Geoffrey Chater

Geoffrey Michael Chater Robinson (23 March 1921 – 16 October 2021) was an English film, television and stage actor. He appeared in the crime drama series Callan, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders and in the classic episode Six Days of the spy-fi Department S .

Early life Geoffrey Michael Chater Robinson was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire on 23 March 1921 and lived in Iden, East Sussex and London. His father, Lawrence Chater Robinson, was a composer of music for dance bands and his mother Peggy was an actress. It was seeing her perform at London St Martin's Theatre when he was 11 that made him want to follow her onto the stage.

Chater was educated at Marlborough College. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the Royal Fusiliers in 1940. He served as a captain in India and Burma, where he wrote and performed in revues for the troops during time off. Later on he appeared in Howard Brenton's play Magnificence. He also had a minor role in the British TV serial Brideshead Revisited, in which he played the role of a British Consul. He made his film debut in 1958 with The Strange World of Planet X. In Gandhi (1982), he played the chairman of the inquiry into the Amritsar massacre. He also appeared in the film classics If.... (1968) and Barry Lyndon (1975) in supporting roles.

Chater's career saw him take on roles from Shakespeare to Midsomer Murders. While he appeared in films and television roles, he avoided longer contracts so he could have time to devote to his first love of performing in the theatre.

Death Chater turned 100 on 23 March 2021 and died on 16 October 2021 in Iden, East Sussex.

Filmography Film The Strange World of Planet X (1958) - Gerard Wilson Battle of the V-1 (1958) - Minister of Defence Wonderful Things! (1958) - Solicitor The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) - Pat Holroyd Two Letter Alibi (1962) - Inspector Warren If.... (1968) - Chaplain: Staff One of Those Things (1971) - Falck 10 Rillington Place (1971) - Old Bailey: Christmas Humphreys Endless Night (1972) - Coroner The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973) - Reverend Thorn O Lucky Man! (1973) - Bishop / Vicar Barry Lyndon (1975) - Doctor Broughton Gandhi (1982) - Government Advocate Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990) - Doctor Archibald

