Christopher Benjamin (actor)

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title: "Christopher Benjamin (actor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1934-births", "2025-deaths", "20th-century-english-male-actors", "21st-century-english-male-actors", "20th-century-royal-air-force-personnel", "alumni-of-the-royal-academy-of-dramatic-art", "english-male-film-actors", "english-male-shakespearean-actors", "english-male-stage-actors", "english-male-television-actors", "english-male-voice-actors", "male-actors-from-wiltshire", "people-from-trowbridge", "royal-shakespeare-company-members", "place-of-death-missing"] description: "English actor (1934–2025)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Benjamin_(actor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English actor (1934–2025) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Christopher Benjamin
image	Cropped_Photo_of_Christopher_Benjamin.jpg
birthname	Christopher John Benjamin
birth_date
birth_place	Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England
death_date
death_place
alma_mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
occupation	Actor
years_active	1958–2016
spouse
::

| name = Christopher Benjamin | image = Cropped_Photo_of_Christopher_Benjamin.jpg | caption = | birthname = Christopher John Benjamin | birth_date = | birth_place = Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1958–2016 | spouse =

Christopher John Benjamin (27 December 1934 – 10 January 2025) was an English actor with many stage and television credits from 1958 to 2016. He played Henry Gordon Jago in the 1977 Doctor Who story The Talons of Weng-Chiang, a role he reprised for the audio drama series Jago & Litefoot (2010–2017, 2021), and made two other appearances in the series, portraying Sir Keith Gold in Inferno (1970) and Colonel Hugh Curbishley in "The Unicorn and the Wasp" (2008). He also provided the voice of Rowf in the animated film The Plague Dogs (1982). His radio acting career included two BBC Radio adaptations of Christopher Lee's crime drama Colvil and Soames.

Early life

Benjamin was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, on 27 December 1934. He served in the Royal Air Force for his national service and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career

Benjamin appeared regularly in television and radio from 1965. This included playing the same character ("Potter") in two Patrick McGoohan dramas, Danger Man and The Prisoner, fuelling speculation that they are possibly linked. He played the Old Man (boss of Philip Roath) in the Thames Television comedy by Peter Tilbury, It Takes a Worried Man (1981). He was also an occasional guest star in The Avengers and Doctor Who, making three appearances in each, mostly in comedy roles.

Benjamin also played recurring roles in several period dramas. He was Sir John Glutton, the regular adversary in the period family adventure series Dick Turpin, Channing in several episodes of the third series of When The Boat Comes In, and Prosper Profond in the acclaimed 1967 adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. acting alongside Trevor Baxter as Professor George Litefoot. He played Sir William Lucas in the BBC's 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice.

Benjamin's few film roles included appearances in Ring of Bright Water (1969), Brief Encounter (1974), Hawk the Slayer (1980), The Tichborne Claimant (1998) and Angel (2007).

Predominantly a stage actor, after six years in repertory theatres, Manchester, Salisbury and Bristol Old Vic (1958–1965), he performed regularly over twenty years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played Nick Bottom five times, at Bristol Old Vic, Regents Park, on Radio 3, at the RSC (including a tour of Australia and New Zealand) and finally at Glyndebourne in The Fairy-Queen, before retiring from the stage in 2012.

Benjamin's West End performances included How the Other Half Loves at the Duke of Yorks, A Voyage Round My Father at Wyndhams, The Clandestine Marriage at the Queens Theatre, Sweeney Todd at the Royal National Theatre, and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Saville (with Leonard Rossiter). He also appeared in several plays at the Donmar, the Kings Head, Mermaid, etc.

Personal life and death

Benjamin lived in Hampstead, London, with his wife, Anna Fox, an actress and writer. He died on 10 January 2025, at the age of 90.

