Glyn Owen
Encyclopedia
Glyn Griffith Owen was a British stage, television and film actor, probably best known to British TV viewers for two roles: that of Dr. Patrick O'Meara in the long-running ITV hospital drama Emergency - Ward 10, and that of Jack Rolfe, the headstrong Director of the Mermaid Boatyard in the mid-1980s BBC series Howards' Way
.
, Lancashire
, the son of a Welsh railway guard, Glyn Owen left school aged 14 and worked in a telegraph office. He completed his compulsory military service in 1946-1948 during which time he acted in the War Office's amateur dramatic company. For the next five years he was a police officer in London's Paddington district, while continuing in amateur dramatics and receiving acting training at the Actor's Studio in St John's Wood
.
By 1955 he was performing with the George Mitchell Singers in Blackpool
, with the impresario Lew Grade
as his agent. His television debut was in 1956 in The Trollenburg Terror. His other television roles included Coronation Street
, The Brothers, Doomwatch
, The Adventures of William Tell
, The Rat Catchers
, Doctor Who
(episode: "The Power of Kroll
", 1978), All Creatures Great and Small, Ennal's Point
, Survivors
, Oil Strike North
, Blake's 7
, Nekromanteia
. He also appeared in a 1978 episode, "Rogue", of The Professionals
, in which he played a corrupt
CI5 agent. His short career as a policeman also stood him in good stead to play the role of Wally, an alcoholic ex-policeman, in an episode of the fourth series of the Sweeney called "Money, Money, Money".
He appeared regularly on the West End stage and in fringe theatre. He appeared at Edinburgh with Tom Courtenay in Hamlet, and made numerous appearances at Hampstead between the late 1960s and the 1980s. He appeared in musicals and pantomime, including The Four Musketeers with Harry Secombe
at Drury Lane, Dick Whittington with Ken Dodd at the Manchester Palace and Roll on Four O'Clock for Colin Welland
at Wythenshawe (which transferred eventually to the Palace, Shaftesbury Avenue). He toured Canada and North America with the RSC, finishing at the Palace, New York, in London Assurance
. He joined The National Theatre Company to appear as the father in Equus
, and won an award for his portrayal of the father in Spring and Port Wine
.
Owen was married twice, his first marriage having been to the actress Patricia Mort. His two children, Lloyd
and Cathy Owen, are also actors.
He died of cancer in 2004, aged 76.
Howards' Way
Howards' Way is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC One between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the yachting and business communities in the fictional town of Tarrant on the South Coast of...
.
Biography
Born in BoltonBolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, the son of a Welsh railway guard, Glyn Owen left school aged 14 and worked in a telegraph office. He completed his compulsory military service in 1946-1948 during which time he acted in the War Office's amateur dramatic company. For the next five years he was a police officer in London's Paddington district, while continuing in amateur dramatics and receiving acting training at the Actor's Studio in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
.
By 1955 he was performing with the George Mitchell Singers in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, with the impresario Lew Grade
Lew Grade
Lew Grade, Baron Grade , born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential Russian-born English impresario and media mogul.-Early years:...
as his agent. His television debut was in 1956 in The Trollenburg Terror. His other television roles included Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, The Brothers, Doomwatch
Doomwatch
Doomwatch is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC One between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present-day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist , responsible for investigating and combating various...
, The Adventures of William Tell
The Adventures of William Tell
The Adventures of William Tell is a British swashbuckler adventure series, first broadcast on the ITV network in 1958, and produced by ITC Entertainment.-Production notes:...
, The Rat Catchers
The Rat Catchers
The Rat Catchers is a 1960s British television series about a top secret British Intelligence Unit who receive orders from the Prime Minister and without questions battles enemy spies, saboteurs, and other criminals in order to protect the security of Great Britain and the Western Alliance...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(episode: "The Power of Kroll
The Power of Kroll
*When script editor Anthony Read asked Robert Holmes to write the story, there were two requirements: that it include the largest monster in series history and that Holmes minimise the humour that many scripts from the era were known for. This second requirement was a request from higher up at the...
", 1978), All Creatures Great and Small, Ennal's Point
Ennal's Point
Ennal's Point is a novel by Alun Richards, first published in 1977.The story concerns the crew of a south Wales lifeboat, loosely modelled on the Swansea-based Mumbles lifeboat....
, Survivors
Survivors
Survivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction television series devised by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC from 1975 to 1977...
, Oil Strike North
Oil Strike North
Oil Strike North is a BBC television drama series produced in 1975.The series was created and produced by Gerard Glaister and dealt with life on Nelson One, a North Sea oil rig owned by the fictional company Triumph Oil...
, Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
, Nekromanteia
Nekromanteia (Doctor Who audio)
Nekromanteia is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Cast:*The Doctor — Peter Davison*Peri — Nicola Bryant*Erimem — Caroline Morris*Tallis — Kate Brown...
. He also appeared in a 1978 episode, "Rogue", of The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, in which he played a corrupt
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
CI5 agent. His short career as a policeman also stood him in good stead to play the role of Wally, an alcoholic ex-policeman, in an episode of the fourth series of the Sweeney called "Money, Money, Money".
He appeared regularly on the West End stage and in fringe theatre. He appeared at Edinburgh with Tom Courtenay in Hamlet, and made numerous appearances at Hampstead between the late 1960s and the 1980s. He appeared in musicals and pantomime, including The Four Musketeers with Harry Secombe
Harry Secombe
Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
at Drury Lane, Dick Whittington with Ken Dodd at the Manchester Palace and Roll on Four O'Clock for Colin Welland
Colin Welland
Colin Welland is a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire ,,,....
at Wythenshawe (which transferred eventually to the Palace, Shaftesbury Avenue). He toured Canada and North America with the RSC, finishing at the Palace, New York, in London Assurance
London Assurance
London Assurance is a five-act comedy by Dion Boucicault. It was the second play that he wrote, but his first to be produced. Its first production, from March 4, 1841 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden was Boucicault's first major success...
. He joined The National Theatre Company to appear as the father in Equus
Equus
Equus may refer to:* Equus , a genus of animals including horses, donkeys, zebras and onagers* Equus , a play by Peter Shaffer* Equus , a film adaptation of the Peter Shaffer play...
, and won an award for his portrayal of the father in Spring and Port Wine
Spring and Port Wine
Spring and Port Wine is a stage play by Bill Naughton which was turned into a film .It began life under the title My Flesh, My Blood as a BBC Radio play, broadcast on 17 August 1957 in the Saturday Night Theatre strand...
.
Owen was married twice, his first marriage having been to the actress Patricia Mort. His two children, Lloyd
Lloyd Owen
Lloyd Owen is a British actor of Welsh descent. Trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he is probably best known for his portrayal of Indiana Jones's father Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr...
and Cathy Owen, are also actors.
He died of cancer in 2004, aged 76.