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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

132

Gender

Male

Birthday

1927-06-04

Day of Death

2020-11-05 (93 years old)

Place of Birth

Finchley, Middlesex, England, UK

Also Known As

Geoffrey Dyson Palmer

Geoffrey Palmer

Biography

Geoffrey Dyson Palmer, OBE (4 June 1927 - 5 November 2020) was an English actor known for his roles in British television sitcoms playing Jimmy Anderson in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–79), Ben Parkinson in Butterflies (1978–1983) and Lionel Hardcastle in As Time Goes By (1992–2005). His film appearances include A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Madness of King George (1994), Mrs. Brown (1997), and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Geoffrey Dyson Palmer was born on 4 June 1927 in North Finchley, Middlesex. He was the son of Frederick Charles Palmer, who was a chartered surveyor, and Norah Gwendolen (née Robins). He attended Highgate School from September 1939 to December 1945. He served as a corporal instructor in small arms and field training in the Royal Marines during his national service from 1946 to 1948, following which he briefly worked as an unpaid trainee assistant stage manager. Palmer's early television appearances included multiple roles in episodes of The Army Game (Granada Television), two episodes of The Baron and as a property agent in Cathy Come Home (1966). After a major break in John Osborne's West of Suez at the Royal Court with Ralph Richardson, he acted in major productions at the Royal Court and for the National Theatre Company and was directed by Laurence Olivier in J. B. Priestley's Eden End. Palmer found the play so dull, however, that he was deterred from a stage career. Two BBC sitcom roles brought him attention in the 1970s: the hapless brother-in-law of Reggie Perrin in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–79), and the phlegmatic dentist Ben Parkinson in Butterflies (1978–1983). In 1978, Palmer appeared as organized crimelord Simon Sinclair in London Weekend Television's hard-hitting police drama The Professionals, the episode entitled "Where the Jungle Ends". Palmer played Doctor Price in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Kipper and the Corpse" (1979), determined to have breakfast amidst the confusion caused by the death of a guest and Fawlty's inept way of handling the emergency. In 1986, Palmer appeared as Donald Fairchild in the first series of an ITV sitcom, Executive Stress, alongside Penelope Keith. He later left, and was replaced by Peter Bowles. Palmer later starred opposite Judi Dench for over a decade in another BBC sitcom, As Time Goes By (1992–2005). In 1997, he also appeared with Dench in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, in which he portrayed Admiral Roebuck to Dench's M, and Mrs Brown, playing Sir Henry Ponsonby to Dench's Queen Victoria. Palmer married Sally Green in 1963. They had a daughter, Harriet, and a son, Charles, a television director. Palmer was a longtime resident of Lee Common in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, and enjoyed fly fishing in his spare time. At the time of his death, he resided in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Palmer died peacefully at his home on 5 November 2020, aged 93

Known For

Acting

Anna and the King

1999

Anna and the King

as

Lord John Bradley

Tomorrow Never Dies

1997

Tomorrow Never Dies

as

Admiral Roebuck

A Zed & Two Noughts

1985

A Zed & Two Noughts

as

Fallast

To Olivia

2021

To Olivia

as

The Pink Panther 2

2009

The Pink Panther 2

as

Joubert

Mrs Brown

1997

Mrs Brown

as

Henry Ponsonby

Lost Christmas

2011

Lost Christmas

as

Dr. Clarence

W.E.

2011

W.E.

as

Stanley Baldwin

The Young Visiters

2003

The Young Visiters

as

Minnit

Reckless: The Sequel

1998

Reckless: The Sequel

as

Robert Crane

Bert & Dickie

2012

Bert & Dickie

as

Charles Burnell

Doctor Who: The Mutants

1972

Doctor Who: The Mutants

as

Administrator

Season's Greetings

1986

Season's Greetings

as

Bernard

Stalag Luft

1993

Stalag Luft

as

The Kommandant

Smack and Thistle

1991

Smack and Thistle

as

Sir Horace Wimbol

Mr. Kershaw's Dream System

1982

Mr. Kershaw's Dream System

as

Psychiastrist

The Honorary Consul

1983

The Honorary Consul

as

British Ambassador

Run For Your Wife

2012

Run For Your Wife

as

Man on Toilet

Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened

2009

Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened

as

Self / Dr Price

Safe at Work?