Selected filmography

::data[format=table title=""]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1965	The Wednesday Play	Dan Royston	Sir Jocelyn, the Minister Would Like a Word
Z-Cars	Dennis Ludd	Episode: "Give a Dog a Name"
The Man in Room 17	Chief Supt. Craythorpe	Episode: "The Millons of Muzafariyah"
1966	Orlando	The Great Cardini	5 episodes
The Baron	Verel	Episode: "The Seven Eyes of Night"
1966–1968	The Avengers	Various roles	3 episodes
1967	Danger Man	Potter	Episode: "Koroshi"
The Forsyte Saga	Prosper Profond	4 episodes
1967–1968	The Prisoner	Various roles	3 episodes
1968	Public Eye	Barnby	Episode: "There's No Future in Monkey Business"
Late Night Horror	Algy Somerville	The Kiss of Blood
The Saint	Fish	Episode: "The Master Plan"
1969	Ring of Bright Water	London Fishmonger	Film
Fraud Squad	Lal Choudhry	Episode: "Over a Barrel"
The Gold Robbers	Edward Meakin	Episode: "An Oddly Honest Man"
1970	Ace of Wands	Falk	2 episodes
Paul Temple	Roffey	Episode: "The Artknappers"
The Roads to Freedom	Assistant Superintendent	1 episode
1970, 1976	Softly, Softly: Task Force	Chief Immigration Officer Ingrams/Civil Servant	2 episodes
1970, 1977	Doctor Who	Sir Keith Gold/Henry Gordon Jago	2 serials: "Inferno" and "The Talons of Weng-Chiang"
1971	Jason King	The Police Inspector	Episode: "A Red Red Rose Forever"
Man at the Top	Mr. Fisher	Episode: "A Bit of Spare, Nothing Else"
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width	Dr. Shapiro	Episode: "Manny Cohen R.I.P."
1972	Budgie	Claude	Episode: "Twenty-Four Thousand Ball Point Pens"
The Protectors	Banker	Episode: "The Quick Brown Fox"
The Strauss Family	Domnayer	5 episodes
The Onedin Line	Said Ben Alim	Episode: "The Challenge"
1973	Bowler	Supt. Chamberlain	3 episodes
Jack the Ripper	Club Man	2 episodes
New Scotland Yard	Mr. Foster	Episode: "Rogues Gallery"
Upstairs, Downstairs	Max Weinberg	Episode: "A Change of Scene"
Van der Valk	Mulder	Episode: "Rich Man, Poor Man"
1974	Brief Encounter	Porter	Film
Father Brown	Dukes	Episode: "The Quick One"
Special Branch	Dr. Eric Blyth	Episode: "Stand and Deliver"
1975	Churchill's People	Peter	Episode: "On the Anvil"
Village Hall	Bill Jolly	Old Scores
1975–1976	Poldark	Sir Hugh Boldrugan	9 episodes
1976	Angels	Samuels	Episode: "Challenges"
Hadleigh	Oberman	Episode: "Hong Kong Rock"
The Squirrels	Craig	Episode: "The Cruise"
Gangsters	Assistant Managing Director	3 episodes
1977	Rooms	Bernard Metcalfe
Target	Panter	Episode: "Blow Out"
When the Boat Comes In	Channing	3 episodes
Yes, Honestly	Roscoe B. Roscoe	Episode: "Educating Mr. Roscoe"
1978	Armchair Thriller	Det. Inspector Tarrant	5 episodes
Get Some In!	Sergeant Foot	2 episodes
Scorpion Tales	Arab	Episode: "Crimes of Persuasion"
The Sandbaggers	David Follett	Episode: "The Most Suitable Person"
Wilde Alliance	Miller	Episode: "Affay in Amsterdam"
1979–1980	Dick Turpin	Sir John Glutton	14 episodes
1980	Hawk the Slayer	Fitzwalter	Film
Shoestring	Leacock	Episode: "Room with a View"
Play For Today	Rabbi	The Executioner
We, the Accused	Inglewood	3 episodes
1980–1982	Holding the Fort	Col. Aubrey Sanderson	5 episodes
1981	A Spy at Evening	Stevens	4 episodes
Play For Today	Mr. Porter	A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years	Air Ministry Official	Episode: "The Flying Peril"
1981–1983	It Takes a Worried Man	The Old Man	16 episodes
1982	Shine on Harvey Moon	Mr. Hartley	2 episodes
The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby	Mr. Vincent Crummings	3 episodes
The Plague Dogs	Rowf (voice)	Film
1984	Minder	Mr. Rushmere	Episode: "The Car Lot Baggers"
1985	Blott on the Landscape	Chief Constable	Episode: "Man in a Tree"
Black Silk	Judge	Episode: "Winner Takes All"
1986	Dempsey and Makepeace	Sam Powell	Episode: "Mantrap"
Call Me, Mister	Shop Manager	Episode: "The Other Woman"
The Return of Sherlock Holmes	Dr. Huxtable	Episode: "The Priory School"
1987	Boon	Teddy Rawlingston	Episode: "A Fistful of Pesetas"
Casanova	Massimo	TV movie
The Diary of Anne Frank	Mr Van Daan	3 episodes
Yes, Prime Minister	French Ambassador	Episode: "A Diplomatic Incident"
1988	Melba	Col. Otway	4 episodes
	King and Castle	Enwright	Episode: "Cons"
1989	Saracen	Charles Saunders	Episode: "Girls' Talk"
1990	Brass	Sir Dudley Tilstock	Episode: "Bradley Gets on Top"
Campion	Coroner	Episode: "Flowers for the Judge – Part 1"
Haggard	Lord Tartlet	Episode: "The Great Lover"
Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming	McKinnon	TV movie
1991	Rumpole of the Bailey	Sir Denis Tolston	Episode: "Rumpole and the Right to Silence"
Thatcher: The Final Days	George Younger	TV movie
She-Wolf of London	Dr. Morris	Episode: "Voodoo Child"
1992	A Likely Lad	Harold Sowter	6 episodes
Casualty	Henry Lindall	Episode: "Cry Wolf"
Maigret	Guillaume Saure	Episode: "Maigret and the Burgular's Wife"
Inspector Morse	Professor Furlong	Episode: "Cherubim & Seraphim"
London's Burning	Mr. Brody	2 episodes
1994	Lovejoy	Walid	Episode: "Fruit of the Desert"
The Tomorrow People	Middlemass	4 episodes
1995	Pride and Prejudice	Sir William Lucas	5 episodes
1998	Seesaw	Malcolm Green	2 episodes
The Last Salute	Sir Gilbert	Episode: "One for the Road"
The Tichborne Claimant	Gibbes	Film
1999	Treasure Island	Squire Trelawney	TV movie
2001	Sword of Honour	Doctor	TV movie
2003	Foyle's War	Brigadier Harcourt	Episode: "War Games"
Looking For Victoria	Lord Stanley	TV movie
2003–2006	Judge John Deed	Steve Gaydon	4 episodes
2004	Down to Earth	Mr. Yates	Episode: "Family Ties"
2005	Midsomer Murders	Harvey Crane	Episode: "Midsomer Rhapsody"
2006	Heartbeat	Oliver Ridley	Episode: "Accidents Happen"
Rosemary & Thyme	Trevor Squires	Episode: "Seeds of Time"
2007	Angel	Lord Norley	Film
2008	Doctor Who	Colonel Hugh Curbishley	Episode: "The Unicorn and the Wasp"
2009	Doctors	Arthur Cuthbert	Episode: "Up the Garden Path"
2011	The Merry Wives of Windsor	Sir John Falstaff	Video
2016	The Legend of Tarzan	Lord Knutsford	Film
::

