Hywel Bennett
Encyclopedia
Hywel Thomas Bennett is a Welsh
film
and television
actor
. Bennett is best known for his recurring title role as James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley
from 1979 to 1984 and its sequel The Return of Shelley from 1988 to 1992.
After being made famous when he starred in the 1969 comedy film The Virgin Soldiers
, Bennett made film appearances in films such as Percy
and Loot
, and made his other noted role as gangster
Jack Dalton in EastEnders
in 2003.
Bennett retired in 2007 after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect
. He is also the brother of Alun Lewis
, who is best known for playing Vic Windsor
in Emmerdale
.
, Carmarthenshire
, Wales
, the son of Sarah Gwen (née
Lewis) and Gorden Bennett. He is the brother of actor Alun Lewis
. Brought up in London
from an early age, he attended Henry Thornton Grammar School, Clapham
and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
.
. He played small parts in Doctor Who
(1965) and The Sweeney
(1976). He starred in The Virgin Soldiers
(1969), the film adaptation of Loot
(1970) by Joe Orton
, Percy
(1971) and played the lead role in Shelley
(1979–84) and its sequel The Return of Shelley (1988–92). He was also cast opposite former child star Hayley Mills
in several films including The Family Way
(1966), Twisted Nerve
(1968) and Endless Night
(1972).
He played major parts in several Dennis Potter
television plays, including Where the Buffalo Roam (1966), Pennies From Heaven
(1978), Karaoke
(1996), and Cold Lazarus
(also 1996). He was also the villainous Mr. Croup in Neil Gaiman
's miniseries Neverwhere
(1996). His character, Ricki Tarr, was pivotal in the 1979 BBC miniseries based on the John le Carré
novel, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
(1979). He also appeared in Lock, Stock...
(2000) as "Deep Throat".
Bennett also starred in the four-part 1979 BBC mini series Malice Aforethought from the original novel, written in the 1920s, by Francis Iles.
In 2003, he joined the cast of long running soap opera
EastEnders
as Jack Dalton, a gangland boss who was introduced into the series as a former adversary of Den Watts
(played by Leslie Grantham
) whose death he was believed to have ordered in 1989. He first appeared in the series in May 2003 but was written out just two months later when his character was shot dead by Dennis Rickman
(Nigel Harman
), son of Den Watts; just before his demise, the character revealed that Den had survived the shooting 14 years earlier, and later that year Den returned to the series.
He also appeared as an occasional character, Peter Baxter, on The Bill
and was in the first episode of Jam & Jerusalem.
Also, he appeared in the 1986 music video of "Loving You's a Dirty Job But Somebody's Gotta Do It
" by Bonnie Tyler
and Todd Rundgren
. He playbacked the Todd Rundgren vocals. The song can be found on Bonnie's album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire
.
, best known as the presenter of the TV rock show Ready Steady Go!
in the mid 1960s. They have a daughter, Emma.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Bennett is best known for his recurring title role as James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley
Shelley (TV series)
Shelley is a British sitcom made by Thames Television and originally broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1984 and from 1988 to 1992, with occasional hiatuses. Hywel Bennett starred as James Shelley, a sardonic, 28-year-old, anti-establishment postgraduate and career income tax dodger...
from 1979 to 1984 and its sequel The Return of Shelley from 1988 to 1992.
After being made famous when he starred in the 1969 comedy film The Virgin Soldiers
The Virgin Soldiers
The Virgin Soldiers is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army.The novel was turned into a film The Virgin Soldiers in 1969, directed by John Dexter, with a screenplay by the British screenwriter John Hopkins. It starred Hywel...
, Bennett made film appearances in films such as Percy
Percy (1971 film)
Percy is a British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas starring Hywel Bennett, Denholm Elliott, Elke Sommer and Britt Ekland.Percy , an innocent and shy young man, is hit by a nude man falling from a high-rise building while carrying a chandelier...
and Loot
Loot (film)
Loot is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Silvio Narizzano, based on the play of the same name by Joe Orton. It was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Richard Attenborough - Inspector Truscott* Lee Remick - Nurse Fay McMahon...
