Terence Alexander


Terence Joseph Alexander was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama Bergerac, the original iteration of which ran for nine series on BBC1 from 1981 to 1991.

Early life and career

Alexander was born in London, the son of a doctor, and grew up in Yorkshire. He was educated at Ratcliffe College, Leicestershire, and Norwood College, Harrogate, and started acting in the theatre at the age of 16. During the Second World War he served in the British Army as a lieutenant with the 27th Lancers, and was seriously wounded when his armoured car was hit by artillery fire in Italy.
In 1956, Alexander appeared on stage in Ring For Catty at the Lyric Theatre in London. He is probably best remembered as Charlie Hungerford from the detective series Bergerac, though he was also very prominent in the 1967 BBC adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. One of his early roles was in the children's series Garry Halliday. In 1970, he appeared in an episode of Please, Sir! in 1970 as the headmaster of a rival school, and as Lord Uxbridge in Sergei Bondarchuk's war epic Waterloo.
Alexander appeared in many other film and television roles, including three appearances in different roles in The Champions, The Avengers, The Persuaders!,, Moody and Pegg, Terry and June, Behind the Screen, the 1985 Doctor Who serial The Mark of the Rani, and The New Statesman. On radio he starred as The Toff in the BBC radio adaptation of the John Creasey novels. He appeared in all but two episodes of Bergerac from 1981 to 1991. He also played Commander Duffield in the 1985 pilot episode of Dempsey and Makepeace, Armed and Extremely Dangerous.
Alexander appeared on the West End in comedies and farces, and his credits included Move Over, Mrs Markham, Two and Two Make Sex, There Goes The Bride and Fringe Benefits.

Personal life

By the time of Bergerac Alexander was blind in one eye due to a condition of the retina, which seriously threatened his sight in the other eye. He retired from acting in 1999, suffering from Parkinson's disease. He lived in Fulham, London, with his second wife, the actress Jane Downs. He died on 28 May 2009 aged 86.

Filmography

Film

  • Comin' Thro the Rye as Robert Burns
  • The Woman with No Name as 2nd Sapper Officer
  • The Elusive Pimpernel as Duke of Dorset
  • A Tale of Five Cities
  • Death Is a Number as Alan Robert
  • The Gentle Gunman as Ship's Officer
  • Top Secret as second M.V.D.
  • Glad Tidings as First Lieutenant Spud Cusack
  • Park Plaza 605 as Hotel Manager
  • The Runaway Bus as Peter Jones
  • Dangerous Cargo as Harry Fraser
  • The Green Scarf as Wireless Operator
  • Hands of Destiny as Ranald's Office Manager
  • Out of the Clouds as Bob Robins – Duty Room Radio Operator
  • Portrait of Alison as Fenby
  • Who Done It? as Radio Show Official
  • The Green Man as Radio Announcer
  • The Eternal Question
  • The One That Got Away as R.A.F. Intelligence Officer
  • The Square Peg as Captain Wharton
  • The Doctor's Dilemma as Mr. Lanchester
  • Danger Within as Lt. Gibbs
  • Breakout as Farrow
  • Don't Panic Chaps! as Lieutenant Babbington
  • The Price of Silence as John Braine
  • The League of Gentlemen as Rupert
  • The Bulldog Breed as Defending Counsel
  • Edgar Wallace Mysteries, as Johnny Time
  • Carry On Regardless as Trevor Trelawney
  • The Gentle Terror as David
  • The Fast Lady as Policeman on Motorcycle
  • On the Beat as Chief Supt. Bert Belcher
  • She Always Gets Their Man as Bob Conley
  • The Mind Benders as Rowing Coach
  • The V.I.P.s as Captain
  • Bitter Harvest as Andy
  • The Intelligence Men as Reed
  • Judith as Carstairs
  • The Long Duel as Major
  • The Spare Tyres as Dennis Colville
  • Only When I Larf as Gee Gee Gray
  • What's Good for the Goose as Frisby
  • Run a Crooked Mile as Peter Martin
  • The Magic Christian as Mad Major
  • Waterloo as Lord Uxbridge
  • All the Way Up as Bob Chickman
  • The Vault of Horror as Breedley
  • The Day of the Jackal as Lloyd
  • Claudine as Teddy
  • The Internecine Project as Business Tycoon
  • The Seven Dials Mystery as George Lomax
  • That Englishwoman: An Account of the Life of Emily Hobhouse as Rev. Reginald Hobhouse

    Television

  • The New Adventures of Charlie Chan as Gerald Torrance
  • Solo for Canary as Flash
  • Garry Halliday as Bill Dodds
  • Maigret
  • The Avengers as 'Piggy' Warren/Ponsonby/Bromfield
  • The Forsyte Saga as Montague Dartie
  • The Champions as Douglas Trennick
  • Ben Travers' Farces as Various roles
  • Bless This House as Dr. Ian McLaren
  • Lord Peter Wimsey as Robert Fentiman
  • The Pallisers as Lord George
  • Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill as Henry Ainley
  • Ike as Gen. Arthur Tedder
  • Churchill and the Generals as Gen. Sir Harold Alexander
  • Bergerac as Charlie Hungerford
  • Frankenstein as Alphonse Frankenstein
  • Strangers and Brothers as R.S.Robinson
  • Doctor Who as Lord Ravensworth
  • The New Statesman as Sir Greville Macdonald
  • Casualty as Laurence Wilkinson