Attended Bristol Grammar School. First acted at the Little Repertory Theatre in Bristol, earning six shillings a week. Debut aged sixteen in 'A School for Scandal'. A year into his scholarship at RADA, he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. Joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, but his career was interrupted by World War II. Wartime service with the Royal Army Medical Corps. After the war, made his reputation on the classical stage in the West End. Prolific supporting roles on screen, often as scowling or austere establishment figures.