Television

Sherlock Holmes (1951) - Unknown Jan at the Blue Fox (1952) - Mr. Trevor The Birdcage Room (1954, TV film) - Mr. Blackfoot ITV Television Playhouse (1955) - Dusty ITV Play of the Week (1955-1963) - Various roles My Friend Charles (1956) - Doctor George Kimber Motive for Murder (1957) - Harry Manners Armchair Theatre (1958-1971) - Various roles The Third Man (1959) - Lord Farset Scotland Yard (1960) - Detective Superintendent Lawrie Saturday Playhouse (1960) - Raymond On Trial (1960) - A.J. Newton Walk a Crooked Mile (1961) - Arnold Hedges Storyboard (1961) - Duroc Family Solicitor (1961) - Mr. Tyler Echo Four Two (1961) - Acting Superintendent Dean Probation Officer (1961) - Sir Giles Enton Drama 61-67 (1962-1963) - Various roles No Hiding Place (1962-1965) - Various roles Crying Down the Lane (1962) - Superintendent Lambe Z Cars (1963) - Robson The Plane Makers (1963) - Simon Stride Ghost Squad (1963-1964) - Various roles BBC Sunday-Night Play (1963) - The Captain The Human Jungle (1963) - Householder The Scales of Justice (1963) - Mr. Soames Detective (1964) - Tony Garnish Espionage ('Snow on Mount Kama', episode) (1964) - Colonel Gregory Festival (1964) - Kindred Story Parade (1964) - Prosecutor The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling (1964) - Major Vansuythen Victoria Regina (1964) - Doctor Clark Theatre 625 (1965-1967) - Various roles Front Page Story (1965) - Bosley Morton Emergency-Ward 10 (1965) - Commander Boyle RN The Troubleshooters (1966-1967) - Charles du Cros Vendetta (1966) - Don Gino Adam Adamant Lives! (1967) - Commissioner Hobson The Wednesday Play (1967) - Richard Browning Softly, Softly (1967) - Framley Sexton Blake (1967) - William Passer The Avengers (1967-1968) - Jarvis/Seaton City '68 (1967-1968) - Wainwright ITV Playhouse (1967-1980) - Various roles The Champions (1968) - Forster The Saint (1968) - Carl Howard Department S (1968) -Peck The Expert (1968-1969) - Tom Caldicott The Power Game (1969) - Arthur Stilton ITV Sunday Night Theatre (1969) - Toby Pears Department S (1969) - Peck Rogues' Gallery (1969) - Sir Richard Manningham W. Somerset Maugham (1969) - Mr. Grey The Main Chance (1969-1975) - Roger Chapman Big Brother (1970) - Sir Michael Clarke Callan (1970-1972) - Bishop Steptoe and Son (1970) - Peregrine Biography (1970) - Hoppner Fraud Squad (1970) - Brigadier Wildblood Doomwatch (1971) - Mullery Paul Temple (1971) - Sir Harold Malyon Justice (1971) - Lord Rush Jason King (1971) - Mr. Horner Dad's Army (1972) - Colonel Pierce The Dick Emery Show (1972-1975) - Various roles Ooh La La! (1973) - Landernau Orson Welles' Great Mysteries (1973) - Donald Cosgrove Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) - Bank manager Thriller (1973-1975) - Various roles Special Branch (1974) - Sir Gerald Pastor Fall of Eagles (1974) - Charles General Hospital (1974) - Mr. Hillier Shoulder to Shoulder (1974) - Holloway Prison Governor Father Brown (1974) - Leonard Smythe Moll Flanders (1975) - George Mace Thriller (1975) Episode: "The Next Voice You See" - Sir Peter Hastings Jackanory Playhouse (1975) - Chancellor Village Hall (1975) - Leonard Beamish The Poisoning of Charles Bravo (1975) - Mr. Gorst Hogg's Back (1975) - Inspector Crown Court (1976) - Professor Stuart Adams Hadleigh (1976) - David Ringham The Howerd Confessions (1976) - Mr. Parsley Within These Walls (1976) - Judge Lionel Hunt Romance (1977) - Sir Charles Verdayne Devenish (1977) - Admiral Sir Percival Wallow The Upchat Line (1977) - Mr. Peabody The Cedar Tree (1978) - Walter Henderson Strangers (1979) - Barker Rings on Their Fingers (1979) - Mr. Lowther Penmarric (1979) - Doctor Ormott Prince Regent (1979) - Henry Addington Play for Today (1979-1981) - Various roles Premiere (1980) - Superintendent Agony (1981) - Mr. Lucas Bognor (1981) - Sir Erris Beg The Good Soldier (1981) - Bagshawe Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981) - Lord Hailsham Brideshead Revisited (1981) - Consul Othello (1981) - Brabantio Troilus & Cressida (1981) - Nestor Shelley (1982) - Mr. Fairbass The Agatha Christie Hour (1982) - Canon Parfitt Harry's Game (1982) - Colonel George Frost The Further Adventures of Lucky Jim (1982) - Magistrate Tales of the Unexpected (1982) - James Hamilton Nanny (1983) - Major Fancombe The Cleopatras (1983) - Perigenes A Married Man (1983) - Sir Peter Craxton The Aerodrome (1983) - Dr. Faulkner Shackleton (1983) - Sir Clements Markham Foxy Lady (1984) - Mr. Molyneux Strangers and Brothers (1984) - Thomas Bevill Blott on the Landscape (1985) - Minister Mapp and Lucia (1985-1986) - Mr. Algernon Wyse Screen Two (1985-1987) - Various roles Indiscreet (1988) - Finley A Taste for Death (1988) - Frank Musgrave The Dog It Was That Died (1989) - Wren Anything More Would Be Greedy (1989) - Sir William Crome Chelworth (1989) - Rafe Holingsworth Norbert Smith, a Life (1989) - Cyril Freebody Saracen (1989) - Alan Ross The New Statesman (1990) - Justice Saunders Harry Enfield's Television Programme (1990) - Mr. Dickinson Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming 1990) - Lawyer Bergerac (1990) - Sir Matthew Osterson Brass (1990) - Air Vice Marshal Plunkett-Downe One Foot in the Grave (1990) - Reverend Croker Rumpole of the Bailey (1991) - Gregory Fabian Harry Enfield and Chums (1994) - Headmaster The House of Eliott (1994) - Wilkinson The Rector's Wife (1994) - The Bishop Pie in the Sky (1994) - Doctor Lonsdale The Detectives (1995) - Sutton Frobisher The Thin Blue Line (1995) - Carol Singer The Bill (1998) - Edward Robbins In the Red (1998) - Mr Justice Frimlington Heartbeat (1999) Hal Clifford Heartbeat (2003) - Sir Henry Bing Foyle's War (2003) - Professor Phillips Midsomer Murders (2005) - Brother Robert