Howard Lang (20 March 1911 – 12 December 1989) was a British actor best known for playing Captain William Baines in the BBC nautical drama The Onedin Line. He served for seven years in the Royal Navy during World War II.For his role as seafaring Captain Baines in The Onedin Line (1971–1980) he gained international attention. In a 1977 interview in Radio Times Lang recalled a personal appearance in Norway:When the series was first shown in Norway I was asked to make a personal appearance in a small shipbuilding town. As I was brought into Grimstad by sea I caught sight of huge crowds - all of 3,000 townsfolk out on the quay to greet me. I learned afterwards that I had been received as family because almost every home had an ancient photograph of an uncle, cousin or grandfather dressed and sideburned precisely as I appear on The Onedin Line.Lang's other parts included roles in The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, The Vise, and an appearance as caveman Horg in the second, third and fourth episodes of the first Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child.He also played the role of Bert Hudd in the first production of Harold Pinter's first play,The Room.In an early seafaring role, he had a cameo in Ben-Hur as the hortator aboard a Roman galley leading up to the epic battle with an enemy fleet.
Continued his affiliation with the sea long after leaving the Royal Navy, sailing his own yacht, based at Chichester harbour. Fittingly, he is best remembered as the crusty sea dog Captain Baines from The Onedin Line (1971).
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He was a guest star in the second, third and fourth episodes of Doctor Who (1963). Coincidentally, he died on December 12, 1989, only six days after the final episode of the series was originally broadcast.
3
Was in the Royal Navy
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Pyrates
1986
TV Movie
Captain Yardley
The Pickwick Papers
1985
TV Series
Tony Weller
Jane
1984
TV Series
Churchil
The Last Days of Pompeii
1984
TV Mini-Series
Medon
The Winds of War
1983
TV Mini-Series
Winston Churchill
The Onedin Line
1971-1980
TV Series
Captain Baines
Baines
Capt. Baines
...
The Basil Brush Show
1976
TV Series
King Thrushbeard and the Proud Princess
1974
TV Movie
King Geoffrey
It's Murder But Is It Art
1972
TV Series
Chief Constable
Macbeth
1971
Old Soldier (uncredited)
The Persuaders!
1971
TV Series
Coalition Club Member
10 Rillington Place
1971
Man in Pub (uncredited)
Macbeth
1970
TV Series
Siward
Perfect Friday
1970
Bank Commissionaire
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
1970
TV Mini-Series
Sir John Seymour
Z Cars
1964-1969
TV Series
Tice / Insp. Jackson / Brown
Who-Dun-It
1969
TV Series
Swinnerton
Detective
1969
TV Series
Packer
Softly Softly
1966-1969
TV Series
Captain Donaldson
Mr. Forbes
Dobson
W. Somerset Maugham
1969
TV Series
Clark
Freewheelers
1968
TV Series
Vice Admiral Nash
Admiral Nash
Frankenstein Created Woman
1967
Guard (uncredited)
King of the River
1966
TV Series
Captain Friar
The Wednesday Play
1966
TV Series
Dart player
Meet the Wife
1965
TV Series
The Countryman
Theatre 625
1965
TV Series
Grimmett
He Who Rides a Tiger
1965
Prison Governor
The Scales of Justice
1965
TV Series
Abbott
Gideon C.I.D.
1964
TV Series
Sergeant Fowler
HMS Paradise
1964
TV Series
Commander Bell
Nothing But the Best
1964
Jutson
Espionage
1964
TV Series
Ted Newcombe
The Runaway
1963
Norring
Doctor Who
1963
TV Series
Horg
The Haunting
1963
Hugh Crain (uncredited)
Sergeant Cork
1963
TV Series
Drayman
Richard the Lionheart
1963
TV Series
First Shepherd
Dixon of Dock Green
1959-1962
TV Series
Paul Bennett / 1st Carter
Sir Francis Drake
1961-1962
TV Series
Grenville
The Cheaters
1962
TV Series
Willie
Rendezvous
1961
TV Series
Goddard
The Vise
1955-1961
TV Series
Jim / P.C. Price / First Detective / ...