1980

Safe at Work?

as

Narrator

The Insurance Man

1986

The Insurance Man

as

The Angry Doctor

Rat

2000

Rat

as

The Doctor

A Prize of Arms

1962

A Prize of Arms

as

Cpl. Myers

Paddington

2014

Paddington

as

Head Geographer

The High Game

1970

The High Game

as

Man at the Clinic

Loyalties

1976

Loyalties

as

Graviter

The Houseboy

1982

The Houseboy

as

Eric

Clockwise

1986

Clockwise

as

Headmaster

No Place Like Earth

1965

No Place Like Earth

as

Chief Officer

Hawks

1988

Hawks

as

SAAB Salesman

Cathy Come Home

1966

Cathy Come Home

as

Property Agent

The Battle of Billy's Pond

1976

The Battle of Billy's Pond

as

First Policeman

Stiff Upper Lips

1998

Stiff Upper Lips

as

His Butler's Voice

Piccadilly Jim

2004

Piccadilly Jim

as

Bayliss

Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned

2007

Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned

as

Captain Hardaker

Peter Pan

2003

Peter Pan

as

Sir Edward Quiller Couch

A Story to Frighten the Children

1976

A Story to Frighten the Children

as

Det. Chief Insp. Harris

Only Make Believe

1973

Only Make Believe

as

Richard Nicholls

Michael Regan

1971

Michael Regan

as

Chief Superintendent

The Outsider

1979

The Outsider

as

Col. Wyndham

Ring of Spies

1964

Ring of Spies

as

Police Officer (uncredited)

O Lucky Man!

1973

O Lucky Man!

as

Examination Doctor/Basil Keyes

Goodbye

1975

Goodbye

as

Jack

Absurd Person Singular

1985

Absurd Person Singular

as

Ronald Brewster-Wright

Incident at Midnight

1963

Incident at Midnight

as

Dr. Tanfield

As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By

as

Lionel Hardcastle

The Sweeney

The Sweeney

as

Commander Watson

Out of the Unknown

Out of the Unknown

as

Chief Officer

Colditz

Colditz

as

Doc

Ashes to Ashes

Ashes to Ashes

as

Lord Scarman

The Savages

The Savages

as

Donald

Butterflies

Butterflies

as

Ben Parkinson

Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers

as

Dr. Price

Inspector Morse

Inspector Morse

as

Matthew Copley-Barnes

The Saint

The Saint

as

Pete Ferguson

Doomwatch

Doomwatch

as

Major Sims

He Knew He Was Right

He Knew He Was Right

as

Sir Marmaduke Rowley

Van der Valk

Van der Valk

as

Head of Faculty

The Expert

The Expert

as

Asst. Chief Constable Rogers

The Revenue Men

The Revenue Men

as

Bill Mitchell

Natural World

Natural World

as

Narrator

The Avengers

The Avengers

as

Paul Manning

Dalgliesh

Dalgliesh

as

Edwin Lorrimer

Christabel

Christabel

as

Mr. Burton

Doctor Who

Doctor Who

as

Administrator

Doctor Who

Doctor Who

as

Masters

Fairly Secret Army

Fairly Secret Army

as

Major Harry Truscott

Play for Today

Play for Today

as

Detetective Chief Inspector Harris

Edward the Seventh

Edward the Seventh

as

Sir Edward Clarke

Blackadder

Blackadder

as

Field Marshal Haig

Bergerac

Bergerac

as

Nigel Carter

Bill Brand

Bill Brand

as

Malcolm Frear

Gideon's Way

Gideon's Way

as

Jeff Grant

The Troubleshooters

The Troubleshooters

as

Jeremy Martin

The Man in Room 17

The Man in Room 17

as

Ian McWatt

Grumpy Old Men

Grumpy Old Men

as

Narrator

The Hollow Crown

The Hollow Crown

as

Lord Chief Justice

The Wednesday Play

The Wednesday Play

as

Property Agent

The Goodies

The Goodies

as

School Headmaster

Crown Court

Crown Court

as

Kenneth Eden

Play for Today

Play for Today

as

Jack Buckett

The 1940's House

The 1940's House

as

Narrator (voice)

The Professionals

The Professionals

as

Simon Sinclair

Agatha Christie's Poirot

Agatha Christie's Poirot

as

Vice Admiral Hamling

The Avengers

The Avengers

as

Martin Smythe

Londoners

Londoners

as

Jack Poncey

The Odd Man

The Odd Man

as

Const. Swift

Ben Travers Farces

Ben Travers Farces

as

Hugh Stafford

Production

Crew

Directing