Sean Caffrey

Sean Caffrey
Publicity still for I Was Happy Here (1966)
Born
James Caffrey

(1940-04-15)15 April 1940
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died25 April 2013(2013-04-25) (aged 73)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Alma materQueen's University, Belfast
Occupation(s)Actor
Playwright
Stage designer
PartnerPhil Thompson

Sean Caffrey (15 April 1940 – 25 April 2013) was an actor from Northern Ireland.[1]The Stage described him as "part of a generation of actors that came out of Northern Ireland in the 1960s to find prominence on British television,"[2] and the Belfast Telegraph called him "a largely unsung professional, who was always in demand."[3]

He is perhaps best remembered for his performances on television in such series as No Hiding Place, Coronation Street, Z-Cars, Sutherland's Law, Oil Strike North, Survivors, Doctor Who (in the serial Horror of Fang Rock), The Professionals, Minder, Bergerac, Children of the North and Edge of Darkness.[4] His film career included leading roles in I Was Happy Here (1966) and Lindsay Shonteff's Run with the Wind (1966).[3] There were also roles of varying size in the Hammer films The Viking Queen (1967) and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), The Human Factor (1979), Harry's Game (1982), Ascendancy (1983), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), Resurrection Man (1998), Crossmaheart (1998) and Divorcing Jack (1998).[1]

Caffrey's stage work included appearances at Belfast's Lyric, in Stewart Parker's Spokesong (1989), Graham Reid's Lengthening Shadows (1995), Bill Morrison's Drive On! (1996) and Gary Mitchell's Marching On (2000). At the Bristol Old Vic he was in Orton's Loot and Shakespeare's Macbeth (both 1987). At the Greenwich Theatre, he appeared in Brendan Behan's The Hostage (1970). At Project Arts Centre, Dublin, and the Royal Court, he was in Peter Sheridan's The Liberty Suit (1980).[2][5]

As well as acting, Caffrey also worked as a set designer and writer, having authored the play Nora Surrender (1989), amongst others.[2] He also co-founded the North Face Theatre Company with his life partner, Phil Thompson.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b "Sean Caffrey". Archived from the original on 3 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Sean Caffrey - Obituaries - The Stage". 15 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Sean Caffrey obituary: Unsung character actor always in demand". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Sean Caffrey".
  5. ^ "Sean Caffrey - Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  6. ^ Service (clouddataservice.co.uk), Cloud Data. "Sean Caffrey - Authors". Lagan Press.
  7. ^ "Sean Caffrey". 31 May 2013 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.