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Nigel Stock
Nigel Stock
	Stock as Dr. Watson in BBC TV's Sherlock Holmes
Born	21 September 1919; Malta
Died	23 June 1986 (aged 66); Camden, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1931–1986
Spouses	; Catherine Hodnett; (m. 1943; div. 1947) ; Sonia Williams; (m. 1951; div. 1980) ; Richenda Carey; (m. 1979)

Nigel Stock (21 September 1919 – 23 June 1986) was a British actor who played character roles in many films and television dramas. He was perhaps best known for his stint as Dr. Watson in TV adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories, for his supporting roles as a solidly reliable English soldier or bureaucrat in several war and historical film dramas, and for playing the title role in Owen, M.D.^[2]

Early life

Stock was born in Malta, the son of an Army captain. He grew up in India before attending St Paul's School, London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he earned the Leverhulme Exhibition, Northcliffe Scholarship, and the Principal's Medal.^[3]

Military service

Stock served in the Second World War with the London Irish Rifles and the Assam Regiment of the Indian Army in Burma, China and Kohima. He was honourably discharged with the rank of Major, having twice been mentioned in dispatches.^[3]

Acting

He made his stage debut in 1931, and during his career achieved numerous classical and contemporary credits at various distinguished theatres, including the Old Vic and on Broadway, with productions of The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, She Stoops to Conquer, Uncle Vanya.^[4]^[5] His start in films came with uncredited bit parts in The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). In 1937 he made his first credited film appearance in Lancashire Luck.^[6]

After his wartime service, he returned to acting. His film appearances included popular releases such as Brighton Rock (1947), The Dam Busters (1955), Victim (1961), The Great Escape (1963), The Lion in Winter and The Lost Continent (both 1968), and Russian Roulette (1975).^[7]

Between 1964 and 1968, Nigel Stock became a household name in the UK for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of Sherlock Holmes dramas for BBC television.^[8] Later in life, he portrayed the mentor of Sherlock Holmes in Young Sherlock Holmes.^[4] His other numerous television credits included Danger Man (1965), The Avengers (1964 & 1966), The Prisoner (1967), The Doctors (1969–71), Owen, M.D. (1971–73), Quiller (1975), Van der Valk (1977), the Doctor Who serial Time Flight (1982), Yes Minister (1982), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and for a BBC dramatisation of A Tale of Two Cities (1980) as well as The Pickwick Papers (1985) as Mr. Pickwick.^[9]^[10]

Stock and his third wife, Richenda Carey, had just appeared together on stage in the world premiere of Mumbo Jumbo in May 1986, when, on 23 June 1986, he died of a heart attack, aged 66.^[9]

Personal life and death

Stock was married three times. He married his first wife, Catherine Hodnett, in 1943; the couple had one son and divorced in 1947. His second marriage was to Sonia Williams in 1951. They divorced in 1980 after having three children together. Stock's third marriage was to actress Richenda Carey in 1979.^[1] They remained married until his death.

Stock was found dead of natural causes on Monday 23 June 1986 at his home in north London. He was 66 years old.^[11]

Radio

Giles Cooper - The return of General Forefinger (1961)
Wimsey - Have His Carcase (BBC radio; 1981) as Inspector Umpelty
Space Force (1984–85) as Magnus Carter
221B (1986) as Dr Watson

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1936	The Man Who Could Work Miracles	Office Boy	uncredited
1937	Lancashire Luck	Joe Lovejoy
1938	Break the News	Stage Boy	uncredited
1938	Luck of the Navy		uncredited
1939	Goodbye, Mr. Chips	John Forrester	uncredited
1939	Sons of the Sea	Rudd
1947	It Always Rains on Sunday	Ted Edwards
1947	Brighton Rock	Cubitt
1951	The Lady with a Lamp	George Winch
1952	Derby Day	Jim Molloy
1953	Appointment in London	Co-Pilot	uncredited
1953	Malta Story	Giuseppe Gonzar aka Ricardi
1954	Aunt Clara	Charles Willis
1955	The Night My Number Came Up	The Pilot
1955	The Dam Busters	Flying / Off. F. M. Spafford, D.F.C., D.F.M.
1956	Eyewitness	Barney
1956	The Battle of the River Plate	Chief Officer, Tairoa, Prisoner on Graf Spee	uncredited
1958	The Silent Enemy	Able Seaman Fraser
1960	Never Let Go	Regan
1961	Victim	Phip
1962	H.M.S. Defiant	Senior Midshipman Kilpatrick
1962	The Password Is Courage	Cole
1963	The Great Escape	Flt. Lt. Dennis Cavendish "The Surveyor"
1964	Nothing but the Best	Ferris
	Weekend at Dunkirk	Un soldat brûlé
	The High Bright Sun	Lt. Col. N. Park
1967	The Night of the Generals	Otto
1968	The Lost Continent	Dr. Webster
1968	The Lion in Winter	William Marshal
1970	Cromwell	Sir Edward Hyde
1973	Bequest to the Nation	George Matcham
1975	Russian Roulette	Ferguson
1975	Operation Daybreak	General
1980	The Mirror Crack'd	Inspector Gates	'Murder at Midnight'
1983	Yellowbeard	Admiral
1985	Young Sherlock Holmes	Rupert T. Waxflatter

Television

Edgar Wallace Mysteries (Episode: 'To Have and to Hold) (1963) – George Matthews - (Working Title: BFI: 'Sleep Long, My Love')
Espionage (TV series) ('Medal for a Turned Coat', episode) (1964) - Harry Forbes
The Prisoner (TV series) ('Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling', episode) (1967) - The Colonel