Born
Died
Occupation
Years active
1949–2015
Spouse
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in Callan (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in Colditz (1972–74), the suave titular gentleman thiefinRaffles (1977), and the murderous Baron Gruner in the Sherlock Holmes episode "The Illustrious Client" (1991).
Valentine was born in Blackburn, Lancashire; he moved with his family to Chiswick, West London when he was 6 years old, going on to attend Acton County Grammar School.[1]
Aged 9, Valentine was spotted tap-dancing in a stage version of Robin HoodatEaling Town Hall.[2] He made his professional acting debut at the age of 10 in the Nettlefold Studios film No Way Back (1949), and at the age of 12 he played a boy sleuth in The Girl on the Pier (1953).[3] He worked regularly as a child actor for the BBC, most notably as Harry Wharton in the 1950s adaptation of Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School, having initially played Lord Mauleverer in earlier episodes.[1]
In 1958 he appeared in a television production of Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman, with Laurence Olivier as Borkman and Irene Worth as his wife, as part of ITV's series The Play of the Week.[4]
Valentine's early stage credits include the premiere of Arnold Wesker's Chicken Soup with Barley (Royal Court Theatre, 1958); John Osborne's Epitaph for George Dillon (Royal Court Theatre, 1958); the Australian drama The Shifting Heart (Duke of York's Theatre, 1959, with Leo McKern); John Mortimer's Two Stars for Comfort (Garrick Theatre, 1962, with Trevor Howard); the original production of Half a Sixpence (Cambridge Theatre, 1963, with Tommy Steele); and The Platinum Cat (Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1965, with Kenneth Williams).[5]
Valentine continued to work on stage, but he became best known for his striking performances on television: as the ruthless Toby Meres in the series Callan (1967–72), the Luftwaffe officer Major Horst Mohn in the BBC drama Colditz (1974), the eponym in Yorkshire TV's Raffles (1975-1977), and the suave crook George Webster in The Knock (1994–96).[6]
Valentine's later stage credits include No Sex Please, We're British (Strand Theatre, 1971); Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth (St Martin's Theatre, 1972, with Marius Goring); a revival of Hans Christian Andersen (London Palladium, 1977, again with Tommy Steele); 'Art' (Wyndham's Theatre, 1999–2000); and, as Cardinal Monticelso, in Webster's The White Devil (Lyric Theatre, 2000).[5]
Valentine made his debut as a writer and director in 1998 at The Mill at Sonning with The Waiting Game. He went on to direct regularly at the Mill, including productions of Separate Tables (2005), The Odd Couple (2009) and California Suite (2012).[5] On 12 November 2005 Valentine became a patron of the Thwaites Empire Theatre in his birthplace, Blackburn.[1]
He narrated three Wildlife Explorer documentary films: Powerful Predators, Animal Defences, and Weird and Wonderful. He was also the voice of Dr. X on the American heavy metal band Queensrÿche's 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime.[1] He narrated a 1980 NOVA documentary entitled It's About Time, presented by Dudley Moore and featuring Isaac Asimov. He also voiced a television commercial for Gordon's gin.
Valentine died on 2 December 2015 in Guildford, Surrey.[2] He had suffered from Parkinson's disease since 2012. He was survived by his wife, actress Susan Skipper. The couple married in 1982, having met during the filming of the successful Raffles television series, and later appeared together again in a television film of Ivor Novello's show The Dancing Years (1979).[7]
Interviewed in 1995, Valentine recalled two earlier brushes with death. First, when he was dangerously ill with meningitis at the age of 26; and secondly in 1974, when caught up in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, he was holed up for two days in a holiday hotel as gunfire raged outside. "I've always felt that everything since has been an incredible bonus," he said.[3]
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1949
Little Fighting Boy
1953
Charlie Chubb
1954
Uncredited
1955
Tony (Charlie's Son)
1956
Schoolboy in Audience
Uncredited
1960
Student
Uncredited
1962
Teddy Boy
Uncredited
1963
Man at Party
1970
Joey Maddocks
1972
Dr Simpson
1976
David Kennedy
1979
SSSturmbannführer Volkmann
1981
Mooney
(segment "Vampire Story")
1982
Civil Servant #4
Voice
1988
A Father's Revenge
Vickers
TV movie
1988
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
Colonel Clark
TV movie
1995
British Ambassador
1997
Lord Travers
1998
Cuisine américaine
Wellington
2002
Sergeant Major Dudley
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1956-57
TV series
1958
Erhart, in ITV's The Play of the Week production.
1961
Corporal
"The Miracle" and "The Last Mystery"
1967-1972
Toby Meres
30 episodes
1967, 1968
1) George Cunliffe
2)Calvin
1)"The Bird Who Knew Too Much"
2)"Killer"
1969
Yob
"A Quantity of Gelignite"
1969
Bruce Cameron
3 episodes
1969
Vickers
5 episodes
1970
Gregory
"The Soup of the Day"
1970
Philip West
13 episodes
1971-1974
James Eliot
1971
Jeff Staines
"Grandee Hotel"
1971
‘’ Sunset Song (TV series) Rev Colquhoun
1972
Squadron Leader Jim Stanton
"One Man’s Lancaster"
1972
Bright
"Not Good Enough" (Parts 1 &2) and "Connor"
1973
The Donati Conspiracy
Paul Frederick[8]
1974
Major Horst Mohn
1975, 1977
1975
Garard
"The Crazy Kill"
1975
Male Alien
"War Games"
1979-1983
Maurice Michaelson
1980, 1982
1) Roland Trent
2) Bob
1) "I'll Be Seeing You"
2) "The Absence of Emily"
1980
Cliff
"Carpathian Eagle"
1981
Masada a.k.a. The Antagonists
Merovius, Head Tribune
1982
Dickie Marlowe
"Look After Number One"
1983
Lionel
"Prime Target"
1984
Robin
"Killer Exposed"
1984-1986
Baron de Belleme
1986-1991
Michael Seymour
"The Judas Pair" and "Just Desserts"
1989
Sammy Robinson
"Do Not Forsake Me"
1991
Victor Stride
1991
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
Baron Gruner
"The Illustrious Client"
1993
Colonel Carter
1994, 1997
1) Chauffeur
2) Grey Wolf
1) "Never Without Protection"
2) "The Curse Of The Comanches"
1994-1996
George Webster
1998
Paul Chambers
"Too Many Cooks"
2001
Patrick Mantel
"A Simple Sacrifice"
2002
Spitz Snr
"Creative Problem Solving"
2005
Giovanni Gallaccio
"After the Funeral"
2005-2008
Edward Sumpter
"Virus", "Blackdog" and "Blacklight"
2006
Mac MacKenzie
"This Happy Breed"
2006
Prison Commandant Colonel Burton C. Andrus
2007
Jimmy "The Gent" Vincent
"Once Upon a Time on the Westway"
2009
Edward
"The Price we Pay"
2009-2010
16 episodes
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