David Graham (actor)
David Graham (born 11 July 1925 ) is an English character actor and voice artist. Born in London, he trained as an actor in New York City following service in the Royal Air Force as a radar mechanic, and has since worked mainly in British television. Graham performed voice work for the television series Doctor Who and Thunderbirds during the 1960s.
David Graham | |
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Born | [1][2] | 11 July 1925
Occupation |
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Years active | 1952–present |
Television |
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Career
Graham played several characters in the science-fiction TV series Doctor Who during the 1960s and 1970s, most notably Dalek voices in the serials The Daleks (1963–64), The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964), The Chase (1965; in which he also provided Mechanoid voices) and The Daleks' Master Plan (1965–66). He performed in person as barman Charlie in The Gunfighters (1966) and as time-travel scientist Professor Kerensky in City of Death (1979).
Graham also provided the regular voices of Gordon Tracy, Brains, Parker and Kyrano for the Supermarionation TV series Thunderbirds (1965–66), as well as its film sequels: Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968). Other credits from his association with Thunderbirds producer Gerry Anderson include Four Feather Falls (1960), Supercar (1961–62), Fireball XL5 (1962–63), Stingray (1964–65) and The Secret Service (1969).
Graham has also appeared in Callan, Timeslip, So Haunt Me, Danger Man, The Saint, Howards' Way, Softly, Softly, Armchair Thriller, Ace of Wands, Justice, The Regiment, The Bill, The Fixer, The Sentimental Agent and The Avengers (in the 1963 episode "Man in the Mirror"). He contributed puppet voices to two episodes of The Tomorrow People. He also guest starred in the second series of the 1970s drama When the Boat Comes In and later had a recurring role in the fourth series of the show as "Morty Black", the American Businessman and friend of the main character Jack Ford played by James Bolam.
In the "1984" television Super Bowl advert, filmed in 1983 to introduce the Apple Macintosh computer, Graham played the role of Big Brother. His other voice work includes the animated children's TV series Moomin and Dominion: Tank Police. More recently, Graham provided the voices of Grandpa in Peppa Pig and Wise Old Elf in Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom. He reprised the voice of Parker in Thunderbirds Are Go, the 2015 remake of Thunderbirds, which was broadcast early 2015 in the UK.[3] In February 2013, Graham was interviewed by Paddy O'Connell for BBC Radio 2 about his role as one of the early voices of the Daleks, following the death of the Dalek designer Raymond Cusick.
Selected TV and filmography
- Danger Within (1959) – Lt. Moxhay
- Trouble with Eve (1960) – Car Driver (uncredited)
- Crossroads to Crime (1960) – Johnny
- K.I.L. 1 (1962) – Alvero Belda
- Thunderbirds (1965–1966) – Gordon Tracy / Brains / Parker / Kyrano (voice)
- Doctor Who (1963-1979) – Daleks / Charlie / Kerensky
- Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) – Daleks (voice, uncredited)
- The Pleasure Girls (1965) – 1st Gambler
- Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966) – Daleks (voice, uncredited)
- Thunderbirds Are GO (1966) – Gordon Tracy / Brains / Aloysius Parker (voice)
- Thunderbird 6 (1968) – Gordon Tracy / Brains / Aloysius Parker / Kyrano / Indian Stall-Keeper (voice)
- Freelance (1971) – General
- Callan (1974) – Wireless operator
- Tenebrae (1982) – Det. Germani (English version, voice, uncredited)
- Supergirl (1984) – Party Guest
- King David (1985) – Ephraimite Elder
- Moomin (1990–1991) – Snork (English version, voice)
- Leon the Pig Farmer (1992) – The Chef
- Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar (1999) – (voice, uncredited)
- Wild Flowers (1999) – Trip
- Peppa Pig (2004–present) – Grandpa Pig / Mr. Zebra the Postman (voice)
- Peppa Pig: Flying a Kite and Other Stories (2005) – Grandpa Pig
- Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom (2009–2013) – Wise Old Elf / The Gnome (voice)
- Thunderbirds Are Go (2015–2020) – Parker (voice) / Braman (voice)
References
- Graham, David (8 June 2017). "Voiceover". Retrieved 31 December 2020.
The year of my birth was 1925.
- Graham, David (12 July 2015). "About David Graham". Retrieved 31 December 2020.
[...] yesterday was my birthday [...]
- "Thunderbirds Actor Reveals Inspiration for Parker Voice". BBC News Online. 1 October 2013. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
The 88-year-old is the only original cast member to return for the remake of the cult 1960s classic ...