Cyril Shaps

Early radio Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father was a tailor.

Television In TV, his work ranged from science fiction (including appearances in the Doctor Who serials The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Ambassadors of Death, Planet of the Spiders and The Androids of Tara ), to classic literature (such as the BBC's 1990s serialisations of Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit and Our Mutual Friend) to detective series (with appearances in The Saint, Lovejoy, and Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady—as Emperor Franz Joseph—in 1991). He appeared in the first episode of the sitcom The Young Ones, playing a neighbour. He appeared in two Jim Henson Company television films: Gulliver's Travels (1996) as an elderly madman, and Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (2001) as the "Bent Little Man". He supplied the voice of Professor Rudolf Popkiss in the second series of Supercar, broadcast in 1962. He also voiced the characters of Mr. Gruber in The Adventures of Paddington Bear and Great Grandfather Frost in one episode of Animated Tales of the World.

Other notable work Other series featuring Shaps were Quatermass II, Danger Man, The Mask of Janus, The Spies, Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, The Saint, Out of the Unknown, Alexander the Greatest, The Rat Catchers, Man in a Suitcase, Randall and Hopkirk, Department S, The Liver Birds, When the Boat Comes In, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, The Onedin Line, The Persuaders!, Porridge, The Sweeney, Jesus of Nazareth, Wilde Alliance, Holocaust (miniseries), Private Schulz, The Young Ones, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, The Bill, Dark Season, Midsomer Murders and Doctors. they had two sons, Matthew and Simon, and a daughter, Sarah.

Shaps died in Harrow, London on New Year's Day 2003, aged 79, and was survived by his children.

Selected filmography

Interpol (1957) – Warden Miracle in Soho (1957) – Mr. Swoboda The Silent Enemy (1958) – Miguel Passport to Shame (1958) – Willie Danger Within (1959) – Lt. Cyriakos Coutoules SOS Pacific (1959) – Louis Never Let Go (1960) – Cypriot Follow That Horse! (1960) – Dr. Spiegel The Boy Who Stole a Million (1960) – Bank Clerk The Adventures of Alice (1960) – The March Hare Return of a Stranger (1961) – Homer Trent The Terror of the Tongs (1961) – (uncredited) The Pursuers (1961) – Karl Luther Lawrence of Arabia (1962) – Bartender in Officer's Club (uncredited) The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963) – Maurice "Morrie" Bellman The Little Ones (1965) – Child Welfare Officer Up Jumped a Swagman (1965) – Phil Myers Rasputin: the Mad Monk (1966) – Foxy Face (uncredited) To Sir, with Love (1967) – Mr. Pinkus (uncredited) The Looking Glass War (1970) – East German Detective The Kremlin Letter (1970) – Police Doctor Our Miss Fred (1972) – Doctor QB VII (1974) – Uri Lehrer 11 Harrowhouse (1974) – Wildenstein, the Diamond Cutter The Odessa File (1974) – Tauber's Voice (voice) The Hiding Place (1975) – Building Inspector Smit Operation Daybreak (1975) – Father Petrek The Message (1976) – (voice) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – Dr. Bechmann Unidentified Flying Oddball (1979) – Dr. Zimmerman Avalanche Express (1979) – Sedov Erik the Viking (1989) – Gisli the Chiseller Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991) – Emperor Franz Joseph The Madness of King George (1994) – Pepys For my Baby (1997) – Joshua Orgelbrand The Governess (1998) – Doctor Simon Magus (1999) – Chaim The Lost Son (1999) – Mr. Spitz Solomon and Gaenor (1999) – Ephraim The Clandestine Marriage (1999) – Canton The End of the Affair (1999) – Waiter The Man Who Cried (2000) – Older Man in Sweatshop The Pianist (2002) – Mr. Grün The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) – Pew Opener (final film role)

Doctor Who

1967: The Tomb of the Cybermen – John Viner, episodes 1, 2

1970: The Ambassadors of Death – Lennox, episodes 3-5

1974: Planet of the Spiders – Professor Clegg, episode 1

1978: The Androids of Tara – Archimandrite, episodes 2-4