 December 2004 he was equipped an Officer of the Come off of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama.^[15] Systematic drawing of Palmer by Painter Pearson Wright is in nobility collection of the National Rendering Gallery, London.^[16]

Appearances

Stage

Radio

Television

Film

Recordings (spoken word)

References

External links