Moray Watson

Early life

Moray Watson's father was killed in Belgium in World War II. He was educated at Eton College. He met his future wife Pam Marmont at The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. They went on to marry in 1955 and had two children Emma in 1957 and Robin in 1959, both of whom went into the theatre. His father-in-law was the silent film star Percy Marmont.

Personal life

Watson made his first appearance on stage while still a student at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art at a matinee performance in memory of Ellen Terry at Hythe, Kent. After appearances in repertory, he appeared on the West End stage, including The Doctor's Dilemma and in The Rivals by Sheridan both at the Haymarket Theatre.

In 1963, he went to New York City to appear in The Private Ear and The Public Eye. He played the part of the Art Editor in the BBC series Compact for some years.

He appeared in several films, including Operation Crossbow and The Grass Is Greener, in which he played opposite Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons.

Watson had a series of television credits to his name, most notably as Brigadier Arthur Maiford, MC (ret.) (but always known to the Larkins as "The General") in The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993); and George Frobisher in Rumpole of the Bailey (1978–1992). He also appeared as Sir Robert Muir in the Doctor Who story Black Orchid; and had a small role in Yes Minister. He also appeared in the 1974 version of The Pallisers as Barrington Erle and in the Albert Campion mystery The Death of a Late Pig as the Chief Constable. He also played a Chief constable in the 1977 BBC series Murder Most English and Mr Bennet in the 1980 BBC series Pride and Prejudice.

In addition to his long career on stage, television and film Moray Watson undertook three one-man shows. The first in the 1970s was The Incomparable Max based on the life and work of Max Beerbohm, written for him by Sheila Ward and Peter Ling. Years later in the early 2000s he took on Ancestral Voices, based on the diaries of James Lees Milne written by Hugh Massingberd. His final one-man show was written and devised by himself based on his own life as an actor, entitled Looking Back and Dropping Names, which was published in book form in September 2016. (See link below) Watson died at the age of 88 on 2 May 2017.

Partial TV and filmography

The Quatermass Experiment (1953) (TV) as Peter Marsh

Find the Lady (1956)

The Grass Is Greener (1960) as Trevor Sellers, the Butler

No Wreath for the General (1960) (TV) as Major Johnny Brookman

The Saint (1964) "The Imprudent Politician" (TV) as Ken Shield

Silas Marner (1964) (TV) as Godfrey Cass

Operation Crossbow (1965) as Colonel Kenneth Post

The Avengers (1966) "The Danger Makers" (TV) as Peters

Z-Cars (1969) "A Right Cock-'N-Bull Story" (TV) as Harold Thorburn

Catweazle (1970) (TV) as Lord Collingford (1970)

Every Home Should Have One (1970) as Chandler

Rookery Nook (1970, TV drama)

Upstairs, Downstairs (1972) "A Pair of Exiles" (TV) as Colonel Winter

The Pallisers (1974) (TV) as Barrington Erle

Murder Most English: "A Flaxborough Chronicle" as Chief Constable Chubb

Quiller (1975) (TV) as Angus Kinloch

Return of the Saint, The Judas Game (1978) (TV) as Buckingham

Life of Shakespeare (1978) (TV) as Nicholas

Rumpole of the Bailey as George Frobisher (1978–1992)

The Professionals "It's Only a Beautiful Picture" (1980) (TV) as Jeremy Sangster

Pride and Prejudice (1980) (TV) as Mr. Bennet

The Sea Wolves (1980) as Breene

Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981) (TV) as Major Desmond Morton

The Walls of Jericho (1981) (TV) as Dr.George Balfour

Tales of the Unexpected - "Death in the Morning" (1982) (TV) as Sir Ian Masterson

Doctor Who - Black Orchid (1982) (TV) as Sir Robert Muir

Miss Marple The Body in the Library (1984) (TV) as Colonel Arthur Bantry

Minder - "Goodbye Sailor" (1984) (TV) as Commander Hawksly

Who Dares Wins - Episode No. 3.4 (1986) (TV)

Rude Health (1987) (TV) as Sir Nigel Toft (1987)

Star Cops - "An Instinct for Murder" (1987) (TV) as the Commander

Still Crazy Like a Fox (1987) (TV) as Hubbard

Worlds Beyond - "The Haunted Garden" (1987) (TV)

Campion - "The Case of the Late Pig" (1989) (TV) as Sir Leo Pursuivant

Norbert Smith – a Life (1989) (TV) as Sir Donald Stuffy

A Murder of Quality (1991) (TV) as Maj. Harriman

The House of Eliott - Episode No. 1.6 (1991) (TV) as The Judge

The New Statesman - "The Party's Over" (1991) (TV) as Professor Eugene Quail

To Be the Best (1991) (TV) as Hunter

Haggard - "Orlando's Revenge" (1992) (TV) as Henry Nugent

The Darling Buds of May as Brig. Arthur Maiford, M.C. (ret.)

The Vicar of Dibley - "Animals" (1994) (TV) as The Stranger

Kavanagh QC - "Previous Convictions" (1999) (TV) as Sir Henry Dorrister

Midsomer Murders - "Judgement Day" (2000) (TV) as Edward Allardice

Bertie and Elizabeth (2002) (TV) as Lord Dawson

My Family - "Harper V Harper" (2011) (TV) as George

Run for Your Wife (2012) as Man on the Bus

Publications

'Looking Back and Dropping Names'

An autobiography, published in September 2016.