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Benjamin Whitrow

Benjamin Whitrow was an English actor whose career moved comfortably between classical theatre, television comedy, radio and film. Born in Oxford on 17 February 1937, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his professional debut in Chance of Heaven at the Irving Theatre in 1955. After national service with the King’s Dragoon Guards, he returned to acting in Heartbreak House and spent eight years developing his craft in repertory theatre. Whitrow later joined the National Theatre company at The Old Vic under Laurence Olivier and performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company on several occasions. His stage roles included Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Sir Anthony Absolute in The Rivals and Justice Shallow in Henry IV, Part II. It was a background that gave him an assured presence and a particular feel for characters whose dignity, irritation and comic weakness were closely intertwined. Television brought one of his best-known performances: Mr Bennet in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Whitrow’s portrayal earned him a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actor. His other television work included the sitcoms Ffizz and The New Statesman, as well as a memorable appearance in A Bit of Fry and Laurie as an indignant audience member accusing the hosts of stealing his material. His film work showed similar range. He played the Headmaster in A Shocking Accident, the Oscar-winning live-action short based on Graham Greene’s story, and voiced Fowler, the elderly rooster with grand wartime stories, in Chicken Run. In 2009 he starred in the comedy-drama Bomber as an 83-year-old travelling to Germany on a journey of atonement. His final film role was Sir Samuel Hoare in Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour, released in 2017. Whitrow continued working until the end of his life, with his last completed performance coming in the BBC Radio 4 play Mr Betjeman’s Class. He died on 28 September 2017, aged 80, leaving behind a body of work shaped by theatrical discipline, dry comic timing and remarkable versatility.