Richard Coleman

Richard Coleman (20 January 1930 – 16 December 2008) was a British film, television and stage actor.

Early life Richard Coleman was born Ronald Coleman in Peckham, London in 1930. He adopted the stage name Richard Coleman, to avoid confusion with the film star Ronald Colman. He then spent two years with the Worthing Repertory Company, appearing in many plays.

Career

Theatre Coleman made his professional acting debut in 1955, playing Albert Tufnell, A.B., in the stage adaptation of Sailor Beware!

A full list of the plays in which Coleman appeared is:

1955-58 Sailor, Beware! (Albert Tufnell, A.B.)

1959 Suzie Wong (Ben Jeffcoat)

1962 The Big Killing

1968-70 There's A Girl in My Soup (Andrew Hunter and Robert Danvers)

1975 How It Can Ruin Your Health

1975 Cheaper by the Dozen

1976 Absurd Person Singular (Tour of Canada)

1976 The Roaring Forties (George)

1977 The Chiltern Hundreds (Beecham)

1977 A Murder is Announced

1978 Suddenly At Home (Glenn Howard)

1979 An Ideal Husband (Sir Robert Chiltern)

1982 Public Relations

1982 In Praise of Love.

He also appeared in: Lady Windermere's Fan (Lord Windermere), Staircase (Charles Dyer), The Mousetrap, Two and Two Make Sex and Not Now Darling.

Television He played David Redway in the situation comedy ...And Mother Makes Three (1972-3), and its sequel ...And Mother Makes Five (1974-6), opposite Wendy Craig. Other television roles included Nick Allardyce in The Adventures of Ben Gunn (1958), Alan-a-Dale in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1958–60), and Jack Royston in the short lived Anglia Television soap opera Weavers Green (1966). He was a panellist on "Whose Baby?" (1973) in all 13 episodes of the first series and all 14 episodes of the second series.

Film Coleman appeared in a number films including The Dam Busters (1955), Yangtse Incident (1957), Girls at Sea (1958), The Navy Lark (1959), Ben-Hur (1959), Hell is a City (1960), The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1961), 80,000 Suspects (1963), Rotten to the Core (1965) Naked Evil (1966) and Who Dares Wins (1982). He also had a cameo role in the film 10 Rillington Place (1971) as the police constable who arrests the murderer John Christie.

Personal life Coleman was married to the actress Peggy Sinclair. They had two daughters. At the end of the 1980s they went to live in rural France, where he indulged his lifelong love of dogs, good food and fine wine. He died from cancer in France on 16 December 2008, aged 78.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1958 The Adventures of Ben Gunn Nick Allardyce 5 episodes 1959-1960 The Adventures of Robin Hood Alan-a-Dale 4 episodes 1961 Plateau of Fear Ralph Morton 3 episodes 1963 Zero One Pilot Episode: "Hurricane" 1963 Comedy Playhouse Charles Pratt Episode: "On the Knocker" 1963-1964 Dixon of Dock Green Mr. Holdsworth / Mr. Dykes 2 episodes 1964 Compact Mike Fuller 3 episodes 1964-1965 No Hiding Place Detective Sergeant Anstey / Pat Jenkins 2 episodes 1964-1965 Marriage Lines Dr. Harrison 2 episodes 1964-1966 Redcap Corporal Geott / Corporal Edge 2 episodes 1965 The Man in Room 17 Jaraslav Brunewski Episode: "The Seat of Power" 1965 Theatre 625 1st Policeman Episode: "Yob and Nabob" 1966 The Avengers Squadron Leader Freddy Episode: "The Danger Makers" 1966 Weavers Green Jack Royston 7 episodes 1966 Sergeant Cork PC Portello Episode: "The Case of the Silent Policeman" 1967 Room at the Bottom Dillington 1 episode 1967 Emergency Ward 10 James Fellowes Episode: "There's None So Blind" 1967 ITV Playhouse Detective Inspector Sullivan Episode: "The Confession" 1967-1968 Champion House Kevin Flinders 2 episodes 1971 That's Your Funeral Horatio Episode: "A Touch of Violet" 1972-1973 ...And Mother Makes Three David Redway 13 episodes 1973 Z-Cars Corder Episode: "Defection" 1973 CBS Children's Film Festival Captain Wright Episode: "Countdown to Danger" 1974 Thriller Weston Episode: "A Coffin for the Bride" 1974 The Capone Investment Duncan Hall 4 episodes 1974-1976 ...And Mother Makes Five David Redway 26 episodes 1975 Whodunnit? Henry Johnson Episode: "Worth Dying For" 1977 George & Mildred Charles Newman Episode: "All Around the Clock" 1978 Wings Samuel Triggers Episode: "The Price" 1979 Robin's Nest Fanthorpe Episode: "Sorry Partner" 1981 Private Schulz Policeman 1 episode 1990 She-Wolf of London PC Leary Episode: "The Bogman of Letchmoor Heath" 1991 Surgical Spirit Charles Mackland Smith Episode: "Making News" 1992 Virtual Murder Chief Inspector Trusscott Episode: "A Bone to Pick"