Biographies

In a career spanning more than 65 years, Herbert Lom played an extraordinarily wide range of characters on both the big and small screen

Arthur Lowe could get more laughs by the raise of an eyebrow or a subtle hand movement than most actors could get out of whole sentences. However, in private Lowe was not filled with the laughs he so easily gave to others.

A name synonymous with the authoritarian yet comically rigid prison officer in Porridge, Fulton Mackay won his way into the hearts of the British public by balancing his exceptional humour with a commanding presence, earning him a place in the pantheon of great character actors

The British born writer and presenter whose brief TV career in the 1950s was a prelude to her coming out - becoming a trailblazing gay rights activist and making her a role model to thousands

One of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in British cinema, Victor Maddern epitomised the post-war British film industry. Television Heaven looks back, with the help of his daughter, Julie White, on a prolific career that also took in a huge variety of television and stage.

Over a career that spanned more than five decades, Philip Madoc, one of the most distinctive figures on the stage and screen, was remembered as much for his rich voice and commanding presence as for the complex, often compelling characters he brought to life

One of the most prolific American TV producers of the 1960s and 70s, for many viewers, the words "A Quinn Martin Production" became a stamp of quality—and a promise that you were in for an hour of solid, satisfying television

British-born actor David McCallum captivated audiences worldwide as Illya Kuryakin in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., leaving an indelible mark on television history. Discover his remarkable journey, career highlights, and enduring legacy in our tribute to him

One of the best known faces on television in the 1960s and constantly in the spotlight, and yet Patrick McGoohan managed to keep his private life out of public view.

Spike Milligan wrote The Goon Show and then died on 27th February 2002. In between he created modern comedy and defined the term comic genius.

One of British TV's most popular performers with a career that spanned over fifty years and included work as a cartoonist, comedian, actor, writer and TV presenter who was once billed as Britain's answer to Bob Hope.

Dudley Moore was an exceptional entertainer who had the ability to act, sing, play the piano, compose his own music and - most importantly, make people laugh. A leading figure in the satire boom that swept Britain in the 1960s, his all-round body of work left behind a lasting legacy.

Best known as the flamboyant Endora in Bewitched, Agnes Moorehead was far more than a sitcom sorceress. Did you know she was Orson Welles’ muse, a four-time Oscar nominee, and radio’s reigning queen of suspense?

Eric and Ernie spent over thirty years together perfecting their act, and their act was as near perfect as any comedian or double act has ever achieved. In the BBC's 1996 anniversary poll, viewers voted Morecambe and Wise as 'The Best Light Entertainment Performers of All Time'.

To an entire generation of British children he was the closest we've ever had to a real-life Doctor Doolittle. Not only was his show magic - so was Johnny Morris

To many people, the name Peggy Mount will immediately conjure up an image of the ultimate battleaxe; a loud booming voice, a more than ample figure, a caricature in the best seaside postcard tradition. Yet behind this public image lay a very private person.

Television Heaven pays tribute to one of Britain's most prolific character actors who starred in three of the country’s best loved sitcoms

Cool elegance and quiet strength defined Barbara Murray, the British actress whose performances graced stage and screen for over five decades—from post-war dramas to television classics, she remained a compelling, unassuming presence

When Sydney Newman came to England from his native Canada in 1958, no one could have predicted that he would become one of the most influential programme makers of the 1960's

'One of the best and most subtle scene stealers in the business. She could fascinate just by making the most fleeting adjustment to her spectacles or the most furtive sideways glance.'

We remember the prolific actor who never quite achieved the status of a Hollywood A-lister. Warren Oates, despite rarely occupying the centre stage, left a lasting impact on American cinema

There are very few stars from television’s golden age who instantly put a smile on your face. As talented as the likes of Bob Monkhouse and Bruce Forsyth were, one person probably eclipsed them...

Versatile British actress whose commanding presence and flair for the dramatic left an indelible mark on film, stage and television, with a career spanning several decades

We remember the prolific stage and screen actor who became a household name in the UK in the 1980s when he appeared as the boozy Jack Rolfe in Howards' Way, the series dubbed by the British press as the 'boating and bonking' serial

Geoffrey Palmer perfected the art of keeping a sullen look and yet maximising laughter in gentle comedies like Butterflies and As Time Goes By, in the chaos of Fawlty Towers or in joining a new breed of comedians in a cameo on Blackadder Goes Forth

By the late 1940s Val Parnell had established himself as one of Britain's foremost theatre managers and impresarios. Through his association with Lew Grade he was also instrumental in the popularisation of television following the launch of ITV in 1955.

In a remarkably long career, Nicholas Parsons was also one half of a hugely successful comedy double act, held down an extended run in West End theatre, and was a successful host on both radio and television.

To the world, he was the Calypso Crusader, the lyrical lark who sang news headlines with the zest of a rum-soaked parrot, his eyes twinkling like disco balls, reflecting the neon glow of the That Was The Week That Was sign. Let's look back on the career of Lance Percival

“I’m a great believer in all things being possible. I shouldn’t be in the least bit disconcerted if I came face to face with a bug-eyed monster from outer space.”

Born in Poland during World War II and sent to a concentration camp from where she escaped, Ingrid Pitt rose from an early life marked by hardship and courage to become a cult figure in the horror movie genre. Her legacy endures through her captivating screen presence