Christopher Owen obit

CHRISTOPHER OWEN HAS DIED

 

He was not on the list.

Christopher Owen died 26th September 2026 R.I.P.

Christopher had been unwell for a long time, but he was writing till the end, and letting us know he had plays and short stories published.

Christopher was one of the original members of the Riverside Writers Group, which later became AWL. He retired as an actor in 2014 to concentrate on his writing.

Christopher Owen had an extensive career as an actor over 50 years after training at RADA. He appeared in many TV classics like the 1972 War and Peace as Count Wilarski, Selling Hitler (Dr Henke), Sharpe’s Honour (Rev Whistler) and To Play the King (McKenzie). He played countless vicars, doctors and academics in series like Rude Health, Between the Lines, Natural Lies, A Perfect Spy, Poirot and The Day of the Triffids.

Stage work highlights include Gayev in The Cherry Orchard at Crewe, Curse of the Werewolf at Stratford East, Andrew Wyeth in Sleuth for Stage One, Holofernes in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Exeter), Made in Heaven at Chichester and Fallen Angels at Leatherhead. He devised his own one man show A Parson’s Tale which tour led throughout the UK as well as Lord Emsworth in an adaptation of the PG Wodehouse books.

Christopher was equally prolific for his writing ranging from poetry, short stories and plays including An Honourable Life, Drowning, Recital, A Family Affair, Still Waters, Ellen, Drownings and Beware! Danger Zone! He won numerous writing prizes for his short stories A Day at the Cricket, Cyril, Eyes full of Drink and An Honourable Life. His play A Family Affair won first prize at the RAFTA Festival.

Many of his plays were first performed at AWL including An Evening with Jack and Harry, Still Waters and Recital, although ill health had prevented him, sadly, from attending readings for some years.

 

AWL Credits

Writing

Year

Director

Play

Type

2015

Kenneth Michaels

Recital

Reading

2012

You Can’t Say That

Showcase

2011

Michael Johnson

An Evening with Jack & Harry

Reading

2011

Sunday Afternoon Tea

Showcase

2011

Carolyn Pertwee

Beware! Danger Zone!

Reading

2011

Carolyn Pertwee

Anthony and Monica

Reading

2010

Still Waters

Competition (2nd)

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Readings

Year

Writer(s)

Play

Role

Director

2015

Michael Johnson

Tea for Two

Horatio Proudman

Peter Mair

2011

Wally Sewell

Shooting the President

President

Carolyn Pertwee

2011

Michael Johnson

Searching for Stardust

Professor Clausat

Harry Saks

2011

Christopher Owen

Beware! Danger Zone!

Peter

Carolyn Pertwee

1999

Kath Sayer

Tender Loving Care

Brigadier Kemp

Lilly Ann Green

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Competitions

Year

Writer(s)

Play

Role

Director

2011

Liam O’Grady

Around The Other Corner

Prof

Wally Sewell

2009

Kate Glover

Judenfrei (sketch)

Father

 

 

Actor

Unlawful Killing (2011)

Unlawful Killing

7.3

Lord Justice Scott Baker

2011

 

Carolina Vera and Greg Wise in Rosamunde Pilcher (1993)

Rosamunde Pilcher

4.1

TV Series

Sir Simon of Winterston

2008

1 episode

 

Jason Statham in The Bank Job (2008)

The Bank Job

7.2

Mountbatten

2008

 

Life as We Know It (2001)

Life as We Know It

5.6

TV Series

Auditioner

2001

1 episode

 

Christian Slater, Claire Forlani, and Jared Leto in Basil (1998)

Basil

5.8

Father Mannion

1998

 

Mira Sorvino, Carla Gugino, and Alison Elliott in The Buccaneers (1995)

The Buccaneers

7.1

TV Mini Series

Speaker

1995

1 episode

 

Tony Doyle, Tom Georgeson, Neil Pearson, and Siobhan Redmond in Between the Lines (1992)

Between the Lines

8.1

TV Series

Pathologist

1994

1 episode

 

Screen One (1985)

Screen One

6.9

TV Series

Coroner

1994

1 episode

 

Sean Bean in Sharpe (1993)

Sharpe

8.3

TV Series

Rev. Whistler

1994

1 episode

 

Penelope Keith in Law and Disorder (1994)

Law and Disorder

7.7

TV Series

James Hargreaves

1994

1 episode

 

George Cole in Minder (1979)

Minder

7.8

TV Series

Mr. Gordon

1994

1 episode

 

To Play the King (1993)

To Play the King

8.3

TV Mini Series

McKenzie

1993

1 episode

 

Dispatches (1987)

Dispatches

6.5

TV Series

Iain MacDonald - Defence Export Services Secretariat

1993

1 episode

 

Us Girls (1992)

Us Girls

7.4

TV Series

1993

1 episode

 

Bookmark (1983)

Bookmark

5.3

TV Series

Consultant

1992

1 episode

 

Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (1992)

Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After

4.6

TV Movie

Doctor

1992

 

Hope It Rains (1991)

Hope It Rains

7.6

TV Series

Bank Manager

1992

1 episode

 

Natural Lies (1992)

Natural Lies

6.7

TV Series

Vicar

1992

1 episode

 

Leslie Ash, Martin Clunes, Neil Morrissey, and Caroline Quentin in Men Behaving Badly (1992)

Men Behaving Badly

7.7

TV Series

Mr. Swallow

1992

1 episode

 

