Graham Armitage

Graham Armitage (24 April 1936 – 6 March 1999) was an English stage, film and television actor. From 1973 he lived and worked in South Africa, where he had spent part of his childhood. Early life and education Armitage was born in Blackpool in Lancashire, the son of Albert Edward Armitage (1908–1959) and Isabel W. née Bailes (1909–). In 1947 Harvey left the UK with his family, flying to South Afr...

Graham Armitage (24 April 1936 – 6 March 1999) was an English stage, film and television actor. From 1973 he lived and worked in South Africa, where he had spent part of his childhood. Early life and education Armitage was born in Blackpool in Lancashire, the son of Albert Edward Armitage (1908–1959) and Isabel W. née Bailes (1909–). In 1947 Harvey left the UK with his family, flying to South Africa and eventually settling in Cape Town where he attended Sea Point High School and then the Christian Brothers College. In early 1951 Harvey and his family moved to Salisbury, in Southern Rhodesia where he attended Prince Edward School. During 1952 Harvey wrote the entrance exam for late entry to Dartmouth Naval College. Whilst his Maths and Geography results were outstanding he had not studied the same syllabus for English Literature and History so failed to obtain entrance. He graduated from RADA in 1952, following which he made his début in the BBC television play Without The Prince, which was transmitted live. Career For the next twenty years Armitage regularly appeared on screen, mainly on television. He had roles in such shows as The Saint, The Avengers and made several appearances on The Dick Emery Show. In 1973 Armitage went to South Africa to appear in the Noël Coward revue Cowardy Custard and decided to stay there, becoming a familiar face on local television and stage. In 1974 Olivia Manning adapted two of Arnold Bennett's works (The Card and The Regent) into an eight-part BBC Radio play: Denry - The Adventures Of A Card. Armitage played Denry, with Ursula O'Leary as the Countess of Chell. From 1979 to 1985 he portrayed Sherlock Holmes for Springbok Radio. His last appearance was in 1999 as a vicar in the South African family film Alec to the Rescue. Personal life In 1955 he married Carole Shirley England (1934–2017) at the Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, then part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The couple had three children. Armitage died in Johannesburg in South Africa in 1999. Selected filmography Film Television Theatre 625 (1966) - Monsieur Bernard The Avengers (1966-1967) - Algernon 'Algy' Wynche / Huggins Doctor Who (1967) - Barney The Saint (1968) - Carson The First Churchills (1969) - Earl of Rochester Randall and Hopkirk (1970) - Young Stage Director From a Bird's Eye View (1971) - Johnstone Seven of One (1973) - Arthur (Episode "My Old Man") The Naked Civil Servant (1975) - Mr. Dunsmore Open All Hours (1976) - Man from Matlock Mutual Protection Society References Bibliography Ross, Robert. The Complete Terry-Thomas. Reynolds & Hearn, 2002. External links Graham Armitage at IMDb