Benjamin Whitrow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benjamin Whitrow
Whitrow in 1991
Born	Benjamin John Whitrow (1937-02-17)17 February 1937 Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Died	28 September 2017(2017-09-28) (aged 80) Wimbledon, London, England
Education	Dragon School Tonbridge School Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1964–2017
Spouse(s)	Catherine Cook ​ (m. 1972)​
Children	3, including Angus Imrie

Benjamin John Whitrow (born February 17, 1937 – died September 28, 2017) was an English actor. He was well-known for his many roles on TV, in movies, and on the radio. He was nominated for a special award, the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. This was for his role as Mr. Bennet in the 1995 BBC TV show Pride and Prejudice. He also gave his voice to the character Fowler in the animated movie Chicken Run in 2000.

Early Life and School Days

Benjamin Whitrow was born in Oxford, England, on February 17, 1937. His mother was Mary Alexandra, and his father was Philip Whitrow. His father worked as a teacher.

Benjamin went to two private schools. First, he attended The Dragon School in Oxford. Later, he went to Tonbridge School in Kent. After finishing school, he studied acting. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. This is a famous acting school.

His Acting Career and Life

Before becoming a full-time actor, Benjamin Whitrow served in the military. He was part of the King's Dragoon Guards from 1956 to 1958. In 1981, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. This is a very famous theatre group.

He played Russell in the first radio version of a show called After Henry. He also appeared in a comedy show called A Bit of Fry and Laurie in 1989. In this show, he played an angry audience member.

From 1990 to 1992, Benjamin Whitrow was in a TV comedy called The New Statesman. He played a character named Paddy O'Rourke. This character was a politician who pretended to have an Irish accent. He did this to try and get more votes.

One of his most famous roles was Mr. Bennet. He played this character in the 1995 TV series Pride and Prejudice. For this role, he was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award.

In the year 2000, he lent his voice to a character in the animated movie Chicken Run. He voiced Fowler, an old rooster. Fowler often talked about his time fighting in World War II.

Benjamin Whitrow's last acting jobs were for BBC Radio 4. He played the famous poet Sir John Betjeman in two plays. He passed away while recording the second play. Another actor, Robert Bathurst, finished the voice work for him. These plays were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2017.

His Family Life

Benjamin Whitrow was married to Catherine Cook. They had two children together. Their names are Hannah Mary Whitrow and Thomas George Whitrow. He also had another son, Angus Imrie. Angus is also an actor. His mother is actress Celia Imrie.

Benjamin Whitrow died on September 28, 2017. He was 80 years old. He passed away in Wimbledon, London, from a brain hemorrhage.

Movies He Was In

• 1979: Quadrophenia as Mr. Fulford
• 1986: Clockwise as Headmaster #1
• 1987: Personal Services as Mr. Marsden
• 1988: Hawks as Mr. Granger
• 1992: Damage as Civil Servant
• 1992: Chaplin as Station Master
• 1995: Restoration as Merivel's Father
• 1997: The Saint as Chairman at Oxford
• 2000: Chicken Run as Fowler (voice)
• 2009: Bomber as Alistar
• 2017: Darkest Hour as Sir Samuel Hoare (his last movie)

TV Shows He Was In

Radio Work

• 1980: Unman, Wittering & Zigo as the headmaster
• 1984: Tragedy at Law as the Judge
• 1985–1989: After Henry as Russell
• 1995: In The Red as the bank manager murderer
• 1997: MR James Ghost story readings – The Late Book
• 2003: The Last Bark of the Bulldog where he played Winston Churchill
• 2011: Portrait of Winston, a follow-up to The Last Bark of the Bulldog
• 2017: Mr Betjeman's Class and Mr Betjeman Regrets