Terence Alexander, English film and television actor, Died at 86

  Dead Famous

Dead, Terence Joseph Alexander on the 28th of May 2009 at the age of 86, he was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama Bergerac.

Born in London on the 11th of March 1923, 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 World War II 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. Alexander appeared in many other film and television roles including three appearances in different roles in The Champions, The Avengers; Terry and June (1979–1980); Behind the Screen (1981–1982); the 1985 Doctor Who serial The Mark of the Rani; and The New Statesman (1987).

On radio he starred as The Toff in the BBC radio adaptation of the John Creasey novels. He appeared in all but one episode of Bergerac from 1981 to 1991.

On TV, Terence Alexander was everywhere, in many quality TV films like “Autumn Crocus” (1952), “The White Carnation” (1956), “A Room in Town” (1970), “Frankenstein” (1984) and in more than one TV show.

But he was first and foremost in an impressive number of series : these included Maigret (1959) (2 episodes, 1962-63), cult classics such as The Avengers (1961) (3 episodes, 1965-69), The New Avengers (1976) (1 episode, 1977), Man in a Suitcase (1967) (1 episode, 1968), The Champions (1968) (1 episode, 1969), The Persuaders! (1971) (1 episode, 1971) and Doctor Who (1963) (2 episodes, 1985), prestigious classic serials such as Nicholas Nickleby (1968) (5 episodes, 1968), The Forsyte Saga (1967) (9 episodes, 1967) and The Pallisers (1974) (3 episodes, 1974), and this is only a sample of all the series the prolific actor appeared in.

He had previously made numerous appearances on stage, screen and radio (although as a supporting rather than a leading player).

With his long, straight face, faintly bumptious air, toothy grin and jovial personality, Alexander built a line in beguiling rogues, upper-class charmers, and, occasionally, twits. “Some directors see me as an idiot,” he reflected, “some as a villain, so I’ve always had a range of some sort to fall back on.

” A shy and sensitive man in private life, Alexander was reputedly superstitious, and required his wife to say: “I love you, good luck” three times whenever he left the house.

Alexander’s first marriage to Juno Stevas, the sister of Lord St John of Fawsley, was dissolved after 23 years.

In 1970 she had resigned her seat on Richmond council in south-west London after shocking fellow members by wearing black stockings and false eyelashes, and calling the mayor “baby darling”.