[1][2] He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947.
He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company between 1963 and 1987, and his parts included Earl of Warwick in The Wars of The Roses (1963 and 1964), Claudius in Hamlet opposite David Warner's portrayal of the title character (1965 and 1966), Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night (1966), Lafau (in All's Well That Ends Well) and Banquo (in Macbeth) in 1967, Julius Caesar and Falstaff (in The Merry Wives of Windsor) in 1968, Women Beware Women, Wolsey (in Henry VIII) and Falstaff (in When Thou Art King) in 1969, Undershaft in Major Barbara (1970), Othello (1971), Falstaff in Henry IV (1975) and Gaunt in Richard II in 1986.
[6][7] He made appearances in many TV series includingThe Pallisers (1974), Quatermass (1979) and Tales of the Unexpected (1980–81).
[8][9] His film appearances included The Dam Busters (1954), as Guy Gibson's rear gunner Flt.
[2] In 1957, he had a spell in the BBC's Radio Drama Repertory company when, after an accident in which he injured his leg, he was unable to undertake film or stage work.