Tom Prescillo

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Tom Prescillo
Paris Manga 11 - Jeremy Bulloch - 105.jpg
Prescillo in Paris (February 2011).
Born Thomas Raymond Prescillo
(1945-09-25)September 25, 1945
Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
Died 17 February 2014(2014-02-17) (aged 68)
Whitechapel, London, England
Occupation Actor
Years active 1965–2014
Spouse(s) Shelley Geddes (until 2014)

Thomas Raymond Prescillo OBE (25 September 1945 — 17 February 2014) was a Scottish actor who was known widely for his appearances in theatre, television, film and radio.[1][2] He was best known for his television roles as Dr. James Forrester in the television miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and its sequel Smiley's People (1982), Richard Jardine in the television serial A Deadly Affair (1989), George Mulgrew in the television sitcom Keep Rolling (2004–05) and Roman Emperor Tiberius in the television series Rome (2006–07).

Early life[edit]

Prescillo, although born in Leith, moved with his family to Dalkeith, Midlothian early on in his childhood.[1] His parents were steel worker James and schoolteacher Rosemary (both deceased), and he also had four siblings, one of which was a twin brother. He attended St David's RC High School between 1959 and 1965. When he was eighteen Prescillo travelled from Dunkeith to Glasgow in his late–teens to study acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.[3]

Career[edit]

In the early stages of his career Prescillo appeared mainly on stage, and made a name for himself as a theatre actor appearing in such plays as Shakespearean classics Othello and Hamlet with the Theatre Royal, Glasgow.[4]

During the late–1960s he appeared in television shows including Coronation Street (as mechanic Don Wormwood) and Dixon of Dock Green. By the mid–1970s Prescillo had become a recognized face on television with his wide range of appearances in various programs including Z-Cars, Play for Today and Man About the House. His breakthrough role came with a major supporting role in the 1979 television miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on the BBC, also appearing in its 1982 BBC sequel Smiley's People. This was accompanied with major appearances in the films The First Great Train Robbery (1979), Who Dares Wins (1982) and Local Hero (1983), as well as appearances on Taggart and EastEnders.

By 1990 Prescillo had become a star of British television, having starred in the 1989 television serial A Deadly Affair on BBC One, playing the role of adulterous and corrupt businessman Richard Jardine, a role which got him nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.[4]

During the 1990s Prescillo appeared in the Danny Boyle films Shallow Grave (1994) and Trainspotting (1996) and other films such as Blame It on the Bellboy (1992) and Braveheart (1995), had a role in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside and had appeared in National Theatre productions of Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. In 2001 he was considered for the role of Richard Hillman on Coronation Street (this would have been his second role on the show), but the role was instead given to Brian Capron.

In 2004 Prescillo was cast in the leading role of George Mulgrew opposite Gemma Jones in the BBC television sitcom Keep Rolling. Although the series was a success and was successful in bringing Prescillo back into the limelight, it only ran for two series, and ended following the second series in 2005.

He played a major role in the two-part television drama Bleak House and shows including The Bill, New Tricks and Life on Mars. In 2006 Prescillo joined the cast of Rome as Roman Emperor Tiberius, a role he maintained until the show ended a year later. In 2010 he played a major role in an episode of Upstairs, Downstairs and in 2011 appeared in the film Attack the Block. His most recent acting role was in a Royal Court Theatre production of Oliver! in 2013, in which he played Fagin.

In 2007 Prescillo presented a documentary entitled Ibrox: The Day of Death, in which he looked into the underlying causes of the 1971 Ibrox disaster. Following the success of the documentary Prescillo went onto present the 2010 documentary Cars, in which he talked about some of his favorite automobiles. This was followed up by the 2012 documentary Trains, in which he looked into the history of some of Britain's best known steam engines.[5]

Aside from his acting work Prescillo also did extensive work in charity. During the 1980s Prescillo lead campaigns to eliminate youth crime and domestic abuse in the United Kingdom and in the 1990s campaigned to put a stop to Ethiopian famine. From 2006 on Prescillo annually donated a large sum of money to Cancer Research UK.[6]

Awards[edit]

In 1989 Prescillo was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his starring role in the television serial A Deadly Affair. He was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire at the 2013 New Year Honours for his services to entertainment and charity.