, and made his other noted role as gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
Jack Dalton in EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
in 2003.
Bennett retired in 2007 after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect
Congenital heart defect
A congenital heart defect is a defect in the structure of the heart and great vessels which is present at birth. Many types of heart defects exist, most of which either obstruct blood flow in the heart or vessels near it, or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Other...
. He is also the brother of Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis (actor)
Alun Lewis is a Welsh actor best known for his role in ITV's Emmerdale as postmaster Vic Windsor and Darryl Stubbs in BBC1 sitcom Birds of a Feather.He was born in Garnant, the son of Sarah Gwen and Gorden Bennett...
, who is best known for playing Vic Windsor
Vic Windsor
Victor "Vic" Windsor is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Alun Lewis for a period of five years, from 1993 until 1998. Vic was the second husband of shopkeeper, Viv Hope then Windsor, and also father of Kelly Windsor and Donna Windsor-Dingle...
in Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
.
Early life
Bennett was born in GarnantGarnant
Garnant is a village in Carmarthenshire, West Wales about 5 miles east of Ammanford on the A474 road.During the early part of the 20th century it was the site of a tinplate works and several anthracite coal mines. It lies on the edge of the Black Mountain, in the westernmost part of the Brecon...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, the son of Sarah Gwen (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Lewis) and Gorden Bennett. He is the brother of actor Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis (actor)
Alun Lewis is a Welsh actor best known for his role in ITV's Emmerdale as postmaster Vic Windsor and Darryl Stubbs in BBC1 sitcom Birds of a Feather.He was born in Garnant, the son of Sarah Gwen and Gorden Bennett...
. Brought up in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from an early age, he attended Henry Thornton Grammar School, Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
.
Career
Bennett is best known for his appearances on British televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. He played small parts in Doctor Who
The Chase (Doctor Who)
The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
(1965) and The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
(1976). He starred in The Virgin Soldiers
The Virgin Soldiers
The Virgin Soldiers is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army.The novel was turned into a film The Virgin Soldiers in 1969, directed by John Dexter, with a screenplay by the British screenwriter John Hopkins. It starred Hywel...
(1969), the film adaptation of Loot
Loot (play)
Loot is a two-act play by the English playwright Joe Orton. The play is a dark farce that satirises the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force....
(1970) by Joe Orton
Joe Orton
John Kingsley Orton was an English playwright.In a short but prolific career lasting from 1964 until his death, he shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies...
, Percy
Percy (1971 film)
Percy is a British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas starring Hywel Bennett, Denholm Elliott, Elke Sommer and Britt Ekland.Percy , an innocent and shy young man, is hit by a nude man falling from a high-rise building while carrying a chandelier...
(1971) and played the lead role in Shelley
Shelley (TV series)
Shelley is a British sitcom made by Thames Television and originally broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1984 and from 1988 to 1992, with occasional hiatuses. Hywel Bennett starred as James Shelley, a sardonic, 28-year-old, anti-establishment postgraduate and career income tax dodger...
(1979–84) and its sequel The Return of Shelley (1988–92). He was also cast opposite former child star Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
in several films including The Family Way
The Family Way
The Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama film based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time . It began life in 1961 as a television play entitled Honeymoon Postponed....
(1966), Twisted Nerve
Twisted Nerve
Twisted Nerve is a 1968 British psychological thriller film about a disturbed young man, Martin, who pretends, under the name of Georgie, to be mentally retarded in order to be near Susan, a girl he has become infatuated with, killing those who get in his way.-Plot:The film opens with Martin...
(1968) and Endless Night
Endless Night (1972 film)
Endless Night is a 1972 British crime film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Hayley Mills, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, Hywel Bennett and George Sanders. It is based on the novel Endless Night by Agatha Christie.-Plot:...
(1972).
