Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)

Not to be confused with Richard Wilson (Australian actor).

Richard Wilson OBE
Wilson in 2007.
Born	Iain Carmichael Wilson (1936-07-09) 9 July 1936 Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	Actor, theatre director, broadcaster
Years active	1964–present
Notable work	See below
Television	Only When I Laugh One Foot in the Grave Born and Bred Britain's Best Drives Merlin Doctor Who

Richard Wilson OBE (born Iain Carmichael Wilson; 9 July 1936) is a Scottish actor, theatre director and broadcaster. He played Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. A later role was as Gaius, the court physician of Camelot, in the BBC drama Merlin.

Early life

Wilson was born in Greenock, Scotland. He studied science subjects at Greenock Academy, then did his National Service with the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving in Singapore.

Career

He worked in a laboratory at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow as a research assistant, before switching to acting at age 27. He trained at RADA and then appeared in repertory theatres in Edinburgh (Traverse Theatre), Glasgow and Manchester (Stables Theatre).

He initially turned down the role of Victor Meldrew and it was almost offered to Les Dawson before Wilson changed his mind.

Wilson was awarded the OBE for services to drama as a director and actor in 1994. In April 1996, he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow for a term of three years.

Wilson has worked for the gay rights campaign group Stonewall and the Labour Party. He 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.

The narration of "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus", from Strawbs' 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.

He is a major supporter of the Labour Party, and he recorded the party's manifesto on audio for the 2010 general election.

In March 2011, Wilson presented an edition of the Channel 4 current affairs programme Dispatches entitled Train Journeys From Hell, with transport journalist Christian Wolmar highlighting the failings of the British rail network.

Personal life

Wilson was a supporter of his local football club, Greenock Morton, but has come to lend greater support to English club Manchester United. He is a patron of the Manchester United Supporters Trust. Wilson has been a campaigner for gay rights for many years, and he came out as gay in a Daily Mail interview in March 2013. Wilson is good friends with his One Foot in the Grave co-star Angus Deayton, and is godfather to Deayton's son.

It was reported on 12 August 2016 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 Fringe Festival.

Wilson has one sister, Moira, who is six years older than him. She still resides in their home town of Greenock, Scotland.

Television

• Crown Court (1970s) – as a barrister. (1972-1984)
• My Good Woman (1972-1974)
• A Sharp Intake of Breath 1977 to 1980
• The Sweeney episode "The bigger they are" as DCI Anderson (1978)
• Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 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 (1982–83)
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes episode The Red Headed League as Duncan Ross (1985)
• Have I Got News for You
• Emmerdale (1986)
• Tutti Frutti (1987)
• Hot Metal (1988)
• Normal Service (1988)
• One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000) as Victor Meldrew
• Cluedo (1991)
• Selling Hitler (1991)
• Mr. Bean – episode "The Trouble With Mr. Bean" as Mr. Peggit The Dentist (1992)
• Inspector Morse – 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 (1996)
• Lord of Misrule (1996) (as Bill Webster). Filmed at Fowey in Cornwall
• Duck Patrol (1998)
• Father Ted – episode "The Mainland" as himself (1998)
• The Mrs Merton Show (1998) guest appearance alongside Bernard Manning
• High Stakes (2001)
• Life As We Know It (2001)
• Jeffrey Archer: The Truth as Duke of Edinburgh (2002)
• King of Fridges (2004) (as Frank)
• Doctor Who – 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)
• Merlin  – (all 65 episodes + 2 children in need specials) as Gaius (2008-2012)
• Demons – as Father Simeon (2009)
• Britain's Best Drives (2009)
• New Tricks (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)

Films

• Those Glory Glory Days (1983)
• A Passage to India (1984)
• Foreign Body (1986)
• Whoops Apocalypse (1986)
• Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
• How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989)
• A Dry White Season (1989)
• Carry On Columbus (1992)
• Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1993)
• The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)
• Women Talking Dirty (1999)
• Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)

Stage acting

• Twelfth Night, as Malvolio – Royal Shakespeare Company
• Whipping it Up by Steve Thompson – Bush Theatre, Ambassadors Theatre
• What the Butler Saw, as Dr Rance – Royal National Theatre
• Peter Pan, as Mr Darling/Captain Hook – Royal Festival Hall
• Waiting for Godot, 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, May 2005
• East Coast Chicken Supper by Martin J Taylor – The Traverse, 2005
• Rainbow Kiss by Simon Farquhar – Royal Court, April 2006
• Smack Family Robinson by Richard Bean – Kingston upon Thames, March and April 2013
• Blasted by Sarah Kane – Sheffield Studio, 2015

Radio

• The Corrupted (BBC Radio 4 2017) as Melford Stevenson

Further reading

• J. Roose-Evans, One Foot on the Stage: The Biography of Richard Wilson

External links

• Richard Wilson at IMDb
• The Official Richard Wilson Archive
• Exclusive Interview with Richard Wilson