Charles Pemberton

Character actor Charles Pemberton had a long career in television but found theatrical fame with his one man entertainment, WS Gilbert - A Disagreeable Man? which he toured throughout the UK and Europe.

The two hour show, from a script by Brian Jones, traced the life of the 19th century popular composer and martinet.

Pemberton was born on September 19, 1939 in Leyland, Lancashire. He trained for the stage at the Rose Bruford Drama School and graduated with distinction in 1963. He joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company where he remained for two years before appearing in repertory at the Library Theatre, Manchester, Harrogate and Derby.

He made his television debut in 1964 as a detective sergeant in the soap Crossroads and went on to play a succession of policemen, military types and officials in countless dramas and sitcoms such as Callan, The Professionals, Minder, Juliet Bravo and Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective. He was in two storylines of Doctor Who, The Tomb of the Cybermen and The War Games and he played Johnny Mann in Coronation Street (1973).

He also had cameos in the award-winning drama The Naked Civil Servant (1975), John Le Carre's A Perfect Spy (1987), Great Expectations (1989) (as Mr Philbean 1989), Victoria Wood's Pat & Margaret (1994) and Foyle's War (2004).

On the West End stage he appeared with Ingrid Bergman in Sir John Gielgud's revival of The Constant Wife (Albery Theatre 1973) and he played Ormonroyd in Priestley's When We Are Married (Whitehall Theatre).