Don Henderson
Encyclopedia
Don Henderson was an English
actor
whose film
and TV work covered many years but is best remembered for his role as the fictional detective George Bulman. This character featured in three TV series The XYY Man
in the mid-1970s; the later Strangers
that saw Bulman rise from Detective Sergeant to Detective Chief Inspector and, in 1985, the series Bulman
saw George retired from the police and pursuing a career as a horologist. He also starred in the popular TV drama series Warship
.
He lived in his adopted home town of Stratford-upon-Avon
for many years, where he was a familiar face to locals. He also had several minor roles at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
in the town. In the late 1970s as a relatively unknown actor, whilst walking in Stratford, he was approached by an American tourist who recognised him as having starred in Star Wars
, and offered him a thousand dollars in cash for his script. Sadly, Don had thrown it away.
Henderson died of throat cancer. His widow is the actress Shirley Stelfox
with whom he appeared professionally many times.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
whose film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and TV work covered many years but is best remembered for his role as the fictional detective George Bulman. This character featured in three TV series The XYY Man
The XYY Man
The XYY Man began life as a series of novels by Kenneth Royce, featuring the character of William 'Spider' Scott, a one-time cat-burglar who leaves prison aiming to go straight but finds his talents still to be very much in demand by both the criminal underworld and the British secret service...
in the mid-1970s; the later Strangers
Strangers (TV series)
Strangers was a UK police drama that appeared on ITV between 1978 and 1982.After the success of the TV series The XYY Man, adapted from books by Kenneth Royce, Granada TV devised a new series to feature the regular characters of Detective Sergeant George Bulman and his assistant Detective...
that saw Bulman rise from Detective Sergeant to Detective Chief Inspector and, in 1985, the series Bulman
Bulman
Bulman was a Granada TV series which ran from 1985-1987 and followed the fortunes of the major character from the earlier XYY Man and Strangers series....
saw George retired from the police and pursuing a career as a horologist. He also starred in the popular TV drama series Warship
Warship (TV series)
Warship was a popular British television drama series produced by the BBC between 1973 and 1977. It was also dubbed into Dutch and broadcast in the Netherlands as Alle hens...
.
He lived in his adopted home town of Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
for many years, where he was a familiar face to locals. He also had several minor roles at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the British playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is located in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace - in the English Midlands, beside the River Avon...
in the town. In the late 1970s as a relatively unknown actor, whilst walking in Stratford, he was approached by an American tourist who recognised him as having starred in Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, and offered him a thousand dollars in cash for his script. Sadly, Don had thrown it away.
Henderson died of throat cancer. His widow is the actress Shirley Stelfox
Shirley Stelfox
Shirley Stelfox is an English actress, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She is best known as Edna Birch in British Soap Opera Emmerdale....
with whom he appeared professionally many times.
Filmography
- Red DwarfRed DwarfRed Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
: Beyond a JokeBeyond a Joke"Beyond a Joke" is the sixth episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series VII and the 42nd in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 21 February 1997...
(1997) ... Rogue Simulant - FairyTale: A True StoryFairyTale: A True StoryFairyTale: A True Story is a 1997 film from Paramount Pictures, loosely based on the story of the Cottingley Fairies.-Plot:Early 20th Century England was a time and place ripe for believing, both in scientific advancements such as electric light and photography, and in anomalous phenomena of all...
(1997) ... Sydney Chalker - Preaching to the PervertedPreaching to the PervertedPreaching to the Perverted is a 1997 British comedy film written and directed by Stuart Urban.The film stars Guinevere Turner as Tanya Cheex, a New York dominatrix. Tom Bell plays Henry Harding MP and Christien Anholt plays Peter Emery...
(1997) ... Commander Cope - The Wind in the WillowsThe Wind in the WillowsThe Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
(1996) ... The Sentry - No EscapeNo EscapeNo Escape, released in some territories as Escape from Absolom is a 1994 action/science fiction film shot in Queensland starring Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson and Kevin Dillon....
(1994) ... Killian - The Baby of MaconThe Baby of MâconThe Baby of Mâcon is a 1993 film written and directed by Peter Greenaway starring Ralph Fiennes, Julia Ormond and Philip Stone.-Plot:A town cursed with barren women and famine is saved by a miracle birth to an old, ugly woman: the Mother. Immediately afterwards, the old woman's Daughter claims to...
(1993) ... Father Confessor - The TrialThe TrialThe Trial is a novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1925. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader.Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never...
(1993) ... Flogger - Carry On ColumbusCarry On ColumbusCarry On Columbus is the 31st and last film in the Carry On series, following 1978's Carry On Emmannuelle. The only main series regulars present are Jim Dale , Bernard Cribbins , Leslie Phillips , Jon Pertwee and June Whitfield...
