Bernard Hepton

Bernard Hepton (19 October 1925 – 27 July 2018)

Early life and education Hepton was born as Francis Bernard Heptonstall, the second of four children, in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire. His father, Bernard senior, was an electrician, while his mother Hilda (née Berrington) was from a mill-working family. Brought up as a Catholic, he attended St Bede's Grammar School. He had extensive stage experience as an actor in repertory, especially in Scarborough and York. In 1952, he joined Birmingham Rep under Barry Jackson, later himself becoming the theatre's artistic director in 1957. Before that he made a guest appearance in an episode of the first series of Catweazle (1970) where he played a naturalist. Other notable performances included Thomas Cranmer in both The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) and Elizabeth R (1971). He reprised the role in the film adaptation of the former, Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972). Hepton acted in adaptations of John le Carré's novels, as Toby Esterhase in the BBC Television versions of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People, and George Smiley in the radio adaptations. He appeared in I, Claudius (1976) as Pallas and in the comedy series The Squirrels (1974–77).

Between 1977 and 1979 he played Albert Foiret, proprietor of the Cafe Candide in Secret Army. This role was later parodied as René in 'Allo, 'Allo.

Having played Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls (1982) and Sir Thomas Bertram in Mansfield Park (1983), Hepton appeared as Sam Toovey in the 1989 television adaptation of Susan Hill's ghost story The Woman in Black (1989). In 1996 he appeared in the television adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, as the title character's hypochondriac father, Mr Woodhouse. In 1987 he appeared in the television programme The Charmer, in which he played Donald Stimpson

Hepton married actress Nancie Oldfield Jackson in 1957. Jackson played Thomas More’s wife Alice opposite Hepton as More in the 1957 television film A Man for All Seasons; Hepton and she settled in Barnes, London. Jackson died on 18 January 1977.

Hepton married the actress Hilary Joyce Liddell in 1979; he was widowed for a second time when Liddell died on 4 April 2013.

Hepton died on 27 July 2018, aged 92, in Martin Mill, Dover, Kent. In his will he left behind a substantial donation to an actors' cafe.

He was succeeded by a nephew and a great niece.

Filmography Film credits

A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (1949) as Cyclist (uncredited) Richard III (1955) as Soldier, uncredited and credited as Master of Horse Get Carter (1971) as Thorpe Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer Barry Lyndon (1975) as Man selling painting to Barry Voyage of the Damned (1976) as Milton Goldsmith The Plague Dogs (1982) as Stephen Powell (voice) Gandhi (1982) as G.O.C, British army in India The Holcroft Covenant (1985) as Commander Leighton Shadey (1985) as Captain Amies Stealing Heaven (1988) as Bishop Eminent Domain (1990) as Slovak The Baroness and the Pig (2002) as Soames

Television credits

A Man for All Seasons (1957) as Sir Thomas More The Life of Henry V (1957) as Chorus Compact (1964) - director, two episodes Swizzlewick (1964) - producer, 20 episodes Thursday Theatre (1965) - producer, two episodes United! (1965–1966) - producer, 28 episodes Play of the Month: The Devil's Eggshell (1966) as Lord Portmanteau Great Expectations (1967) as Wemmick The Spanish Farm (1968) as Captain Dormer Out of the Unknown: The Fosters (1969) as Harry Gerwyn The Wednesday Play: Son of Man (1969) as Caiaphas The Gold Robbers (1969) as Harold Oscroft The Elusive Pimpernel (1969) as Chauvelin W. Somerset Maugham: Lord Mountdrago (1969) as Dr Audlin Play For Today: Robin Redbreast (1970) as Fisher The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970, in four episodes) as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer Elizabeth R (1971) as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer Omnibus: Paradise Restored (1971) as Oliver Cromwell The Organization (1972) as Rodney Spurling Follow the Yellow Brick Road (1972) as Colin Sands Colditz (1972–1974) as Kommandant Play of the Month: The Adventures of Don Quixote (1973) as Village Priest A Pin to See the Peepshow (1973) as Herbert Starling Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) as Webster The Squirrels (1974–1977) as Mr Fletcher Sadie, It's Cold Outside (1975) as Norman Potter Orde Wingate (1976) as Palmer I, Claudius (1976) as Pallas Secret Army (1977–1979) as Albert Foiret Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) as Toby Esterhase Blood Money (1981) as Det Chief Supt Meadows Kessler (1981) as Albert Foiret An Inspector Calls (1982) as Inspector Goole Smiley's People (1982) as Toby Esterhase Mansfield Park (1983) as Sir Thomas Bertram Dear Box Number (1983) as Walter Cartwright Cockles (1984) as Sergeant Naughton A Profile of Arthur J. Mason (1984) as Arthur J. Mason Bleak House (1985) as Krook Bergerac (1985) as Sir Geoffrey Newton Honour, Profit and Pleasure (1985) as Bishop of London The Disputation (1986) as Raymund de Penjaforte The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986) as Judge Bissop The Lady's Not for Burning (1987) as Hebble Tyson The Charmer (1987) as Donald Stimpson The Contract (1988) as Henry Carter The Woman in Black (1989) as Sam Toovey A Perfect Hero (1991) as Arthur Fleming The Old Devils (1992) as Malcolm Cellan-Davies Dandelion Dead (1994) as Mr Davies Emma (1996) as Mr Woodhouse Midsomer Murders: Death of a Hollow Man (1998) as Harold Winstanley Heartbeat: Bread & Circuses (2002) as Colonel Barber/James Barker