Terrence Hardiman

Terrence Hardiman
Hardiman in 2009
Born(1937-04-06)6 April 1937
Forest Gate, Essex, England
Died18 April 2023(2023-04-18) (aged 86)
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
OccupationActor
Years active1965–2023
Known for
Spouse
​
(m. 1964)​
Children2[1]

Terrence Edward Hardiman (6 April 1937 – 18 April 2023) was an English actor. He often portrayed authority figures such as Nazi-era personnel (Secret Army, Colditz, Wish Me Luck and Enemy at the Door) and a British officer (When the Boat Comes In).

His other roles include: a police inspector (Prime Suspect, Juliet Bravo and Softly, Softly); a doctor (Home to Roost and The Royal); a barrister (Crown Court and The Brittas Empire); a judge (The Bill and The Courtroom); a twelfth-century abbot (Cadfael); and an evil headmaster in The Demon Headmaster. He played prime minister Ramsay MacDonald in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. He also appeared in the Inspector Morse episode "Last Bus to Woodstock".

Early life and education

Terrence Hardiman was born on 6 April 1937 in Forest Gate, Essex, now in Newham, London. His father was a policeman.[2] Hardiman was educated at Buckhurst Hill County High School, Essex and later studied at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (then known as Fitzwilliam House), where he read English.[3]

Stage career

At Cambridge, Hardiman acted extensively for The Marlowe Society and the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, in both dramatic and comedic roles, alongside many of his future screen co-stars such as Derek Jacobi.[4]

Hardiman then toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company[5] in several principal roles, including as Starveling in Peter Brook's landmark 1970 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.[6]

Film and television career

1970s and 1980s

Hardiman's television work included him playing barrister Stephen Harvesty QC in Granada Television's Crown Court from 1972 to 1983.[1]

He also had a starring role as Charles Pooter in the 1979 television adaptation of George and Weedon Grossmith's Diary of a Nobody, a role which shows his versatility more than the succession of officers he usually portrays.[7]

Hardiman portrayed Major Reinhardt, in Secret Army, the (fictional) head of the Luftwaffe (German Air force) police who often provided a foil to Clifford Rose's more brutal S.S. Chief, Kessler. In 1990, he played a German officer, General Stuckler, in the final series of London Weekend Television's Wish Me Luck.[8]

1990s: Cadfael and The Demon Headmaster

A notable small role Hardiman played was a version of the Sergeant Wilson character from Dad's Army, in a 1995 episode of time travel comedy Goodnight Sweetheart, called "Don't Get Around Much Any More." Nicholas Lyndhurst's character Gary Sparrow goes back in time to a bank in the 1940s, and encounters characters called Mainwaring and Wilson. Hardiman's portrayal was a keenly observed impersonation of John Le Mesurier's own performance, incorporating many of the tics and mannerisms of the original.[9]

From 1996 to 1998, Hardiman starred as the eponymous Demon Headmaster in the children's television drama series, which ran to three series and proved popular with adults as well as children. He reprised his role as a cameo in the 2019 revival.[8]

Hardiman also appeared as Grand Wizard Egbert Hellibore in four episodes of The Worst Witch.[10] Hardiman appeared in the second series of The Worst Week of My Life. Another notable recent role was as a devious Swiss murder victim in an episode of crime mystery series Jonathan Creek.[8]

Hardiman's other major recurring role was as Brother Cadfael's ecclesiastical superior, Father Abbot Radulfus, in the television series. Joining him throughout the series as Prior Robert was Michael Culver, who had played his predecessor Major Brandt in Secret Army.[8]

2000s

Hardiman made an appearance on the daily soap on BBC One, Doctors, on 3 April 2009, as well as from 14 to 15 January 2015, and in the drama from Yorkshire, Heartbeat, as John Upton in one episode.[10]

In 2009, he appeared in a film for the BFI, Radio Mania: An Abandoned Work, directed by British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.[11]

Hardiman appeared as Hawthorne in the episode of Doctor Who, "The Beast Below", on 10 April 2010.[12]

Personal life and death

Hardiman was married to Rowena Cooper and had two children.[1] Hardiman narrated hundreds of audiobooks, including series by Colin Dexter, Anne Perry, and Ruth Rendell. Hardiman's volunteer narration work for the non-profit Calibre Audio Library earned him a Silver Centurion service award in 2013.[13]

Hardiman died on 18 April 2023, at the age of 86.[1][14][15]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Demon Headmaster actor Terrence Hardiman dies aged 86". BBC News. 9 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Latest News". dragonsfield.tripod.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  3. ^ 'Cambridge University Tripos Results: English', Times, 25 June 1959, p. 15.
  4. ^ "Terrence Hardiman theatre profile". AboutTheArtists.
  5. ^ "Search | RSC Performances | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust". collections.shakespeare.org.uk. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Peter Brook 1970 production | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Royal Shakespeare Company". Royal Shakespeare Company. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  7. ^ "I hope Diary of a Nobody is in safe hands". The Guardian. 23 April 2007. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d "The Demon Headmaster actor Terrence Hardiman dies aged 86 as tributes pour in". Lancs Live. 9 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  9. ^ "What Happened To The Demon Headmaster Star Terrence Hardiman?". Yahoo News. 15 April 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Demon Headmaster actor Terrence Hardiman dies aged 86". Birmingham Mail. 9 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  11. ^ [1] Archived 9 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Blogs – Doctor Who". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  13. ^ Alistair, Kleebauer (7 July 2013). "Kensal Rise's Demon Headmaster, actor Terrence Hardiman, is recognised for thousands of hours voluntary work". Kilburn Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Terrence Hardiman, star of CBBC series The Demon Headmaster, dies aged 86". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Terrence Hardiman, actor who became a children's TV favourite as the 'Demon Headmaster' – obituary". The Telegraph. 9 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Running Scared (1973)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Terrence Hardiman". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  18. ^ Grierson, Jamie (9 May 2023). "The Demon Headmaster actor Terrence Hardiman dies aged 86". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.