John Thaw and Kevin Whately in Inspector Morse (1987)

Inspector Morse

8.2

TV Series

Solicitor

1992

1 episode

 

Damned the Day I Met You (1992)

Damned the Day I Met You

6.8

1992

 

Selling Hitler (1991)

Selling Hitler

7.1

TV Mini Series

Dr. Joseph Henke

1991

2 episodes

 

Trouble in Mind (1991)

Trouble in Mind

4.4

TV Series

Franklin

1991

1 episode

 

Nichola McAuliffe and Duncan Preston in Surgical Spirit (1989)

Surgical Spirit

6.9

TV Series

Quentin Pierce

1991

1 episode

 

David Suchet in Poirot (1989)

Poirot

8.6

TV Series

Chief Purser

1991

1 episode

 

Ian Richardson in House of Cards (1990)

House of Cards

8.5

TV Mini Series

McKenzie

1990

4 episodes

 

Harry Enfield in Harry Enfield's Television Programme (1990)

Harry Enfield's Television Programme

7.3

TV Series

Funeral Director

1990

1 episode

 

A Fear of Silence (1990)

A Fear of Silence

Short

The Stranger

1990

 

A Sense of Guilt (1990)

A Sense of Guilt

8.1

TV Series

Brian Hartley

1990

1 episode

 

Bad Boyes (1987)

Bad Boyes

7.9

TV Series

Headmaster

1987–1988

13 episodes

 

Peter Egan in A Perfect Spy (1987)

A Perfect Spy

7.3

TV Mini Series

Academic Interviewer

1987

1 episode

 

The Bill (1984)

The Bill

6.7

TV Series

Graham Maloney

1987

1 episode

 

Rude Health

TV Series

Vicar

1987

1 episode

 

Stuart Wilson in The Old Men at the Zoo (1983)

The Old Men at the Zoo

7.0

TV Series

Interviewer at Heliport

1983

1 episode

 

Maurice Colbourne, John Duttine, and Emma Relph in The Day of the Triffids (1981)

The Day of the Triffids

7.3

TV Mini Series

Vicar

1981

1 episode

 

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

Earthling

1980

4 episodes

 

Maggie and Her (1976)

Maggie and Her

7.7

TV Series

Sports Department Assistant

1979

1 episode

 

Melanie Gibson, Tommy Pender, Marcus Francis, Neill Lillywhite, Lloyd Mahoney, and Alan Corbett in Graham's Gang (1977)

Graham's Gang

6.8

TV Series

Mr. Richardson

1977

1 episode

 

Donal Donnelly and Liza Goddard in Yes, Honestly (1976)

Yes, Honestly

6.3

TV Series

Caller

1977

1 episode

 

James and the Giant Peach (1976)

James and the Giant Peach

7.5

TV Movie

Silkworm2nd Naval Officer

1976

 

Peter Armitage, Cheryl Hall, and David Jason in Lucky Feller (1975)

Lucky Feller

6.5

TV Series

Vicar

1976

3 episodes

 

Drive Carefully, Darling (1975)

Drive Carefully, Darling

6.9

Short

Memory

1975

 

Jackanory Playhouse (1972)

Jackanory Playhouse

8.0

TV Series

Lord ChamberlainKing Geoffrey's herald

1974–1975

2 episodes

 

Robin Askwith, Anthony Booth, Linda Hayden, John Le Mesurier, Bill Maynard, Dandy Nichols, Richard Wattis, and Sheila White in Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974)

Confessions of a Window Cleaner

4.8

Vicar

1974

 

Julia Foster and Anjula Harman in Masquerade (1974)

Masquerade

TV Series

Harris

1974

1 episode

 

Alison Fiske and Martin Shaw in Helen: A Woman of Today (1973)

Helen: A Woman of Today

7.9

TV Series

Dick Wade

1973

3 episodes

 

Anthony Hopkins in War & Peace (1972)

War & Peace

8.1

TV Series

Count Wilarski

1972

1 episode

 

It's Murder. But Is It Art? (1972)

It's Murder. But Is It Art?

TV Series

Julian Tomkin

1972

5 episodes

 

Pat Ashton and Dora Bryan in Both Ends Meet (1972)

Both Ends Meet

TV Series

Vicar

1972

1 episode

 

Edward Woodward in Callan (1967)

Callan

8.3

TV Series

Bristac

1972

1 episode

 

Jane Anthony, Carol Hazell, and Adrian Shergold in Mandog (1972)

Mandog

6.5

TV Series

Levin

1972

4 episodes

 

John Alderton, David Barry, Peter Cleall, Peter Denyer, Liz Gebhardt, Carol Hawkins, and Leon Vitali in The Fenn Street Gang (1971)

The Fenn Street Gang

5.9

TV Series

Vicar

1971

1 episode

 

The Silver Sword (1971)

The Silver Sword

8.6

TV Mini Series

Second Interrogator

1971

1 episode

 

Ros Drinkwater and Francis Matthews in Paul Temple (1969)

Paul Temple

6.9

TV Series

Claus de Jong

1970

1 episode

 

Alexandra Bastedo in Codename (1970)

Codename

6.6

TV Series

Bridge

1970

1 episode

 

Out of the Unknown (1965)

Out of the Unknown

7.5

TV Series

Manservant

1966

1 episode

 

The Case Before You

TV Mini Series

Constable

1959

1 episode