He played major parts in several Dennis Potter
Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
television plays, including Where the Buffalo Roam (1966), Pennies From Heaven
Pennies From Heaven (1978 television drama)
Pennies From Heaven is a 1978 BBC television drama serial written by Dennis Potter. The title is taken from a song of the same name written by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnston...
(1978), Karaoke
Karaoke (play)
Karaoke is a British television drama written by Dennis Potter with the knowledge that he was dying from cancer of the pancreas.It forms a pair with the serial Cold Lazarus...
(1996), and Cold Lazarus
Cold Lazarus
Cold Lazarus is a four-part British television drama written by Dennis Potter with the knowledge that he was dying of cancer of the pancreas....
(also 1996). He was also the villainous Mr. Croup in Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's miniseries Neverwhere
Neverwhere
Neverwhere is an urban fantasy television series by Neil Gaiman that first aired in 1996 on BBC Two. The series is set in "London Below", a magical realm coexisting with the more familiar London, referred to as "London Above". It was devised by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry, and directed by Dewi...
(1996). His character, Ricki Tarr, was pivotal in the 1979 BBC miniseries based on the John le Carré
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
novel, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré, featuring George Smiley. Smiley is a middle-aged, taciturn, perspicacious intelligence expert in forced retirement. He is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus", the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence...
(1979). He also appeared in Lock, Stock...
Lock, Stock...
Lock, Stock... was a 2000 television series off-shoot from the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The series was shown on Channel 4 and starred Ralph Brown, Daniel Caltagirone, Del Synnott, Scott Maslen and Shaun Parkes. Lock, Stock... was Ginger Productions' first commission...
(2000) as "Deep Throat".
Bennett also starred in the four-part 1979 BBC mini series Malice Aforethought from the original novel, written in the 1920s, by Francis Iles.
In 2003, he joined the cast of long running soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
as Jack Dalton, a gangland boss who was introduced into the series as a former adversary of Den Watts
Den Watts
Dennis Alan "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den"....
(played by Leslie Grantham
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham is an English actor best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the soap opera EastEnders. He is also a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a German taxi driver, and he generated significant press coverage as the result of an online sex scandal...
) whose death he was believed to have ordered in 1989. He first appeared in the series in May 2003 but was written out just two months later when his character was shot dead by Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nigel Harman. He entered the show on 14 April 2003 and made his last appearance on 30 December 2005, when he was fatally stabbed as the midnight fireworks began. He is part of the Watts family, though his...
(Nigel Harman
Nigel Harman
Nigel Derek Harman is an English actor, most famous for his role as Dennis Rickman in the UK soap opera EastEnders. He has worked extensively in theatre, with the stage being described as his "first love"...
), son of Den Watts; just before his demise, the character revealed that Den had survived the shooting 14 years earlier, and later that year Den returned to the series.
He also appeared as an occasional character, Peter Baxter, on The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and was in the first episode of Jam & Jerusalem.
Also, he appeared in the 1986 music video of "Loving You's a Dirty Job But Somebody's Gotta Do It
Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It
"Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It" is a pop song written and composed by Jim Steinman and has been released in 1986 by Bonnie Tyler in duet with Todd Rundgren...
" by Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
and Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
. He playbacked the Todd Rundgren vocals. The song can be found on Bonnie's album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire
Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire
Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire is the sixth studio album by Bonnie Tyler. Released in 1986 peaked at no.24 on the UK album chart and no.106 in the US, though the album gained success in continental Europe....
.
Personal life
From 1967-88, Bennett was married to Cathy McGowanCathy McGowan
Cathy McGowan is a British broadcaster and journalist, presenter from 1964-6 of Rediffusion television’s rock music show, Ready Steady Go!-Ready Steady Go!:...
, best known as the presenter of the TV rock show Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
in the mid 1960s. They have a daughter, Emma.
Films
- Il marito è mio e l'ammazzo quando mi pare (1966) - Leonardo
- The Family WayThe Family WayThe Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama film based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time . It began life in 1961 as a television play entitled Honeymoon Postponed....
