William Simons
William Simons | |
|---|---|
| Born | Clifford William Cumberbatch Simons[1] 17 November 1940 |
| Died | 21 June 2019 (aged 78)[2][3] London, England |
| Other names | William Simmons |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1950–2017 |
Clifford William Cumberbatch Simons (17 November 1940 – 21 June 2019) was a Welsh actor best known for his role as PC Alf Ventress in Heartbeat, a role he played for 18 years, from 1992 to 2010.
Early life
Simons was born on 17 November 1940 in
Heartbeat
He played PC Ventress for the entire 18-year run of Heartbeat. Although playing a heavy smoker, Simons was a non-smoker in real life and was given herbal cigarettes to play the part.[5] The character is a policeman that lacks in the physical side but makes up for that with his ‘local knowledge’. Ventress is the longest serving officer for much of the drama and occasionally in a role as acting sergeant when Blaketon, Craddock and Merton are absent. In later series of the drama, Ventress is forced to retire from the force but continues as a civilian member of the team and also helps Oscar Blaketon (Derek Fowlds) in a private investigatory role. Simons was only absent from 4 episodes of Heartbeat throughout his entire stint playing constable Alf Ventress; during series 3.
Other acting roles
Other series regular roles in television included the political dissident Quarmby in the 1971 TV series The Guardians, Martin O'Connor QC in Crown Court (1973-83), Constable Thackeray in Cribb (1979-81), and Inspector "Brer" Fox in The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries (1990-94).
Simons also made guest appearances in
Partial filmography
- No Place for Jennifer (1950) – Jeremy[1]
- Where No Vultures Fly (1951) – Tim Payton
- West of Zanzibar (1954) – Tim Payton
- Not So Dusty (1956) – Derek Clark
- On the Fiddle (1961) – Private (uncredited)
- Mystery Submarine (1963) – Leading Seaman Grant
- Clash by Night (1964) – Guard Outside Barn (uncredited)
- Pope John Paul II (1984, TV film) – Foreman Krauze
- The Woman in Black (1989, TV film) – John Keckwick
References
- ^ ISSN 0307-1235.
- ^ Hayward, Anthony (27 June 2019). "William Simons obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023.
- ^ "In memory of Yorkshire actor William Simons who starred in every Heartbeat series". The Yorkshire Post. 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
- ^ "Actors". www.boyactors.org.uk.
- ^ The Sunday Express. Archivedfrom the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ^ "Heartbeat actor William Simons dies aged 79". BBC News. 23 June 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
External links
- William Simons at IMDb
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