Richard Pearson (actor)

He was educated at Aymestrey Court, Worcester, and at Monmouth School, where his father, Cyril Pearson (1888–1946), taught French.

Richard de Pearsall Pearson (1 August 1918 – 2 August 2011) was an English character actor who appeared in numerous film, television and stage productions over a period of 65 years.

He played leading roles in several London West End plays and also supported Maggie Smith, Robert Morley and others in long-running West End stage productions.

His many screen appearances included character parts in three Roman Polanski films.

Richard Pearson was born and brought up in Monmouth.

He married the actress Patricia Dickson (1927–2014) in 1949.

They lived until the late 1950s in Nassau Street, in the Fitzrovia district of London, then in Beckenham, and latterly in Richmond upon Thames.

They had two sons, Simon and Patrick; Patrick is also an actor.

In the later years of his life, Pearson suffered from myocardial degeneration.

• The Girl Is Mine (1950) – Sergeant

• The Woman with No Name (1950) – Tony

• The Woman in Question (1950) – Detective

• The Clouded Yellow (1950) – Det Sgt Stewart (uncredited)

"Notable films of his career included Brian Desmond Hurst's Scrooge (1951) as well as a brief appearance in John Schlesinger's Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and cameo roles in three films by Roman Polanski: Macbeth (1971), Tess (1979) and Pirates (1986). Pearson did not make his film début until the age of 32, when he played a sergeant in the motion picture The Girl is Mine (1950). This was followed a year later by his performance as Mr Tupper in Scrooge.

• Scrooge (1951) – Mr. Tupper

Richard Pearson's early stage career was interrupted by military service in the Second World War with the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.

He was mentioned in dispatches and left the army with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

• The Blue Parrot (1953) – Quinney

• Dangerous Cargo (1954) – Noel Butler

• Svengali (1954) – Lambert

• Fabian of the Yard (1954)

• Battle of the V-1 (1958) – Senior RAF Officer (uncredited)

• Sea Fury (1958) – Kershaw

• Model for Murder (1959) – Bullock

• The Crowning Touch (1959) – Roger

• Life in Danger (1959) – Sgt. Norris

• Libel (1959) – The Butler

• Man in the Moon (1960) – Doctor No. 1

• Attempt to Kill (1961) – Frank Weyman

• Guns of Darkness (1962) – Bastian

• The King's Breakfast (1963) – Violinist

• The Comedy Man (1964) – Advertising Man (uncredited)

• The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964) – Osborn

• The Caramel Crisis (1966) – Cloon

• Charlie Bubbles (1967) – Accountant

• How I Won the War (1967) – Old Man at Alamein

• Inspector Clouseau (1968) – Shockley

In later years, Pearson is perhaps best known for his role as Mole in Cosgrove Hall's The Wind in the Willows (1983), its subsequent television series, which led on from the original film, and its spin-off programme Oh, Mr. Toad, in all of which he starred alongside David Jason, Peter Sallis and Michael Hordern.

He also appeared in episodes of "A Fine Romance, and "One Foot in the Grave" as Victor Meldrew's absent-minded brother, Alfred, in the "Men Behaving Badly" episode "Three Girlfriends", as Gary's father Mr Strang, and as Harry King in "My Good Friend", alongside George Cole and Minnie Driver. He played Mr. Pye in the 1985 TV movie Marple: The Moving Finger.

He died on 2 August 2011, the morning after his 93rd birthday.