Richard Vernon

Richard Vernon
Colonel Smithers by Richard Vernon.jpg
Richard Vernon in Goldfinger (1964)
Born
Richard Evelyn Vernon

(1925-03-07)7 March 1925
Died4 December 1997(1997-12-04) (aged 72)
Alma materRoyal Central School of Speech and Drama
OccupationActor
Years active1949—1996

Richard Evelyn Vernon (7 March 1925 – 4 December 1997) was a British actor.[1] He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled into playing archetypal middle-aged lords and military types while still in his 30s.[2] He is perhaps best known for originating the role of Slartibartfast in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Other notable roles included the lead role of Edwin Oldenshaw in The Man in Room 17 (1965–67), Sir James Greenley alias "C" in The Sandbaggers (1978–80), and Sir Desmond Glazebrook in Yes Minister (1980–81) and its sequel series Yes, Prime Minister (1987).

  1. ^ "Richard Vernon". ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Independent 13 Dec 1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).