Roy Dotrice facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roy Dotrice
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Dotrice in 2014
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| Born | 26 May 1923 |
| Died | 16 October 2017 (aged 94) London, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–2012 |
| Known for | Brief Lives A Moon for the Misbegotten |
| Spouse(s) |
Kay Newman
(m. 1947; |
| Children | 3; including Michele and Karen |
| Awards | 1 Tony Award 1 Drama Desk Award 1 British Academy Television Award |
Roy Dotrice (born May 26, 1923 – died October 16, 2017) was a famous British actor. He was well-known for playing the old writer John Aubrey in the play Brief Lives. This was a special one-man show where he acted all by himself.
In America, he won a Tony Award for his role in the play A Moon for the Misbegotten in 2000. He also played Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father, Leopold, in the movie Amadeus (1984). He was also Charles Dickens in Dickens of London (1984). Many people remember him as Jacob Wells/Father in the TV show Beauty and the Beast. Later in his life, he read many audiobooks for George R. R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. He even held a Guinness World Record for doing the most character voices in an audiobook by one person!
Contents
Roy Dotrice: A Talented Actor
Early Life and War Service
Roy Dotrice was born in Guernsey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, on May 26, 1923. His parents were Neva and Louis Dotrice. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force. He was a wireless operator and air gunner.
In 1942, his plane was shot down. He became a prisoner of war in a German camp. He stayed there until 1945 when the war ended.
Acting on Stage
Roy Dotrice was a very important member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the early 1960s, he played many different roles. He was Caliban in The Tempest and John of Gaunt in Henry IV.
His most famous stage role was John Aubrey in Brief Lives. This was a one-man play where Dotrice was on stage alone for over two and a half hours. He even pretended to sleep during the break! The play started in London in 1967. It then toured England and had two successful runs on Broadway. In 1968, it moved to the Criterion Theatre in London's West End. It ran for 400 shows there.
Because of these many performances, Roy Dotrice earned a place in the Guinness World Records. He holds the record for the most solo performances, with 1,782 shows.
TV and Film Roles
In the 1970s, Dotrice played Charles Dickens in the TV mini-series Dickens of London. He was also in the BBC show Misleading Cases.
North American audiences knew him best as "Father" in the 1980s TV series Beauty and the Beast. He also played Father Gary Barrett, a Catholic priest, in the 1990s series Picket Fences. In an episode of Angel, he played Roger Wyndam-Pryce. He also appeared as Commissioner Simmonds in Space: 1999. In 1998, he played Zeus in three episodes of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
Roy Dotrice was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life in 1974.
Game of Thrones Connection
In 2010, it was announced that Roy Dotrice would play Grand Maester Pycelle in the HBO TV series Game of Thrones. This show is based on George R. R. Martin's books. However, Dotrice had to leave the role for health reasons. Julian Glover took his place.
Later, for the second season of Game of Thrones, Dotrice returned. He played "Wisdom Hallyne the Pyromancer" in two episodes.
Voice Work and Audiobooks
In 1982, BBC Radio 4 broadcast Roy Dotrice reading The Book of Ebenezer Le Page. This was a classic novel by Gerald Basil Edwards, who was also from Guernsey. The radio producer said it was the most popular series they had ever done.
Dotrice recorded audiobooks for every book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. In 2011, he won a world record for having 224 different character voices in his recording of A Game of Thrones.
He also narrated many storybooks for Disney Records. These included The Little Mermaid and Pooh's Heffalump. He was even nominated for a Grammy Award for his work on Pooh's Heffalump.
Personal Life and Achievements
Roy Dotrice was married to Kay Newman, an actress, from 1947 until her death in 2007. They had three daughters: Michele, Yvette, and Karen. All of his daughters have also been actors.
He enjoyed baseball, fishing, and football. He was also a member of the Garrick Club. In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This is a special honor from the British government.
Roy Dotrice passed away on October 16, 2017, in London. He was 94 years old.
