Tenniel Evans
Tenniel Evans | |
---|---|
Born | Walter Tenniel Evans 17 May 1926 |
Died | 10 June 2009 High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England | (aged 83)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Actor |
Children | 2, including Serena |
Walter Tenniel Evans (17 May 1926 – 10 June 2009)[1] was a British actor.
Family
Walter Tenniel Evans was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His middle name derived from the illustrator Sir John Tenniel, a distant relation.[1][2] His daughter, Serena Evans, is an actress, and his son, Matthew, is a television director.
Evans was a direct descendant of Isaac Evans, brother of George Eliot (born as Mary Ann Evans).[2][3]
Career
Educated at
Frequently cast as a policeman, a doctor or a priest, Evans appeared in many of the most popular and successful British TV series of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as well as many one-off programmes, over a period of 44 years. His TV debut was in the series
Among Evans's most notable TV credits are
In 1985 Evans was ordained as a non-stipendiary priest of the Church of England and retired from stage acting, although he continued to perform in TV programmes until shortly before his death.[1] During 1985 he had a recurring role in the comedy Shine on Harvey Moon. In 1987 he had a recurring role in the children's science-fiction series Knights of God (1987), which is notable for the last appearance on screen by Patrick Troughton. Coincidentally, Evans then took over the role of Perce, the grandfather, originally played by Troughton, in the comedy series The Two of Us following Troughton's sudden death in March 1987.
Evans's other television credits from between the late 1980s and 2004 include Inspector Morse, Lovejoy, September Song, Peak Practice, The Bill, Pie in the Sky, Heartbeat, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Casualty and Dalziel and Pascoe. His final screen appearance was in an episode of the romantic comedy series William and Mary (2004), directed by his son Matthew, which also co-starred Martin Clunes.
Evans made few appearances in films. His most prominent parts were as a murderous teacher in
In the 1990s Evans was also featured in Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre programmes, playing Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (1996)[6] and a supporting role as Bishop George Bell in Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (1997).[7]
Partial filmography
Film
- Only Two Can Play (1962) as Kennedy (uncredited)
- The Wild and the Willing (1962) as Warden (uncredited)
- Walk a Crooked Path (1969) as John Hemming
- 10 Rillington Place (1971) as Police: Det. Sergeant
- Knots (1975) as Tenniel, The Director
Television
- ITV Television Playhouse (1960)
- Tess (1960) as Jonathan Kail
- The Human Jungle
- The Forsyte Saga (1967)
- The Saint (1967)
- The Avengers (1961-1968, 4 episodes)
- Undermind (1965, episode 5)
- Softly Softly (1966, 1969)
- Randall and Hopkirk (1969)
- A Family at War (1970)
- Paul Temple (1970, 1971)
- Z-Cars (1963-1972) as various characters
- Big Breadwinner Hog (1969) as Nicholson
- The Liver Birds (1972)
- War and Peace (1972) as Prince Bagration
- Doctor Who (1973, "Carnival of Monsters" serial)
- My Brother's Keeper (1975–1976) as Sergeant Bluett
- The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976)
- Yes Minister (1980)
- Coronation Street (1980)
- Rumpole of the Bailey (1983)
- The Citadel (1983) as Dr Page
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(1984, 1 episode: The Dancing Men)
- Shine on Harvey Moon (1985)
- Knights of God (1987) as Dafydd
- The Two of Us (1987) as Perce
- Inspector Morse
- Lovejoy
- September Song as Sir Edward Parkinson-Lewis
- Peak Practice
- The Bill
- Pie in the Sky
- Heartbeat
- Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
- Casualty
- Dalziel and Pascoe
- William and Mary (2004, 1 episode)
Radio
- The Navy Lark (1959–1977) as Leading Seaman "Taffy" Goldstein / The Admiral / various characters
- A Christmas Carol (1996) as Ebenezer Scrooge
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (1997) as Bishop George Bell
References
- ^ a b c Purser, Philip (12 June 2009). "Tenniel Evans". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ a b c Biography of Tenniel Evans Archived 15 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine, White Rabbit Press.
- ^ George Eliot Country: A self-guided tour (PDF). Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. March 2006. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007.
- ^ "The Navy Lark", BBC Genome. Retrieved 29 June 2023
- ^ "Tenniel Evans: Taffy Goldstein in 'The Navy Lark'", The Independent, 17 June 2009, archived from the original on 27 May 2022, retrieved 17 February 2013
- ^ "Radio Recall – MWOTRC".
- ^ "Bonhoeffer".
External links
- Tenniel Evans at IMDb