Monday, December 9, 2024

Arnold Yarrow obit

Arnold Yarrow 1920-2024

 

He was not on the list.


The actor and writer Arnold Yarrow has died at the age of 104.

Arnold Yarrow was the oldest surviving cast member of Doctor Who, appearing in the series in 1974 at the spritely age of 53. He is believed to be the longest-lived actor to have ever had a credited role in the series and one of only six actors to have reached the age of 100.

Arnold Yarrow was born in the east end of London in April 1920, just 17 months after the end of the First World War. He served in the Second World War fighting in the army in India and China.

Bellal (Credit: BBC)In the 1940's he became an actor working in weekly rep where he met the future Doctor Who producer Barry Letts. It was under Letts's stewardship of Doctor Who that Yarrow was cast as Bellal in the Third Doctor story Death to the Daleks. The role required Yarrow to be stitched into an all-enveloping costume made of several strips of material glued together. He told Toby Hadoke

 I was stuck in there for three hours at a time. They were very restricting. I was filled with horror the first time I put it on. There were two tiny pinholes for eyes to look out of and nostrils to breathe through. My vision was extremely limited.

He also talked about the movement he put into the character

 I visited a zoo and saw some marmosets and bush babies and this inspired me – looking at the way they conveyed their feelings. I thought the script echoed the underground Morlocks from The Time Machine.

Doctor Who was a tiny part of the actor's long career, first appearing on television in the early 1950's. Appearances included roles in London's Burning, One by One, The Chinese Detective, Wainwright's Law, The Onedin Line, Dr. Finlay's Casebook, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Coronation Street, Boyd Q.C., The Andromeda Breakthrough, Dial 999, Macbeth. He returned to his Jewish roots in London when he played Benny Bloom in EastEnders.

known for his brief role as Jewish bricklayer Benny Bloom in television soap opera EastEnders. Like the character, he was Jewish.

As a writer, he contributed scripts to EastEnders, Warship, Crown Court, Z-cars and  Softly Softly Task Force where he was script editor.

He was proudest of his stage work and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Arnold Yarrow died peacefully in his sleep at Herne Bay, Kent, at the age of 104 years, 236 days.

He is survived by his brother who is aged 100 and by a number of nephews and nieces, many of whom work in the entertainment business.

The oldest surviving Doctor Who actor is now believed to be Laurie Webb who is 100.

 

Script and Continuity Department

Stratford Johns in Barlow at Large (1971)

Barlow at Large

6.8

TV Series

script editor

1971

3 episodes

 

Norman Bowler, Walter Gotell, Stratford Johns, and Frank Windsor in Softly Softly: Task Force (1969)

Softly Softly: Task Force

7.2

TV Series

script editor

1969–1971

42 episodes

 

Robin Stewart in Softly Softly (1966)

Softly Softly

7.0

TV Series

script editor

1968–1969

37 episodes

 

Actor

Robert Lindsay and Antony Sher in Genghis Cohn (1993)

Genghis Cohn

6.8

Synagogue Warden

1993

 

London's Burning (1988)

London's Burning

7.0

TV Series

Shopkeeper

1993

1 episode

 

Roberto Benigni in Son of the Pink Panther (1993)

Son of the Pink Panther

3.9

Uncle Idris

1993

 

EastEnders (1985)

EastEnders

4.7

TV Series

Mr. Bloom

Benny

1988–1989

17 episodes

 

Rob Heyland in One by One (1984)

One by One

7.8

TV Series

Dr. Breen

1987

1 episode

 

Andrew Robertson and Michael Wynne in Cold Warrior (1984)

Cold Warrior

6.9

TV Series

Graarud

1984

1 episode

 

Jemima Shore Investigates (1983)

Jemima Shore Investigates

6.9

TV Series

Dr. Otto Hahn

1983

1 episode

 

The Chinese Detective (1981)

The Chinese Detective

7.4

TV Series

Old man

1982

1 episode

 

A Little Silver Trumpet (1980)

A Little Silver Trumpet

TV Mini Series

Mr. Hynes

1980

1 episode

 

Wainwrights' Law (1980)

Wainwrights' Law

TV Series

Inspector

1980

1 episode

 

Peter Gilmore and Anne Stallybrass in The Onedin Line (1971)

The Onedin Line

7.6

TV Series

Mishin

1980

1 episode

 

Robert Powell in Mahler (1974)

Mahler

7.0

Grandfather

1974

 

Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)

Doctor Who

8.4

TV Series

Bellal

1974

3 episodes

 

Armchair Theatre (1956)

Armchair Theatre

7.5

TV Series

Enrico

Manager

Bates

1960–1969

3 episodes

 