References

References

1. [http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Christopher-Benjamin Profile], behindthevoiceactors.com; accessed 23 January 2016.
2. (19 September 2019). "Colvil & Soames: The Complete Series 1-2".
3. "Christopher Benjamin - BFI".
4. Coveney, Michael. (26 January 2025). "Christopher Benjamin obituary". The Guardian.
5. "Christopher Benjamin".
6. "The Danger Man Website".
7. "Soul Mates (1981)".
8. "Christopher Benjamin".
9. "Jail Birds (1979)".
10. ".:: WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN ::.".
11. (9 January 2018). "Jago & Litefoot Series One | Doctor Who Reviews".
12. "BFI Screenonline: Pride and Prejudice (1995) Credits".
13. "Search | RSC Performances | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust".
14. (25 July 2012). "The Fairy Queen, Glyndebourne".
15. "Christopher Benjamin | Theatricalia".
16. Brantley, Ben. (31 October 2010). "A World of Silliness, but No Winking This Time". The New York Times.
17. "An Evening with Louis MacNeice - Lee Montague 10th Oct.".
18. (15 January 2025). "Christopher Benjamin 1934–2025". Doctor Who News.
19. "On behalf of the family I've been asked to officially share the announcement of the death of the wonderful Christopher Benjamin. Actor, father, husband and friend.".
20. (26 January 2025). "Christopher Benjamin obituary". The Guardian.

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