Gavin Richards
 |
Gavin Richards | |
|---|---|
 Richards in May 2014 | |
| Born | 3 July 1946 Tufnell Park,London, England |
| Alma mater | Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Spouse | Tamara Henry |
| Children | 3 |
Gavin Richards(born 3 July 1946) is an English actor. He is best known for playingCaptain Alberto Bertorelliin theBBCsitcom'Allo 'Allo!from 1987 to 1989 andTerry Raymondin theBBCsoap operaEastEndersbetween 1996 and 2002.
Early life[edit]
Gavin Richards was born inTufnell Park,north London. His mother was Margaret Richards, who worked for many years as an assistant toHugh "Binkie" Beaumont,the British theatrical producer at H M Tennent Limited. She went on to become secretary toRoy Strongat theVictoria & Albert Museumand later worked for the Greater London Arts Association. His father was music critic Denby Richards, who wrote for theHampstead and Highgate Express,the early British version ofMusic and Musiciansand later becameemerituseditor of Britain's oldest classical music magazine,Musical Opinion.
Richards attended the Burleigh Road School in Tufnell Park and later the Quintin Grammar School inSt John's Wood(now the Quintin Kynaston Community Academy). He trained at theBristol Old Vic Theatre Schoolfrom 1964 to 1966.
He began his professional career with five years inrepertory theatresinLeicester,Manchester,BoltonandLiverpool.
Career[edit]
Richards has worked as an actor, director and writer in theatre, television and film for over forty years. He is most familiar for his portrayal ofTerry Raymondin theBBCTV seriesEastEnders,appearing in over 300 episodes. He also playedCaptain Alberto Bertorelliin the TV comedy hit'Allo 'Allo!in which he appears in over thirty episodes.[1]His television credits also include roles inCoronation Street,Hi-de-Hi!(where he had a minor role in series 4/5 and 7 in the BBC series, as general manager Harold Fox, akaThe Smiling Viper),The Bill,Lovejoy,Minder,Inspector Morse,A Touch of Frost,Between the LinesandPie in the Sky.He co starred withRobert PowellinHannay,withLeigh LawsoninKinsey,Michael KitcheninThe Reportersand withRowan AtkinsoninFull Throttle.He also starred in the seriesAnnie's Bar,Driving Ambition,Hardwicke House,Mike & Angeloand many other programmes. He has appeared in films, amongst others, withRobin WilliamsinBeing Human,withOliver ReedandGlenda JacksoninMichael Apted'sTriple Echo,and in theNew ZealandfilmSavage Play.
As a director and actor in the theatre, Richards is famous for adapting the work ofDario Fointo the English language in his own West End hit production ofAccidental Death of an Anarchist(Wyndham's Theatre,1980) for which he was nominated for anOlivier Award.He also starred in the production forChannel 4TV in the UK. Richards played Face inGriff Rhys Jones's production ofThe Alchemistat theLyric Theatre, Hammersmithand toured in the lead role inJack Shepard'sComic Cuts.He worked as a guest artist on theBBC/SPP TV co production ofKidnapped,and theTVNZproduction ofThe Lost Children,both shot entirely inNew Zealand.Richards has performed at theLondon Palladiumin the stage production of 'Allo 'Allo,which also toured New Zealand and Australia.
He directedShane Connaughton's first play,Jennyatthe Roundhouse,London, in 1969. In the 1970s he performed throughout Europe andScandinaviawithKen Campbell'sRoadshow,before becoming a founder member of the7:84 Theatre Companyand artistic director of the Belt & Braces Theatre Company, touring Britain for over twelve years in political rock musicals.[2]Belt & Braces also producedBrecht'sMother Courage.As well as his own work, Richards' collaborations with writersJohn Arden,Margaretta D'Arcy,Adrian Mitchell,Trevor GriffithsandJohn McGrathwere seen regularly at theEdinburgh Festivaland transferred to London on several occasions.
Richards's political activism was illustrated when he appeared in separately distributed media (mainlyVHStapes) titled "The Miners’ Campaign Tapes" made by independent filmmakers which were sponsored by theNUM.[3]The tapes gave an alternative view of theUK miners' strike (1984–85)to those presented by the mainstream media at the time.[4]
In 1987 he played "Brian" in the British Gas Public Information Film about the dangers of a gas leak.[5]In the early 1990s, together with Tamara Henry, Richards presented Richard Sparks's comedyThe Crimson Lizardin New Zealand, with himself,Annie Whittleand Lloyd Scott, at theCourt Theatre, Christchurchand theFortune Theatre, Dunedin.The production was then remounted in the UK at theWest Yorkshire Playhouse,Leeds.
Richards and Henry then went on to form their own theatre company, Theatre South,[6]which toured a New Zealand version ofThe Drawer Boy,by Michael Healey, to audiences at the Fortune Theatre in Dunedin, the Court Theatre in Christchurch,Centrepoint TheatreinPalmerston Northand atDownstageinWellington.The production also played inBlenheim,Invercargill,Whangārei,TaurangaandHamilton.Theatre South is the only professional theatre company inMalrborough.Past productions include a schools' workshop production,The Hole in the Sky,andTittle Tattle 1 & 2by 'Emmerdale' TV script writer Lesley Clare O'Neill (December 2005 and October 2006).
