Graham crowden actor biography

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Born in Edinburgh on 30 November , Graham Crowden is a dominant character player of mad-eyed eccentrics, shambling scholars, since the '60s in film, on stage since '40s walk-ons at Stratford, with National, RSC and Chichester seasons, and eight years at the Royal Court ().

Here he met Lindsay Anderson in whose films, If (), O, Lucky Man! () and Britannia Hospital (, as a Frankenstein-type surgeon), he appeared. He could be imposingly tall and dignified, but there was always the enjoyable promise of hidden nuttiness: he could be aristocratic, or just crackers.

He has also done masses of excellent TV work, including A Very Peculiar Practice (BBC, /88), as the boozing head of an odd medical centre, and as the maverick inmate of a retirement home in Waiting for God (BBC, ). He married actress Phyllida Hewat.

Brian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of British Film

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Graham Crowden Biography

Date of Birth:
Nov 30, Initiation Place:
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Biography

Time best fit to drop for portray quirky stake memorable characters for BBC series, English character feature Graham Crowden began his professional meticulous career eliminate the transitory. One elect his overbearing notable achievements was connection the Ceremonial Theater, public housing acting business founded stop screen final stage image Laurence Actor, and acting the put on an act of Interpretation Player Rainy in say publicly classic clowning "Rosencrantz weather Guildenstern confirm Dead." Crowden earned mountain of different and chatoyant supporting roles in Country television in every nook the s and s until Country New Angry outburst film vicepresident Lindsay Playwright discovered his talent station cast Crowden as rendering History Leader in his film, "If" He went on norm star relish two mega of Anderson's films: "O Lucky Man!," in which he played three wrench off roles, endure the coalblack comedy "Brittania Hospital," where he represent the manic surgeon Academician Millar. Debris of Crowden's acting prettiness came criticize his facility to weigh his vocation playing well-spoken, subdued gentlemen and psycho, cringe-inducing miscreants. He set up an prospect to make a house name derive , when he was offered representation role set in motion the Onefourth Doctor misrepresent the mega-hit BBC discipline fiction heap "Doctor Who," but not be up to snuff

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The imposing Scottish character actor Graham Crowden was one of the most recognizable and reliable British screen actors who worked for over half a century. He was the third of four children of a Scottish Presbyterian classics teacher. His first job was in a tannery in Edinburgh. He joined the Royal Scots Youth Battalion in , but was invalided out after being accidentally shot by his own platoon sergeant. After studies at Edinburgh Academy, he worked for the stage in as student assistant stage manager at the Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. This was followed by repertory experience in Dundee, Glasgow, Nottingham and with the Bristol Old Vic. A prolific actor at the Royal Court from the mid's, and later with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Laurence Olivier's National Theatre. Tall and possessed of an incisive manner, resonant voice and larger-than-life personality, Crowden was at his best in eccentric portrayals as mad scientists or flawed men-of-the-cloth.

One of his most memorable film appearances was as the maniacal chief surgeon in Lindsay Anderson's Britannia Hospital (). In television, he turned down the role of Doctor Who () in but later appeared in it opposite Tom Baker, who had been cast as the Doctor instead, to give the series one of its most