(1966) - Arthur Fitton - Twisted NerveTwisted NerveTwisted Nerve is a 1968 British psychological thriller film about a disturbed young man, Martin, who pretends, under the name of Georgie, to be mentally retarded in order to be near Susan, a girl he has become infatuated with, killing those who get in his way.-Plot:The film opens with Martin...
(1968) - Martin Durnley/Georgie - The Virgin SoldiersThe Virgin SoldiersThe Virgin Soldiers is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army.The novel was turned into a film The Virgin Soldiers in 1969, directed by John Dexter, with a screenplay by the British screenwriter John Hopkins. It starred Hywel...
(1969) - Private Brigg - LootLoot (film)Loot is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Silvio Narizzano, based on the play of the same name by Joe Orton. It was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Richard Attenborough - Inspector Truscott* Lee Remick - Nurse Fay McMahon...
(1970) - Dennis - The Buttercup ChainThe Buttercup ChainThe Buttercup Chain is a 1970 British drama film directed by Robert Ellis Miller. It was entered into the 1970 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Hywel Bennett - France* Leigh Taylor-Young - Manny* Jane Asher - Margaret* Sven-Bertil Taube - Fred...
(1970) - France - PercyPercy (1971 film)Percy is a British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas starring Hywel Bennett, Denholm Elliott, Elke Sommer and Britt Ekland.Percy , an innocent and shy young man, is hit by a nude man falling from a high-rise building while carrying a chandelier...
(1971) - Edwin Anthony - Endless NightEndless NightEndless Night is a work of crime fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on October 30, 1967 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at eighteen shillings and the US edition at $4.95...
(1972) - Michael Rogers - Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972 film)Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a 1972 British musical film based on the Lewis Carroll novel of the same name. It had an all star cast, and John Barry composed the score....
(1972) - Duckworth - Anyone for Sex? (1973) - Mick Goonahan
- Murder Elite (1984) - Jimmy Fowler
- Witness in the Warzone (1987) - Mike Jessop
- A Mind to KillA Mind to KillA Mind to Kill is a police detective series developed from a 1991 pilot. The programme ran from 1994 to 2004 and aired first on S4C .-Synopsis:...
(1991) - Dr Gareth Lewis - Deadly AdviceDeadly AdviceDeadly Advice is a 1994 British comedy drama film directed by Mandie Fletcher and starring Jane Horrocks, Brenda Fricker and Edward Woodward.-Plot:The daughters of a domineering mother aspire to break free of her control and form romantic attachments....
(1994) - Doctor Crippen - Married 2 Malcolm (1998) - Reg
- Misery Harbour (1999) - The Captain
- VatelVatelVatel may refer to:*the 17th century French chef François Vatel,*Vatel , the 2000 film starring Gérard Depardieu as the chef above or*the 18th century Swiss philosopher, diplomat, and legal expert Emerich de Vattel....
(2000) - Colbert - Nasty Neighbours (2000) - The Boss
- One for the Road (2003) - Richard Stevens
Television
- Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor 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...
(1965) - Rynian - RedcapRedcap (TV series)Redcap is a British television series produced by ABC Weekend Television and broadcast on the ITV network.It starred John Thaw as Sergeant John Mann, a member of the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police and ran for two series and 26 episodes between 1964 and 1966, being about...
(1965) - Brown - Theatre 625Theatre 625Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line...
(1965-66) - Beliayev Lipstrob - The Idiot (1966) - Hypolite
- The SweeneyThe SweeneyThe Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
(1976) - Steven Castle - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) - Ricky Tarr
- ShelleyShelley-Meaning:In many baby name books, Shelley is listed as meaning "From the meadow on the ledge" or "clearing on a bank". It is Old English in origin. As with many other names , Shelley is today a name given almost exclusively to girls after historically being male...
(1979 to 1984) - James Shelley - Artemis 81 (1981) - Gideon Harlax