Distinguished character actor, playwright and novelist, born in Seattle to Irish parents and brought up in England. He trained at RADA and began acting on stage in the late 1940's with the touring company of
Donald Wolfit. He played leads in numerous classical plays during the succeeding decades, notably at the Bristol Old Vic, the National Theatre and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Prematurely white-haired, he was often seen on screen in patriarchal roles.
