Derek Waring

Early life

Derek Barton-Chapple was born in Mill Hill, London in 1927; his father was the TV pioneer Wing Commander H.J. Barton-Chapple, who had worked with John Logie Baird. Waring's brother Richard was a television comedy scriptwriter. After attending Dulwich College, Waring served with the Army in Berlin. Waring later turned down the offer of a place at St Edmund Hall, Oxford to take up a scholarship with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then went into rep theatre. Waring's first television role was in a 1956 episode of The Jack Benny Programme. After that he appeared in many television programmes in small roles, including The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, Dixon of Dock Green, Ghost Squad and Callan. In 1964, Waring married Dorothy Tutin, the couple had two children, Amanda and Nick, both of whom later became actors.

Television success

In 1969, Derek Waring started playing DI Neil Goss in the police drama Z-Cars and continued in this role for 215 episodes until 1973. Following Z-Cars he played Roland Moody in Moody and Pegg. Later in the 1970s, Waring appeared in programmes such as Murder Most English, Crown Court, The New Avengers, Two's Company and George and Mildred. In 1987, he played Harry Somers in the Scottish soap opera Take the High Road. During the 1980s he appeared on screen in The Enigma Files, Never the Twain and The Professionals. In 1982, he appeared as Shardovan in the third and fourth parts of the Doctor Who serial "Castrovalva" .

Derek Waring was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in many productions including War of the Roses. In the West End he appeared in Cowardy Custard, Suzie Wong and in the late 1980s The Boy Friend, which was his final West End appearance. On Broadway he played Prince Albert in Portrait of a Queen opposite his wife who played Queen Victoria.

Later life

In 1987, Derek Waring appeared in the film Indian Summer. His last television role was playing Mr. Cooper-Bassett in a 1995 episode of Keeping Up Appearances. His wife, Dorothy Tutin, died in 2001 and following her death he concentrated on radio work. Derek Waring died from cancer at Petworth Cottage Hospital in West Sussex in 2007, aged 79.