David Quilter
David Quilter is an English actor who has made numerous appearances in British television plays and series since the mid-1960s.
Early life and family
He was born in Northwood, London, and attended Bryanston School, Dorset. "My first inkling that it was possible to be a professional actor was when a boy at school got a scholarship to RADA," remembered Quilter. "I never did any acting at school, which I slightly regret, but seeing him actually go off and train to be an actor, it made me realise that it was what I wanted to do."Quilter trained at Webber [Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art] in South Kensington and then joined weekly rep at Chesterfield in 1963. "We did seven plays in eight weeks," he recalled. "I then joined the Royal [Shakespeare Company|RSC] in 1964 to play very small parts in the complete history cycle."
Quilter's grandfather, Lawrence Beesley, was a survivor of the sinking of and wrote an account of his experience called The Loss of the SS Titanic. Quilter made three 15-minute films based on Beesley's story, and in 2012 gave a reading of Beesley's account at the Aldeburgh Lighthouse Station for the 100th anniversary of the sinking.