Terrence Edward Hardiman (6 April 1937 – 18 April 2023) was an English actor. He often portrayed authority figures such as Nazi-era personnel (Secret Army, Colditz, Wish Me Luck and Enemy at the Door) and a British officer (When the Boat Comes In).
He also had a starring role as Charles Pooter in the 1979 television adaptation of George and Weedon Grossmith's Diary of a Nobody, a role which shows his versatility more than the succession of officers he usually portrays.[7]
Hardiman portrayed Major Reinhardt, in Secret Army, the (fictional) head of the Luftwaffe (German Air force) police who often provided a foil to Clifford Rose's more brutal S.S. Chief, Kessler. In 1990, he played a German officer, General Stuckler, in the final series of London Weekend Television's Wish Me Luck.[8]
1990s: Cadfael and The Demon Headmaster
A notable small role Hardiman played was a version of the Sergeant Wilson character from Dad's Army, in a 1995 episode of time travel comedy Goodnight Sweetheart, called "Don't Get Around Much Any More." Nicholas Lyndhurst's character Gary Sparrow goes back in time to a bank in the 1940s, and encounters characters called Mainwaring and Wilson. Hardiman's portrayal was a keenly observed impersonation of John Le Mesurier's own performance, incorporating many of the tics and mannerisms of the original.[9]
From 1996 to 1998, Hardiman starred as the eponymous Demon Headmaster in the children's television drama series, which ran to three series and proved popular with adults as well as children. He reprised his role as a cameo in the 2019 revival.[8]
Hardiman also appeared as Grand Wizard Egbert Hellibore in four episodes of The Worst Witch.[10] Hardiman appeared in the second series of The Worst Week of My Life. Another notable recent role was as a devious Swiss murder victim in an episode of crime mystery series Jonathan Creek.[8]
Hardiman's other major recurring role was as Brother Cadfael's ecclesiastical superior, Father Abbot Radulfus, in the television series. Joining him throughout the series as Prior Robert was Michael Culver, who had played his predecessor Major Brandt in Secret Army.[8]
2000s
Hardiman made an appearance on the daily soap on BBC One, Doctors, on 3 April 2009, as well as from 14 to 15 January 2015, and in the drama from Yorkshire, Heartbeat, as John Upton in one episode.[10]
In 2009, he appeared in a film for the BFI, Radio Mania: An Abandoned Work, directed by British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.[11]
Hardiman was married to Rowena Cooper and had two children.[1] Hardiman narrated hundreds of audiobooks, including series by Colin Dexter, Anne Perry, and Ruth Rendell. Hardiman's volunteer narration work for the non-profit Calibre Audio Library earned him a Silver Centurion service award in 2013.[13]
Hardiman died on 18 April 2023, at the age of 86.[1][14][15]