Theatre South also producedWar Child,written and directed by Richards. Dedicated toWar Child Australia,[7]part of the international relief and development agency working for the rehabilitation of child soldiers, the show featured a cast of 9- to 18-year-olds from Marlborough, plus a full professional crew, and was received enthusiastically by audiences over its eight-day run, winning a local community award.[8]
Richards has also appeared as Patrick in Tony McCaffrey's (A Different Light Company) production ofThe Night Seasonby Rebecca Lenkiewicz, at the University Theatre,Christchurchand as Claudius in bothHamletandRosencranz & Guildensternfor the Court Theatre, Christchurch, in April 2006. In 2007 he appeared as Creon in Tolis Papazoglou's production ofAntigone,at Studio 77 inWellington.
In 2008, Theatre South produced Peter Quilter's 'Glorious!' and Chris Bond's version of Dracula. In 2009 Gavin was diagnosed withmyasthenia gravisand following an extended period of illness, began work on a book of poetry entitled200 Weekspublished by Muswell Press[9]in January 2015.
Filmography[edit]
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Love Story" | Jack |
| 1972 | "Play for Today"('The Reporters') | Des |
| 1978 | "Z-Cars" | Major Philpot |
| 1982 | "Oi for England" | The Man |
| 1983 | "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" | Maniac |
| 1984 | "Driving Ambition" | Ken Lark |
| 1985 | "Titus Andronicus" | Lucius |
| 1984 to 1986 | Hi-de-Hi! | Harold Fox |
| 1986 | "Ladies in Charge" | Cosmo Keble |
| 1986 | "Call Me Mister" | Miller |
| 1986–1987 | "C.A.T.S. Eyes" | Maitland / Quist |
| 1987 | "Yesterday's Dreams" | Mr. Fisher |
| 1987 | "Hardwicke House" | Dick Flashman / Mr. Flashman |
| 1987 | "Bust" | Alan Hardy |
| 1987 to 1989 | 'Allo 'Allo! | Captain Alberto Bertorelli |
| 1988–1989 | 'Hannay" | Count Otto Von Schwabing |
| 1991 | "T-Bag and the Rings of Olympus" | Count Von Fledermause |
| 1993 | 'Inspector Morse" | Steven Trevors |
| 1989–1993 | "Mike & Angelo" | Brett Douglas |
| 1993 | "Minder" | Vic |
| 1993 | 'A Touch of Frost" | Les Wingham |
| 1994 | "Coronation Street" | Alex Christie |
| 1993–1994 | "Between the Lines" | Det. Supt. Tyler |
| 1994 | "Lovejoy" | Oliver Jeffries |
| 1995 | "Full Throttle" | W.O Bentley |
| 1995 | "Pie in the Sky" | Fisher's Assistant |
| 1992–1995 | "The Bill" | Ken Mackie / Det. Supt. Wells / Terry Ford |
| 1996 | "Annie's Bar" | Nick Buckley |
| 1996 | 'The Upper Hand" | Charlie Bennett |
| 1997 | "Soldier Soldier" | Al Springer |
| 1997 | "The Locksmith" | Max Parker |
| 1998 | "The Prince of Hearts" | Chief Superintendent |
| 1996 to 2002 | EastEnders | Terry Raymond |
| 2005 | "Kidnapped" | Captain Hoseason |
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "Triple Echo" | Stan |
| 1982 | "Crystal Gazing" | Neil Holt |
| 1988 | "Whoops Apocalypse" | Donald |
| 1994 | "Being Human" | Da Cunha |
| 1995 | "Savage Play" | Kim |
Published works[edit]
- Accidental Death of an Anarchist(Dario Fo, Gavin Richards,Gillian Hanna), 1973[10][11]
- Weight(with David Bradford), 1973
- England Expects,1977[12]
- Die Kinder(based on a screenplay by Paula Milne), 1993[13]
- 200 Weeks,2015
References[edit]
- ^"'Allo 'Allo! ".IMDb.
- ^"Belt & Braces – Unfinished Histories".
- ^"Miners' Campaign Tapes, The · British Universities Film & Video Council".bufvc.ac.uk.
- ^"The Miners Campaign Tapes | Distribution".www2.bfi.org.uk.
- ^"British Gas advert featuring Eastenders actor Gavin Richards, circa 1987 - YouTube".www.youtube.com.24 July 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2021.
- ^"Theatre South - Home".Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2010.
- ^"War Child Australia".
- ^Trustpower Malrborough District Community Awards 2007Archived15 October 2008 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Muswell Press | A proudly independent publisher of great books, both fiction and non-fiction".
- ^"Samuelfrench-london.co.uk".
- ^VideoonYouTube
- ^Richards, Gavin (1977).England Expects: A Musical Entertainment for All Those Sick with Sacrifice.Journeyman Press.ISBN0904526259.
- ^Richards, Gavin (1990).Die Kinder/Based on a Screenplay by Paula Milne.BBC Books.ISBN0563361042.
External links[edit]
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