Images for kids
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The Adventure (TV film,1957) - Sailor.jpg
Roy Dotrice in The Adventure (1957)
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Treasure Island (TV miniserie, 1957) - Abe Gray.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Treasure Island (1957)
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A Midsummer Night's Dream (TV film, 1959) - Egeus.jpg
Roy Dotrice in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1959)
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The Heroes of Telemark (1965) – Jensen.jpg
Roy Dotrice in The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
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A.P. Herbert's 'Misleading Cases' TV sitcom BBC One 1967 - 1971 19 episodes (3 series).jpg
Roy Dotrice in Misleading Cases (1967-1971)
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A Twist of Sand (1968) – David Garland.jpg
Roy Dotrice in A Twist of Sand (1968)
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Lock Up Your Daughters (1969 film) – Gossip.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Lock Up Your Daughters (1969)
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Toomorrow (film) (1970) – John Williams.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Toomorrow (1970)
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The Buttercup Chain (1970) – Martin Carr-Gibbons.jpg
Roy Dotrice in The Buttercup Chain (1970)
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Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) – General Alexeiev.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
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Tales from the Crypt (film) (1972) – Charles Gregory (segment 4 "Wish You Were Here").jpg
Roy Dotrice in Tales From The Crypt (1972)
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Hide and Seek (1972 film) – Mr Grimes.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Hide and Seek (1972)
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Clochemerle (TV series) (1972) - Curé Ponosse.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Clochemerle (1972)
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Space: 1999 (1975, TV series) – Commissioner Simmonds.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Space: 1999 (1975)
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Dickens of London (1976, TV series) – Charles Dickens/Mr John Dickens.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Dickens of London (1976)
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Sykes (TV series) (1976, TV series
Roy Dotrice in Sykes (1976)
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Saturn 3 (1980, voice overdub of Harvey Keitel) – Benson (voice, uncredited).jpg
Roy Dotrice in Saturn 3 (1980)
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Magnum, P.I. (1981, Tropical Madness) - Harcourt.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Magnum, P.I. (1981)
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Family Reunion (film) (1981) – Lester Frye.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Family Reunion (1981)
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Amadeus (film) (1984) – Leopold Mozart.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Amadeus (1984)
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Eliminators (1986 film) – Abbott Reeves.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Eliminators (1986)
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Shaka Zulu (TV series) (1986, TV series).jpg
Roy Dotrice in Shaka Zulu (1986)
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The Wizard (TV series) (1986, TV series) – Troyan.jpg
Roy Dotrice in The Wizard (1986)
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Faerie Tale Theatre: "The Dancing Princesses" and "Rip Van Winkle" (1987, TV series) – The King/Peter Vanderdonk.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Faerie Tale Theatre (1987)
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Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV series) (1987–90, TV series) – Jacob "Father".jpg
Roy Dotrice in Beauty and the Beast (1987–90)
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Suburban Commando (1991) – Zanuck.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Suburban Commando (1991)
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The Cutting Edge (1992) – Anton Pamchenko.jpg
Roy Dotrice in The Cutting Edge (1992)
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Picket Fences (1992–1995, TV series) – Father Gary Barrett.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Picket Fences (1992–1995)
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Going to Extremes (TV series) (1992, TV series) – Doctor Croft.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Going to Extremes (1992)
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Children of the Dark (1994, TV) – Dr Burnham.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Children of the Dark (1994)
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Swimming with Sharks (1994) – Cyrus Miles.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Swimming with Sharks (1994)
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Babylon 5: "The Fall of Night" (1995, TV) – Frederick Lantz.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Babylon 5 (1995)
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The Scarlet Letter (1995 film) (1995) – Rev Thomas Cheever.jpg
Roy Dotrice in The Scarlet Letter (1995)
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Mr. & Mrs. Smith (TV series) (1996; TV series) – Mr Big.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1996)
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Like Father, Like Santa (1998 TV series) – Ambrose Booth.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Like Father, Like Santa (1998)
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Sliders (TV series) (1999, TV series) – Marc LeBeau/The Seer/Archibald Chandler.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Sliders (1999)
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Madigan Men (2000, TV series) – Seamus Madigan.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Madigan Men (2000)
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Alien Hunter (2003) – Dr John Bachman.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Alien Hunter (2003)
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Angel (1999 TV series) (2003, TV series) – Roger Wyndam-Pryce.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Angel (2003)
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Life Begins (TV series) (2004; TV series).jpg
Roy Dotrice in Life Begins (2004)
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La Femme Musketeer (2004, TV mini-series) – Commander Finot.jpg
Roy Dotrice in La Femme Musketeer (2004)
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These Foolish Things (film) (2006) – Lord Carter.jpg
Roy Dotrice in These Foolish Things (2006)
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Played (film) (2006) – Jack Rawlings.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Played (2006)
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Go Go Tales (2007) – Jay.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Go Go Tales (2007)
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) – King Balor.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
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Game of Thrones (2012, TV series) – Hallyne.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Game of Thrones (2012)
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Watership Down (audiobook).jpg
Roy Dotrice narrated Watership Down
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Robin Hood (2006 TV series).jpg
Roy Dotrice in Robin Hood (2006)
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The Prince and the Pauper (audio book).jpg
Roy Dotrice narrated The Prince and the Pauper
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Batman: The Animated Series: "The Lion and the Unicorn" as Frederick.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Batman: The Animated Series
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Spider-Man (1994 TV series): Keene Marlow/The Destroyer.jpg
Roy Dotrice in Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
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The Book of Ebenezer Le Page (audio book).jpg
Roy Dotrice narrated The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
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The Death Gate Cycle Vol. 4: Serpent Mage (audio book).jpg
Roy Dotrice narrated The Death Gate Cycle Vol. 4: Serpent Mage
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A Song of Ice and Fire series (audio books).jpg
Roy Dotrice narrated A Song of Ice and Fire series
