Hywel Bennett
Hywel Bennett | |
|---|---|
 Bennett in 1966 | |
| Born | Hywel Thomas Bennett 8 April 1944 Garnant, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| Died | 25 July 2017 (aged 73) Cardiff, Wales |
| Alma mater | RADA |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1965–2007 |
| Spouse(s) |
Sandra Layne Fulford
(m. 1998) |
| Children | 1 |
Hywel Thomas Bennett[1][a] (8 April 1944 – 25 July 2017) was a Welsh film and television actor. Bennett is perhaps best known for his leading roles in films including The Family Way (1966) and for playing the titular James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley (1979–1992).
Having played opposite Hayley Mills in The Family Way and Twisted Nerve and starred as Private Brigg in the comedy film The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Bennett's screen roles continued into the 1970s in films such as Loot (1970) and Percy (1971). Bennett's character, Ricki Tarr, was pivotal in the BBC serial based on John le Carré's novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979). Bennett appeared in EastEnders during 2003 as crime boss Jack Dalton.
Early life
Bennett was born in Garnant, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the son of Sarah Gwen (née Lewis) and Gorden Bennett.[3] He was the brother of actor Alun Lewis, who is best known for playing Vic Windsor in Emmerdale. Bennett was brought up in London from an early age, and attended Sunnyhill School, Streatham, Henry Thornton Grammar School, Clapham (1955–62) and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[4]
Career
Bennett debuted on stage in the role of Ophelia in a Queen's Theatre production of Hamlet in 1959.[4]
His first film appearance was as Leonardo in the 1966 Italian Il marito è mio e l'ammazzo quando mi pare ("It's my husband and I'll decide when to kill him"), directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, a comedy in which a young wife carefully plans to murder her husband, who is 40 years her senior, to marry a young beatnik.[5]
He starred opposite Hayley Mills in several films, including The Family Way (1966), Twisted Nerve (1968) and Endless Night (1972).
He starred in The Virgin Soldiers (1969), the film adaptation of Loot (1970) by Joe Orton, and Percy (1971).[6] In 1969, contemporary critic Roger Ebert called him "one of England's best young actors".[7]
On television Bennett appeared in Doctor Who (1965) and The Sweeney (1976).[8]
He played major parts in several Dennis Potter television plays, including Where the Buffalo Roam (1966), an episode of 1978's Pennies from Heaven, "Better Think Twice", in which he played Tom, a pimp; Karaoke (1996); and Cold Lazarus (also 1996). He took the lead role in Shelley (1979–84) and its sequel The Return of Shelley (1988–92).
He was also the villainous Mr Croup in Neil Gaiman's serial Neverwhere (1996).[9] Bennett also starred in the four-part BBC mini-series Malice Aforethought (1979) based on a novel written in the 1920s by Francis Iles.[10] Bennett's character, Ricki Tarr, was pivotal in the BBC serial based on John le Carré's novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979).[7] He also appeared in Lock, Stock... (2000) as Deep Throat.[11]
In 2003, Bennett joined the cast of the long-running soap opera EastEnders as Jack Dalton – the ruthless gangland kingpin of Walford.
Bennett also appeared as an occasional character, Peter Baxter, on The Bill and was in the first episode of Jam & Jerusalem.[12][13]
He appeared in the 1986 music video of "Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It" by Bonnie Tyler and Todd Rundgren in which he lip synced Rundgren's vocals.[citation needed]
Personal life and death
From 1970 to 1988, Bennett was married to Cathy McGowan, who was the presenter of the TV rock show Ready Steady Go! in the mid-1960s. They had a daughter, Emma. In 1998, he married Sandra Layne Fulford. He has a brother called Alun Lewis who appeared in Emmerdale and Birds of a Feather.
Bennett retired from acting in 2007 after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect,[14] and later moved to Deal, Kent. He died on 25 July 2017, aged 73.[15][4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Julius Caesar | Octavius Caesar | TV film |
| 1966 | The Family Way | Arthur Fitton | |
| 1968 | Il marito è mio e l'ammazzo quando mi pare | Leonardo | Italian |
| Twisted Nerve | Martin Durnley/Georgie Clifford | ||
| 1969 | The Virgin Soldiers | Private Brigg | |
| 1970 | The Buttercup Chain | France | |
| Loot | Dennis | ||
| 1971 | Percy | Edwin Anthony | |
| 1972 | Endless Night | Michael Rogers | |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Duckworth | ||
| 1973 | The Love Ban | Mick Goonahan | |
| 1981 | Artemis 81 | Gideon Harlax | TV film |
| 1985 | Murder Elite | Jimmy Fowler | |
| 1987 | Deadline | Mike Jessop | |
| 1991 | A Mind to Kill | Gareth D. Lewis | TV film |
| 1994 | Deadly Advice | Dr. Crippen | |
| 1997 | Hospital! | Dickie Beaumont | TV film |
| Harpur and Iles | ACC Desmond Iles | TV film | |
| 1999 | Misery Harbour | The Captain | |
| Nasty Neighbours | The Boss | ||
| Mary, Mother of Jesus | Herod | TV film | |
