Stephen Thorne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephen Thorne
Thorne in 2011
Born	(1935-03-02)2 March 1935 London, England
Died	26 May 2019(2019-05-26) (aged 84)
Nationality	British
Education	Liverpool College RADA
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1958–2019
Spouse(s)	Barbara Sykes ​ (m. 1958)​
Children	2

Stephen John Thorne (born March 2, 1935 – died May 26, 2019) was a British actor. He worked in radio, movies, theater, and TV shows. He was famous for his voice work on BBC Radio 4. He also recorded many audiobooks. Fans especially remember him for playing several bad guys in the TV show Doctor Who. One of his most famous roles was the Time Lord Omega.

Early Life

Stephen Thorne was born in London, England, in 1935. He grew up in Hesketh Bank, Lancashire. His adoptive parents were Alan Thorne, a vicar, and his wife Betty.

He went to school at Liverpool College. After school, he joined the Royal Navy for his national service. This was a time when young people had to serve in the military.

After leaving the Navy, Thorne studied acting. He went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). This is a famous drama school in London. He finished his training in 1957.

Career Highlights

Thorne performed with famous theater groups. He worked with the Old Vic Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He even toured to Russia with them.

He did a lot of work in radio. He made over 2000 broadcasts for the BBC. He was Uncle Mort in the comedy series Uncle Mort's North Country.

TV and Voice Acting

Stephen Thorne appeared in many TV shows. These included Z-Cars and Crossroads. He was well-known for his roles in Doctor Who. He played three main villains: Omega, Azal, and Eldrad. He also played an Ogron. Later, he voiced the villain Max in a Doctor Who radio story called The Ghosts of N-Space.

He also lent his voice to many beloved characters. He was Aslan in The Magician's Nephew on radio. He played Treebeard in the radio version of The Lord of the Rings. In Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards! radio show, he voiced Fred Colon and even Death.

Thorne was also a very popular narrator for audiobooks. He voiced Aslan again in the animated movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He also read many poems on radio, TV, and live.

Audiobook Success

He recorded over 300 full-length audiobooks. Many of these were children's stories. His work was praised in both the UK and the US. He won a Talkies Award in 1996 for Enigma by Robert Harris. He also received several Golden Earphones Awards.

Personal Life

Stephen Thorne met Barbara Sykes while they were both studying at RADA. They got married in 1958.

Stephen Thorne passed away on May 26, 2019. He was 84 years old. He was survived by his wife, Barbara, and their two sons, Simon and Crispian.

Filmography