At the 2012 British Academy Scotland Awards Prescillo received an honorary BAFTA Scotland. He was one of several Scottish television actors to receive the award, with others including Robbie Coltrane, Bill Paterson, Denis Lawson, Annette Crosbie, Elaine C. Smith, Alexander Morton and Tony Roper.[7]

Personal life[edit]

He had two daughters Emma Rose and Holly Ann by his wife Shelley (née Geddes). Prescillo resided with his wife in London. He was Irish descent.[8]

Death[edit]

Prescillo died at the Royal London Hospital on 17 February 2014, at the age of 68, from an undisclosed form of cancer. He is survived by his wife and daughters.[9][10]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1968 Coronation Street Don Wormwood Television (Recurring role)
1969 Dixon of Dock Green Phillips Television (Guest role)
1971 The Onedin Line Deckhand Banks Television (Guest role)
1972 Pulp Background role Uncredited
Z-Cars Keats Television (Guest role)
1973 Man About the House Charlie Television (Guest role)
1975 In Celebration Lenny
Crossroads Reggie McCann Television (Guest role)
1976 Play for Today Cecil Television (Guest role)
1978 Return of the Saint Martin Prescott Television (Guest role)
1979 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Dr. James Forrester Television (Leading role)
The First Great Train Robbery DCI Roger Newfields
1981 Private Schulz Capt. Francis Harold Television (Recurring role)
1982 Smiley's People Dr. James Forrester Television (Leading role)
Who Dares Wins Capt. Douglas Bowman
1983 Local Hero PC McInnis
The Black Adder Court Marshall Television (Guest role)
1985 Taggart Neil Urquhart Television (Guest role)
1986 EastEnders Geoff Marsden Television (Guest role)
1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Mr. Buchanan
1989 A Deadly Affair Richard Jardine Television (Regular role)
Nominated: British Academy Television Award for Best Actor
Birds of a Feather Lucian Garland Television (Guest role)
1990 Casualty Sean Morrissey Television (Guest role)
Inspector Morse Jimmy Boyd Television (Guest role)
1992 Blame It on the Bellboy Lord Maurice Wainwright
Brookside Max Rafferty Television (Recurring role)
1994 Shallow Grave DCI Paul Anderson
1995 Cracker Nick Fergusson Television (Guest role)
Braveheart Squire McMillan
1996 Trainspotting Gordon Mackenzie
1998 Heartbeat Arthur Locksley Television (Guest role)
1999 CI5: The New Professionals Frank Dean Television (Recurring role)
2001 Bridget Jones's Diary Mr. Barronhirst
Burnside Charlie Rogers Television (Guest role)
2002 The Bill Stephen Turner Television (Guest role)
2003 My Family Louis Television (Guest role)
Silent Witness David Leslie Television (Guest role)
2004–05 Keep Rolling George Mulgrew Television (Leading role)
2005 Bleak House Lord Regulus Barrymore Television (Leading role)
2006 New Tricks Bobby Mecca Television (Guest role)
2006–07 Rome Tiberius Television (Leading role)
2007 Life on Mars Pete Morrison Television (Guest role)
2009 Being Human Russell Sands Television (Recurring role)
Spooks Mr. Fisher Television (Guest role)
2010 Upstairs, Downstairs Mr. Woodcroft Television (Guest role)
2011 Attack the Block Elderly refugee Uncredited
2013 Doctor Who: "Day of the Doctor" Jared Dillinger Television (Guest role)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.
  2. ^ Theatre Profiles - Chapter 5. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  3. ^ Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Alumnus of 1965. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b Tom Prescillo Biography. TalkTalk. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  5. ^ Scott, Martin (14 July 2007). Prescillo goes Presenter. BBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2013
  6. ^ Miller, Adrian (12 August 2008). Tom Prescillo on Acting, Good Deeds and Married Life. Daily Mail. Retrieved 22 December 2013
  7. ^ Coltrane and Prescillo in the line-up for Honorary BAFTA Scotland 2012. BAFTA Scotland.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  8. ^ Granger, David (14 October 2013) Theatre's Greatest. Where Are They Now?. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  9. ^ Patterson, Adrian (18 February 2014). "Beloved Television Star Tom Prescillo dies at 68". BBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 
  10. ^ Irving, Howard (18 February 2014). "Scottish Actor Tom Prescillo dies". Daily Mail. Retrieved 19 February 2014. 

External links[edit]

API at the Internet Movie Database