| 2000 | Vatel | Jean-Baptiste Colbert | |
| Married 2 Malcolm | Reg | ||
| 2003 | Lloyd & Hill | Dr. Freddie Marks | TV film |
| One for the Road | Richard Stevens | ||
| 2004 | The Second Quest | Ronno | TV film |
| The Final Quest | Ronno | TV film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Redcap | Brown | Episode: "Nightwatch" |
| 1965 | Doctor Who | Rynian | Episode: "The Death of Time" |
| Jury Room | Joe Mintz | Episode: "The Side of Mercy" | |
| Theatre 625 | Lipstrob | Episode: "Unman, Wittering and Zigo" | |
| 1966 | Beliayev | Episode: "A Month in the Country" | |
| The Idiot | Hypolite Terentiev | Mini-series | |
| Thirteen Against Fate | Gilles Mauvaisin | Episode: "The Traveller" | |
| The Wednesday Play | Willy Turner | Episode: "Where the Buffalo Roam" | |
| 1967 | Oliver Treefe | Episode: "Death of a Teddy Bear" | |
| BBC Play of the Month | Romeo | Episode: "Romeo and Juliet" | |
| 1973 | Play for Today | Tony | Episode: "Three's One" |
| 1976 | The Sweeney | Steve Castle | Episode: "Sweet Smell of Succession" |
| 1978 | Pennies from Heaven | Tom | Episode: "Better Think Twice" |
| Strangers | Jack Slater | Episode: "Silver Lining" | |
| 1979 | Malice Aforethought | Dr. Edmund Bickleigh | Mini-series |
| Play for Today | Harry Essendorf | Episode: "Coming Out" | |
| Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Ricki Tarr | Mini-series | |
| 1979-1984 | Shelley | James Shelley | Series regular |
| 1982 | BBC Play of the Month | Mr. King/Mr. Puff | Episode: "The Critic" |
| 1983 | The Consultant | Chris Webb | Mini-series |
| 1985 | Theatre Night | John | Episode: "Absent Friends" |
| 1986 | Screen Two | Allan Blakeston | Episode: "Frank and Johnnie" |
| The Twilight Zone | Grant | Episode: "Devil's Alphabet" | |
| Robin of Sherwood | King Arthur | Episode: "The Inheritance" | |
| 1987 | Tickets for the Titanic | Brian Stebbings | Episode: "Checkpoint Chiswick" |
| 1988 | The Modern World: Ten Great Writers | Professor | Episode: "Joseph Conrad's 'The Secret Agent'" |
| Boon | Richard Jay | Episode: "Charity Begins at Home" | |
| 1988-1992 | The Return of Shelley | James Shelley | Series regular |
| 1991 | Ålder okänd | James Williams | Mini-series |
| 1992 | The Other Side of Paradise | Purvis | Mini-series |
| Virtual Murder | Harold Bingham | Episode: "A Bone to Pick" | |
| Screen One | Ralph | Episode: "Trust Me" | |
| 1993 | Casualty | Paul Lawson | Episode: "Life in the Fast Lane" |
| Frank Stubbs Promotes | Clive Riley | Episode: "Book" | |
| 1994 | Murder Most Horrid | Clancy | Episode: "Smashing Bird" |
| 1996 | Karaoke | Arthur 'Pig' Mallion | Mini-series |
| Cold Lazarus | Mini-series | ||
| Frontiers | DS Eddie Spader | Series regular | |
| Neverwhere | Mr. Croup | Mini-series | |
| 2000 | Dirty Work | Mostyn Hughes | Episode: "A Fish Called Rhondda" |
| Lock, Stock... | Deep Throat | Episode: "...And Spaghetti Sauce" | |
| 2001 | Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Roger Whale | Episode: "Whatever Possessed You?" |
| 2002 | Last of the Summer Wine | Kevin | Episode: "It All Began with an Old Volvo Headlamp" |
| Time Gentlemen Please | Barsteward in Wheelchair | Episode: "Optics Wide Shut" | |
| The Quest | Ronno | Mini-series | |
| 2003 | EastEnders | Jack Dalton | Recurring role |
| 2005 | Casualty@Holby City | David Wincott | Episode: "Interactive: Something We Can Do" |
| High Hopes | Uncle Tom | Episode: "Uncle Tom" | |
| 2006 | Jam & Jerusalem | Dr. Mike Vine | Episode: "Sudden Death" |
| 2007 | The Last Detective | Reggie Conway | Episode: "Dangerous Liaisons" |
Notes
- ^ According to director Roy Boulting, Bennett was not consistent on the pronunciation of his given name: "It's pronounced 'Howell' or 'Hugh-el,' ... altho [sic] he seems to use one pronunciation one day, and another the next."[2]
References
- ^ Hayward, Anthony (4 August 2017). "Hywel Bennett obituary" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Terry, Clifford (9 July 1967). "Little Hayley Now Mature Miss Mills". Chicago Tribune – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hywel Bennett Biography (1944–)". www.filmreference.com.
- ^ a b c Williamson, Marcus (3 August 2017). "Hywel Bennett obituary: Beloved actor who rose to fame as a sitcom star". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ "Il MARITO È MIO E L'AMMAZZO QUANDO MI PARE (1967)". BFI. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "Hywel Bennett – Movies and Filmography – AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ a b "Hywel Bennett obituary: fashionable young man who grew up fast – Sight & Sound".
- ^ "Il MARITO È MIO E L'AMMAZZO QUANDO MI PARE (1967)". BFI. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ "EastEnders star Hywel Bennett passes away aged 73". 4 August 2017.
- ^ "Malice Aforethought Part 3 (1979)".
- ^ "Lock, Stock...And Spaghetti Sauce (2000)".
- ^ "Hywel Bennett".
- ^ TV.com. "Jam and Jerusalem". TV.com.
- ^ "Hywel Bennett obituary". The Guardian. 4 August 2017.
- ^ "Hywel Bennett, star of television and film, dies aged 73". BBC News. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
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