Bernard Hepton, a renowned British actor, was born on October 19, 1925, and passed away on July 27, 2018. He was a talented actor who made a significant impact in the world of stage, film, and television.
Hepton was known for his versatility as a character actor, and he received his training at the Bradford Civic Theatre school under the guidance of Esme Church. He was part of a prestigious group of actors that included Robert Stephens. Throughout his career, Hepton had extensive stage experience, working under the direction of Sir Barry Jackson, and he even served as the Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep and Liverpool Playhouse.
In television, Hepton played a wide range of roles, including Toby Esterhase in the BBC Television adaptations of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People, as well as George Smiley in the radio adaptations. He also appeared as the Kommandant in Colditz (1972-1974) and as Albert Foiret in three seasons of Secret Army (1977-1979). Additionally, he made a guest appearance in an episode of the first series of Catweazle in 1970, playing the role of a naturalist.
Hepton's notable performances also included Thomas Cranmer in both The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) and Elizabeth R (1971). In 1989, he played the role of Sam Toovey in the television adaptation of Susan Hill's ghost story The Woman in Black.
On radio, Hepton played the role of Albert in Stranger In The Home by Alan Dapre, as well as the role of The Old Man in the Corner, the Baroness Orczy amateur, and mostly sedentary, sleuth in the BBC dramatizations called The Teahouse Detective (1998-2000).
Although his appearances in feature films were less frequent, Hepton made a brief appearance as Thorpey, a gangster, in the classic British film Get Carter (1971),and he also had a small role as Milton Goldsmith in Voyage of the Damned (1976).
In addition to his acting career, Hepton was a fan of the Rugby League team Hunslet Hawks and even played stand-off for them in the 1952/53 season, winning a Yorkshire Cup Medal.
