David Ryall

David John Ryall (5 January 1935 – 25 December 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He had leading roles in Lytton's Diary and Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as memorable roles in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective and Andrew Davies's adaptation of To Play the King. He also portrayed Billy Buzzle in the ITV sitcom Bless Me, Father and Grandad Frank in the BBC sitcom Outnumbered.

Early life Born in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex,

Career On leaving RADA, Ryall went into repertory theatre in Salisbury, Bristol, Leicester and Birmingham (including King Lear and The Master Builder) and then into Laurence Olivier's company with the National Theatre at the Old Vic from 1965 to 1973. During this time he was involved with many new and influential plays, including Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Jumpers, Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun and Adrian Mitchell's Tyger. He appeared as Max, an antiques collector, in episode 4 of BBC drama Bonekickers.

In 2005, Ryall played the role of Winston Churchill in the French television drama Le Grand Charles, based on the life of Charles de Gaulle.

Ryall appeared in the BBC One sitcom Outnumbered from 2007 to 2011, in which he played Frank Morrison (known as "Grandad"), a character with dementia.

In 2010, Ryall portrayed Elphias Doge in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. and he was cast in the BBC Drama The Village as Old Bert, Britain's oldest man who recounts his long life through a series of flashbacks.

Personal life Ryall had one son, Jonathan (1966), and one daughter, Imogen (1967), born from his first wife, Gillian Edison, and another daughter, Charlie (1986), from his second wife, Cathy Buchwald. He died on 25 December 2014 aged 79.

Filmography

The Dance of Death (1969) – Sentry Black Joy (1977) – Butcher Love for Lydia (1977, TV Series) – Bretherton Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Mr Ryford (1978 TV series) Enemy at the Door (1978–1980, TV Series) – Capt. Tom Foster-Smythe Bless Me, Father (1978–1981, TV Series) – Billy Buzzle The Knowledge (1979) – Titanic The Elephant Man (1980) – Man With Whores Fords on Water (1983) – Mister Jack Jack the Ripper (1988, TV Series) – Bowyer The Woman in Black (1989) – Sweetman Wilt (1990) – Rev. Froude Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990) – George The Russia House (1990) – Colonial Type Shelley (1990–1992, TV Series) – Ted Bishop Goodnight Sweetheart (1993 - TV series) - Eric Elward, All 6 episodes series 1 Shuttlecock (1993) – Pound Justice (1993) – English Minister Black Beauty (1994) – Carriagemaker Giorgino (1994) – Professor Beaumont Carrington (1995) – Mayor Restoration (1995) – Lord Bathurst Mad Cows (1999) – Man outside Harrods Unconditional Love (2002) – Funeral Director Two Men Went to War (2002) – Winston Churchill Blackball (2003) – Giles Wilton Around the World in 80 Days (2004) – Lord Salisbury The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005) – Tom Tit Doc Martin ep. – "Happily Ever After" (2007) – Drunk Vicar City of Ember (2008) – Chief Builder Midsomer Murders ep. – "Small Mercies" (2009) – Bob Moss Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) – Elphias Doge Hysteria (2011) – Judge Trollied (2011–2012, TV series) – Vic Quartet (2012) – Harry A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Tractate Middoth (2013) – Dr. Rant Mr. Turner (2014) – Footman Autómata (2014) – Dominic Hawk Call the Midwife (2015, series 4, episode 7) – Tommy Mills (final appearance)