Claire Nielson and Calum Mill in The Revenue Men (1967)

The Revenue Men

8.7

TV Series

Louie Fisher

1968

1 episode

 

Life with Cooper (1966)

Life with Cooper

8.3

TV Series

Various Roles

1968

1 episode

 

Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962)

Dr. Finlay's Casebook

7.7

TV Series

The Pope

1968

1 episode

 

Theatre 625 (1964)

Theatre 625

7.5

TV Series

Stevo

1967

1 episode

 

Vacant Lot

TV Series

1967

1 episode

 

The Man in the Mirror

TV Series

Waldo

1966

6 episodes

 

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1965)

For Whom the Bell Tolls

8.2

TV Series

Miguel

1965

1 episode

 

Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)

Coronation Street

5.6

TV Series

Surveyor

1965

1 episode

 

Derek Godfrey and Roddy McMillan in Front Page Story (1965)

Front Page Story

TV Series

Claude Dupuis

1965

1 episode

 

Story Box

TV Series

Balin

Tram Conductor

1963–1964

2 episodes

 

Michael Denison in Boyd Q.C. (1956)

Boyd Q.C.

7.7

TV Series

1963

1 episode

 

Earl Cameron, Lee Grant, and Fred Sadoff in The Respectful Prostitute (1964)

Festival

6.9

TV Series

Doctor of Philosophy

1963

1 episode

 

Patrick Allen in Crane (1963)

Crane

7.9

TV Series

Louis Barreto

1963

1 episode

 

Bob Dylan, David Warner, Ursula Howells, Reg Lye, and Maureen Pryor in The Madhouse on Castle Street (1963)

BBC Sunday-Night Play

8.6

TV Series

Nikifor

1963

1 episode

 

Michael Quinn and Donald Wolfit in Ghost Squad (1961)

Ghost Squad

7.2

TV Series

Dr. Malik

1963

1 episode

 

ITV Play of the Week (1955)

ITV Play of the Week

6.8

TV Series

Luigi

Bilton

M. Greville

1959–1963

3 episodes

 

The Andromeda Breakthrough (1962)

The Andromeda Breakthrough

6.9

TV Series

President of Azaran

1962

3 episodes

 

Colonel Trumper's Private War

TV Series

1961

1 episode

 

Barnaby Rudge (1960)

Barnaby Rudge

7.6

TV Series

Tailor

1960

1 episode

 

The Haunted House

TV Series

Misargyrides

1960

1 episode

 

The Roving Reasons

TV Series

1960

1 episode

 

Man from Interpol (1960)

Man from Interpol

6.5

TV Series

Mayli

1960

1 episode

 

Hotel Imperial

TV Series

Little man

1960

1 episode

 

ITV Television Playhouse (1955)

ITV Television Playhouse

7.9

TV Series

Luigi Bonasera

Shayk of the Labourers

1957–1960

2 episodes

 

Patrick Allen and Thomas Mitchell in Glencannon (1959)

Glencannon

8.3

TV Series

Truck Driver

1959

1 episode

 

The Vise (1954)

The Vise

7.0

TV Series

Blake

1959

1 episode

 

Dial 999 (1958)

Dial 999

7.1

TV Series

Sammy Wilson (uncredited)

1958

1 episode

 

Doomsday for Dyson

7.9

TV Movie

Scientist

1958

 

Macbeth

TV Mini Series

First Witch

1958

2 episodes

 

Television World Theatre (1957)

Television World Theatre

TV Series

Le Fer

1957

1 episode

 

Over to William

TV Series

Mr. Carroway

1956

1 episode

 

Nom-de-Plume

TV Series

Sentry

1956

1 episode

 

Without Vision

TV Movie

Emrys

1956

 

Writer

EastEnders (1985)

EastEnders

4.7

TV Series

written by

1992–1994

10 episodes

 

Norman Bowler, Walter Gotell, Stratford Johns, and Frank Windsor in Softly Softly: Task Force (1969)

Softly Softly: Task Force

7.2

TV Series

writer

1970–1976

20 episodes

 

Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor in Second Verdict (1976)

Second Verdict

7.1

TV Series

Writer

1976

1 episode

 

Warship (1973)

Warship

7.8

TV Series

writer

1976

1 episode

 

Don Henderson, Diane Keen, Peter Sallis, and Don Warrington in Crown Court (1972)

Crown Court

7.3

TV Series

writer

1974

3 episodes

 

Stratford Johns in Barlow at Large (1971)

Barlow at Large

6.8

TV Series

writer

1973–1974

3 episodes

 

Finn Lassen and Peter Marcell in Forræderiet (1962)

Forræderiet

TV Movie

play

1962

 

Suspense

TV Series

writer

1960

1 episode


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