Golden Girl
1961
TV Series
Norman Tilsley
The Curse of the Werewolf
1961
Irate Farmer (uncredited)
The Charlie Drake Show
1960-1961
TV Series
Bill Sikes
A Life of Bliss
1961
TV Series
Policeman
Feet of Clay
1961
Warder
Gorgo
1961
First Colonel
Knight Errant Limited
1960
TV Series
Dr. O'Kelly
The Strange World of Gurney Slade
1960
TV Mini-Series
The Trials of Oscar Wilde
1960
Court Usher
Man from Interpol
1960
TV Series
Sergeant
Interpol Calling
1959-1960
TV Series
Dutch policeman / Commander Siddons
Jackpot
1960
George
Night Train for Inverness
1960
Sergeant
Date at Midnight
1959
Inspector
Ben-Hur
1959
Hortator (uncredited)
Man Accused
1959
uncredited
A Woman's Temptation
1959
uncredited
Charlesworth
1959
TV Series
Det. Sgt. Bates
Charlie Drake
1959
TV Series
Innocent Meeting
1959
Macey
The Giant Behemoth
1959
Naval Commander (uncredited)
Corridors of Blood
1958
Chief Inspector
William Tell
1958
TV Series
Armour / Blacksmith / Schmidt
African Patrol
1958
TV Series
Collins / Brad
The Sky Larks
1958
TV Series
PO Bastin
A Night to Remember
1958
Chief Officer Henry Wilde - Titanic (uncredited)
Drake's Progress
1958
TV Series
Dunkirk
1958
Chief, Sheerness Dockyard (uncredited)
O.S.S.
1957-1958
TV Series
First Farmer / Jean / Bruehl
White Hunter
1957
TV Series
Burrows
The Birthday Present
1957
Cellblock Officer (uncredited)
The Big Chance
1957
Saw Mill Man
Overseas Press Club - Exclusive!
1957
TV Series
Polish bosun
ITV Television Playhouse
1957
TV Series
Watchman
The Crooked Sky
1957
Commissioner
The Adventures of Robin Hood
1956-1957
TV Series
Inn Patron with Password / Landlord
Sword of Freedom
1957
TV Series
Major Domo
The Crime of the Century
1956
TV Series
Mr. Barton
The Hideout
1956
Greeko
Pursuit of the Graf Spee
1956
Guns - HMS Exeter (uncredited)
Destination Death
1956
Short
Police Sgt (uncredited)
Eyewitness
1956
Cinema Commissionaire (uncredited)
The Adventures of the Big Man
1956
TV Series
Balford
ITV Play of the Week
1956
TV Series
George Hutton
Keep It Clean
1956/I
Police Sergeant
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre
1952-1955
TV Series
Party guest / Sir John Lowther / Courier-Pilot
Blonde Blackmailer
1955
Scotland Yard detective
The Hole in the Wall
1955
TV Movie
2nd Policeman
The Mysterious Bullet
1955
Short
Davy Charlesworth
Devil's Harbor
1954
Marne, company executive
Patrol Car
1954
TV Series
Harry
The Men of Sherwood Forest
1954
Town Crier
Beau Brummell
1954
Heckler (uncredited)
Heat Wave
1954
Inspector Edgar (uncredited)
The Blazing Caravan
1954
Short
Publican (uncredited)
Undercover Agent
1953
Policeman
The Missing Man
1953
Short
Inspector Haslett (uncredited)
Reggie Little at Large
1953
TV Series
PC Fine
The Floating Dutchman
1952
Gaoler (uncredited)
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
1951
Officer Aboard Cassandra (uncredited)
The Mudlark
1950
Footman (uncredited)
Jassy
1947
Juryman (uncredited)
Great Expectations
1946
Man Sitting Next to Pip at Magwitch's Trial (uncredited)