ROY KINNEAR. Born in Wigan, Lancashire, England, 8 January 1934. Attended George Herriot School, Edinburgh; Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Married: Carmel Cryan; children: Karina, Kirsty and Rory. Made debut as stage actor in repertory in Newquay, 1955; subsequently appeared in repertory at Nottingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth; joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in London, 1959, and later appeared in pantomime and with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre Company among others; established reputation as television comedian in That Was the Week That Was and starred in several situation comedies; also appeared as character actor in many films. Died in Spain, 20 September 1988.

TELEVISION SERIES

1962 That Was the Week That Was
1964 A World of His Own
1970 Inside George Webley
1980 Cowboys
1986 The Clairvoyant
1987 Hardwick House

MADE-FOR-TELEVISION MOVIES

1981 Dick Turpin
1984 The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

FILMS

Sparrows Can't Sing, 1962; Tiara Tahita, 1962; The Boys, 1962; Heavens Above!, 1963; The Small World of Sammy Lee, 1963; A Place to Go, 1963; The Informers, 1963; French Dressing, 1964; The Hill, 1965; Help!, 1965; The Deadly Affair, 1966; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1966; Albert Carter QOSO, 1967; How I Won the War, 1967; The Mini-Affair, 1968; Till Death Us Do Part, 1968; The Bed Sitting Room, 1969; Lock Up Your Daughters, 1969; On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, 1970; Scrooge, 1970; Taste the Blood of Dracula, 1970; The Firechasers, 1970; Egghead's Robot, 1970; Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, 1971; Melody, 1971; Raising the Roof, 1971; The Alf Garnett Saga, 1972; Madame Sin, 1972; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1972; The Pied Piper, 1972; That's Your Funeral, 1973; The Cobblers of Umbridge, 1973; The Three Musketeers, 1974; Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, 1974; Juggernaut, 1974; The Amorous Milkman, 1974; The Four Musketeers, 1975; Three for All, 1975; One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, 1975; Royal Flash, 1975; The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, 1975; Not Now Comrade, 1976; Chimpmates, 1977; Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, 1977; The Last Remake of Beau Geste, 1977; Eskimo Nell, 1977; Watership Down, 1978 (voice only); Hound of the Baskervilles, 1978; The London Connection/The Omega Connection, 1979; The Princess and the Pea, 1979; Mad Dogs and Cricketers, 1979; A Fair Way to Play, 1980; High Rise Donkey, 1980; Hawk--The Slayer, 1980; Hammett, 1981; The Girl in the Train, 1982; The Boys in Blue, 1983; 1984, 1984; Squaring the Circle, 1984; Vote: June European Parliament Election, 1984; Pavlova, 1984; Pirates, 1985; Neat and Tidy, 1986; Casanova, 1987; Falcon's Maltester, 1987; The Return of the Musketeers, 1988.

STAGE (selection)

Make Me an Offer; Sparrers Can't Sing; The Clandestine Marriage; The Travails of Sancho Panza; The Cherry Orchard.

 

See also That Was the Week That Was

 

 

   

A portly and popular comic character actor, Roy Kinnear proved to be a reliable guest star on many television programmes and a dependable lead in his own right. He was born in Wigan, Lancashire and educated in Edinburgh. When he was 17 he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) but his studies there were interrupted when National Service conscription took him to the war. After the hostilities he returned to the theatrical world and appeared on stage in repertory theatre in the 1950s. In 1959 he joined Joan Littlewood's famous Theatre Workshop in the East End of London and appeared in some of their biggest successes.

But it was television that made Roy Kinnear a household name and his big break on the small screen was with the satire series That Was The Week That Was (TW3). TW3 was controversial and highly popular; the team consisted of a group of irreverent, bright young things hell-bent on attacking the hypocrisies of the establishment. One criticism often made of the show was that the protagonists came over as smug, but Kinnear was spared from that accusation as his role in the group, probably because of his everyday looks, was that of the common man. In sketches he would usually be cast as a normal working class chap baffled by the complexities and machinations of the government and the media. Viewers could identify with the character and were endeared to him. Indeed Kinnear's very ordinariness and likeability that assured him a long career in the medium.

He was a regular guest star on long running series such as The Avengers, often co-starred in one-off TV plays and was a semi-regular on Minder (as Whaley), and George and Mildred (as Jerry). He was not adverse to appearing as a straight man (albeit a very funny one) to comedian Dick Emery in various Dick Emery shows, and his familiar face was put to use in various TV commercials. Kinnear starred in his own sitcom shaped round his persona: as daydreamer Stanley Blake in A World of His Own (1965, BBC); as compulsive worrier George Webley in Inside George Webley (1968 and 1970, Yorkshire Television); as greengrocer and ladies hairdresser Alf Butler in No Appointment Necessary (1977, BBC); as building firm manager Joe Jones in Cowboys (1980/81, Thames Television); as Sidney Pratt manager of struggling escapologist Ernest Tanner (Brian Murphy) in The Incredible Mr. Tanner (1981, London Weekend Television); as Arnold Bristow, used-car dealer and psychic in The Clairvoyant (1986, BBC) and in his last sitcom, as constantly tipsy headmaster R. G. Wickham in the short-lived school sitcom, Hardwicke House (1987, Central), which was pulled from the schedules half-way through its run following accusations of bad taste.

Kinnear worked regularly for over 25 years on television. Much of his success was due to the warmth that the public felt towards him and the esteem in which he was held by his fellow professionals. Throughout this period Kinnear still made appearances in the theatre and acted in support roles in over 50 movies. While on location for The Return of the Musketeers (1989), he suffered a fatal fall from his horse.

-Dick Fiddy