(1992) ... The Bosun - As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
(1992) ... The Dukes - Black and Blue (1992) (TV) ... Daddy Brett-Smith
- The Paradise ClubThe Paradise ClubThe Paradise Club is a BBC television drama starring Don Henderson and Leslie Grantham as Frank & Danny Kane. Two series were produced and were broadcast between 1989 and 1990....
BBC TV ( 1989–90 ) ...... co starring Leslie Grantham - The FoolThe Fool (film)The Fool is a British film, produced and directed by Christine Edzard in 1990 from a script by Edzard and Olivier Stockman.The plot examines the double life of a humble clerk posing as a businessman and moving in upper social circles...
(1990) ... Bob - The BFGThe BFGThe BFG is a children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake, first published in 1982. The book was an expansion of a story told in Danny, the Champion of the World, an earlier Dahl book...
(1989) (voice) ... Bloodbottler/Fleshlumpeater/Sergeant - The Adventures of Baron MunchausenThe Adventures of Baron MunchausenThe Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 British adventure comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, and Robin Williams.-Plot:...
(1988) ... Commander - MaigretMaigretJules Maigret, Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional police detective, actually a commissaire or commissioner of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle" , created by writer Georges Simenon.Seventy-five novels and twenty-eight short stories about Maigret were published between 1931 and...
(1988) (TV) ... Barge Captain - Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
: Delta and the BannermenDelta and the Bannermen-Preproduction:*This was the first three-part story since Planet of Giants , not counting the 3 x 45 minute episodes of The Two Doctors, which had been broadcast two years previously, and the first intended to be this length....
(1987) (TV) ... Gavrok
- Dead HeadDead Head (TV series)Dead Head is a four-part crime thriller scripted by Howard Brenton. Juxtaposing 1930s film noir style and costume with contemporary London settings, it aroused controversy due to sexually explicit scenes. It was directed by Rob Walker....
(1986) (mini) TV Series ... Inspector Malcolm - BulmanBulmanBulman was a Granada TV series which ran from 1985-1987 and followed the fortunes of the major character from the earlier XYY Man and Strangers series....
(1985–87) - BrazilBrazil (film)Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
(1985) ... First Black Maria Guard - Billy the Kid and the Green Baize VampireBilly the Kid and the Green Baize VampireBilly the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire is a 1985 British musical film starring Phil Daniels and Alun Armstrong. The film was directed by Alan Clarke and written by Trevor Preston.-Plot:...
(1985) ... The Wednesday Man - The ArchersThe ArchersThe Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
(1983) (Radio) ... Ben Warner - The IslandThe Island (1980 film)The Island is a 1980 American thriller film, directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Michael Caine and David Warner. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley who also wrote the screenplay...
(1980) ... Rollo - StrangersStrangers (TV series)Strangers was a UK police drama that appeared on ITV between 1978 and 1982.After the success of the TV series The XYY Man, adapted from books by Kenneth Royce, Granada TV devised a new series to feature the regular characters of Detective Sergeant George Bulman and his assistant Detective...
(1978) TV Series ... DS (later DCI) George Bulman - Danton's Death (1978) (TV)
- The Big SleepThe Big Sleep (1978 film)The Big Sleep was the second film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Michael Winner and stars Robert Mitchum in his second feature film portrayal of the detective Philip Marlowe. The cast includes Sarah Miles, Candy Clark, Joan Collins, and...
(1978) ... Lou - Star Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
(1977) ... General Tagge - Voyage of the DamnedVoyage of the DamnedVoyage of the Damned is the title of a 1974 book written by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts, which was the basis of a 1976 drama film with the same title.The story was inspired by true events concerning the fate of the MS St...
(1976) ... Engineering Officer - BranniganBrannigan (film)Brannigan is a British action film set principally in London, directed by Douglas Hickox, and starring John Wayne and Richard Attenborough...
(1975) ... Geef - The GhoulThe Ghoul (1975 film)The Ghoul is a 1975 British horror film starring Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson and John Hurt.-Plot:The Ghoul tells the story of a group of upper class people in 1920s England who take part in an automobile race to Land's End, but due to accidents along the way, all end up on a rural estate owned...
(1975) ... The Ghoul - PoldarkPoldarkPoldark is a BBC television series based on the novels written by Winston Graham which was first transmitted in the UK between 1975 and 1977.-Outline:...
(1975) TV Series ... Tom Carne - CallanCallan (film)Callan is a 1974 British thriller film directed by Don Sharp and starring Edward Woodward, Eric Porter and Carl Möhner. It was based on the television series Callan.-Cast:* Edward Woodward ... David Callan* Eric Porter ... Hunter...
(1974) ... George - AbbyAbby (film)Abby is a 1974 blaxploitation horror film about a woman who is possessed by an African sex spirit. The film starred William H. Marshall, best known for portraying the lead role in Blacula, Terry Carter, and Carol Speed as the title character...
(1974) ... Flip - A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968)
- Crossroads (1964) TV