William Lucas (actor)

For other people with the same name, see William Lucas (disambiguation).

William Lucas
William Lucas playing Dr. James Gordon in The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972–1974)
Born
William Thomas Clucas

(1925-04-14)14 April 1925
Manchester, Lancashire, England
Died8 July 2016(2016-07-08) (aged 91)
London, England
Years active1950–2005
SpousesRowena Ingram 1954–1992 (divorced) (2 children)
Camilla Idris-Jones 1993–2016

William Thomas Clucas (14 April 1925 – 8 July 2016),[1] better known as William Lucas, was an English film, theatre, radio and television actor.

Early years

William Lucas was born in Manchester, England.[2] Before he became an actor, he was a commercial traveller, laundry hand, cook, farm labourer, and long-distance lorry driver, and served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.[3]

Career

Lucas earned a scholarship to the Northern Theatre School, and trained there. He then became an assistant stage manager at the Chesterfield Civic Theatre in the late 1940s.[2] Lucas had begun his stage career by the summer of 1950 in Chesterfield[4] and was still active in the theatre in late 1990 in Run for Your Wife.[5]

His first film acting role was in the film Portrait of Alison (1955), and he later appeared in many Hammer Film Productions such as The Shadow of the Cat (1961).

He starred in a string of British crime b-movies such as Payroll, The Break, Breakout, and Calculated Risk. He usually played strong villain-types (lead villains) but he would also play unhinged, weak characters as well.

Lucas is probably best known for his role in The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972–1974) as Dr. James Gordon, and in the BBC series Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes as Inspector Lestrade in the episode "A Study in Scarlet" (1968). He also appeared in The Bill, Doctor Who, Last of the Summer Wine, Sir Francis Drake (TV series) and the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.[6][7]

Personal life

In 1954, Lucas married Doreen Moorehouse (whose stage name was Rowena Ingram). They had two children. After they divorced he married Camilla Idris-Jones.[2]

Death

Lucas died in England on 8 July 2016.[2]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Hayward, Anthony (17 July 2016). "William Lucas obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Lentz, Harris III (September 2016). "William Lucas, 91". Classic Images (495): 58.
  3. ^ "TeleBriefs", The Stage, page 12, 24 November 1955
  4. ^ The Stage, page 13, 3 August 1950
  5. ^ "Production news", The Stage and Television Today, page 15, 29 November 1990
  6. ^ [1] Television roles
  7. ^ Born: 14 April 1925, Manchester (14 April 1925). "William Lucas | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)