Denis Clifford Quilley OBE (26 December 1927 – 5 October 2003) was an English actor. From a family with no theatrical connections, Quilley was determined from an early age to become an actor. He was taken on by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in his teens, and after a break for compulsory military service he began a West End career in 1950, succeeding Richard Burton in The Lady's Not For Burning. In the 1950s he appeared in revue, musicals, operetta and on television as well as in classic and modern drama in the theatre.During the 1960s Quilley established himself as a leading actor, making his first films and starring on Australian television. In the early 1970s he was a member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre company. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977 in the central role in Privates on Parade, which was later made into a feature film. His later parts in musicals included the title role in Sweeney Todd (1980) and Georges in La Cage aux Folles (1986).In the 1990s Quilley returned to the National Theatre company, playing a wide range of parts, from Shakespearean comedy to Jacobean revenge tragedy, Victorian classics and his final role, a bibulous millionaire in the musical Anything Goes.
On being awarded the OBE in 2002: I feel honoured and delighted...50 years of pure pleasure. I'm just glad it came before it's too late.
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Fact
1
Was offered the role of Borusa in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors.
2
Was offered the role of Cheif Caretaker in Doctor Who Paradrise Towers.
3
Starred in 2 movies about Agatha Christie's famous detective Hercule Poirot, Murder On The Orient Express (1974) and Evil Under The Sun (1982).
4
Autobiography; "Happiness Indeed"
5
He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for his role in Candide performed at the Royal National Theatre, Olivier Stage.
6
He was awarded the Olivier Award for his comedic stage performance in "Privates on Parade" in 1977, then won again a few years later as the musical Demon Barber of Fleet Street, "Sweeney Todd.".
7
He played the flute and the cello.
8
He was awarded O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2002 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Drama.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Sir Bernard's Stately Homes
1999
TV Series
Archbishop
Cleopatra
1999
TV Mini-Series
Negotiator Senator
Dennis the Menace
1996
TV Series
Slasher Brown
The Marriage of Figaro
1995
TV Mini-Series
Bartolo
Storia di una capinera
1993
Baron Cesaro
Great Performances
1992
TV Series
Lord Curzon
Rich Tea and Sympathy
1991
TV Series
George Rudge
Tonight at 8.30
1991
TV Series
Jasper
Mister Johnson
1990
Bulteen
A Wanted Man
1989
TV Movie
Senior Detective
The Shell Seekers
1989
TV Movie
Cosmo
Cassidy
1989
TV Movie
Marius Melville
After the War
1989
TV Mini-Series
Ned Corman
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
1988
TV Series
Dr Leon Sterndale
Christmas Night with the Two Ronnies
1987
TV Movie
The Cat
The Two Ronnies
1987
TV Series
Bar Customer: Pinocchio II Segment
The Bretts
1987
TV Series
Guy Vere
Screenplay
1987
TV Series
Det. Chief Insp. Burrows
Foreign Body
1986
Prime Minister
Murder of a Moderate Man
1985
TV Mini-Series
Morgan Hunter-Brown
A.D.
1985
TV Mini-Series
Peter
King David
1985
Samuel
Memed My Hawk
1984
Rejeb
In Performance
1983
TV Series
Jupiter
Napoleon III
Privates on Parade
1983
Acting Captain Terri Dennis
Number 10
1983
TV Mini-Series
William Ewart Gladstone
Saturday Night Thriller
1982
TV Series
Carter
Evil Under the Sun
1982
Kenneth Marshall
Tales of the Unexpected
1981
TV Series
Captain Waterhouse
Maybury
1981
TV Series
Huston
Masada
1981
TV Mini-Series
General Marcus Quadratus
Gen. Marcus Quadratus
Honky Tonk Heroes
1981
TV Series
Lamaar Parker
The Crucible
1980
TV Movie
Reverend Parris
Oresteia
1979
TV Mini-Series
Agamemnon
People Like Us
1978
TV Mini-Series
The Great Eugene
Clayhanger
1976
TV Series
George Cannon
Death of an Informer
1976
TV Movie
The special branch officer
Churchill's People
1975
TV Series
King Charles II
You're on Your Own
1975
TV Series
John Ryder
In This House of Brede
1975
TV Movie
Sir Richard
Murder on the Orient Express
1974
Antonio Foscarelli
The Black Windmill
1974
Bateson
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1973
TV Series
James 'Jamie' Tyrone Jr.
Take Three Girls
1971
TV Series
Jim Kirk
Timeslip
1970-1971
TV Series
Commander Charles Traynor
Softly Softly: Task Force
1971
TV Series
Jack Taylor
Dixon of Dock Green
1965-1971
TV Series
John Richard Everitt / Dusty Miller
The Borderers
1970
TV Series
Johnstone of Drumrig
Anne of the Thousand Days
1969
Weston
Mogul
1969
TV Series
Reg Whitmore
Contrabandits
1967-1968
TV Series
Chief Inspector Ted Hallam
The Avengers
1966
TV Series
Group Capt. Miles
Life at the Top
1965
Ben
The Man in Room 17
1965
TV Series
Huston
Gaslight Theatre
1965
TV Series
Edward Middleton
Undermind
1965
TV Series
Professor Val Randolph
No Hiding Place
1964
TV Series
David Sharp
Story Parade
1964
TV Series
Mike Weller
Benbow Was His Name
1964
TV Movie
Rutland
Festival
1964
TV Series
Tempter / Knight
Armchair Theatre
1963
TV Series
Dick Sothers
The Desperate People
1963
TV Series
Larry Martin
The Father
1962
TV Movie
Dr. Ostermark
The Magic of Music
1961
TV Series
Host (1967)
Dancers in Mourning
1959
TV Series
Jimmy Sutane
World Theatre
1959
TV Mini-Series
Landolph
The Vise
1957-1959
TV Series
Ralph / Bluey / Minter / ...
Saturday Playhouse
1958
TV Series
Paul Latimer
The Press Gang
1956
TV Short
Jack Hardy
A Girl Called Jo
1956
TV Movie
Laurie
The Straker Special
1956
TV Movie
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre
1955
TV Series
Bassanio
The March of the Peasants
1952
TV Series
John Shandwick
The Black Arrow
1951
TV Series
Richard Shelton
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Larry and Vivien: The Oliviers in Love
2001
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Interviewee
Noel's Telly Years
1997
TV Series
Himself
Joy to the World
1996
TV Movie
Himself
This Is Your Life
1986-1992
TV Series documentary
Himself
Without Walls
1992
TV Series documentary
Himself
BAFTA British Academy Awards
1989
TV Special
Himself
The Healing Arts
1986
TV Series documentary
Himself - Narrator
Omnibus
1981
TV Series documentary
Himself
Night of One Hundred Stars
1980
TV Movie
Himself
Call My Bluff
1978
TV Series
Himself
Night of 100 Stars
1977
TV Special
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Agatha Christie Code
2005
TV Movie documentary
Captain Kenneth Marshall
Great Performances
1993
TV Series
Candide (from 'Candide')
The Making of Agatha Christie's 'Evil Under the Sun'