Gregory de Polnay
Encyclopedia
Gregory de Polnay is a London-born actor who is noted for his work on British
television
.
Probably best remembered for his role as Det. Sgt. Mike Brewer in Dixon of Dock Green
, de Polnay was also a regular in the Australian situation comedy
series, The Group
(1971).
De Polnay's credits include: Space: 1999
, Doctor Who
(the serial The Robots of Death
), Poldark
, Enemy at the Door
, Tenko
, The Fourth Arm
, One by One
, Howards' Way
and Boon
.
Gregory de Polnay has been an actor, director and voice teacher for nearly forty years, working in all aspects of the theatre with several West End credits to his name and appearing with the RSC in his own production of You Can't Shut Out The Human Voice with the late Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Sir Ben Kingsley. He also has over 100 TV appearances and 350 radio broadcasts to his name.
Due to an accident sustained while playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, USA in 1987, Gregory retrained as a voice specialist at the Central School of Speech and Drama
, where he gained the Advanced Diploma in Voice Studies and later on an MA at King's College, London in Text and Performance Studies. Whilst being Head of Voice at the Drama Centre, London and at LAMDA, he has been a prominent member of staff at several major drama schools and has lectured on 'Language and Style' in the USA, Canada and South Africa.
During the past decade, Gregory has directed twenty-one Jacobean and Restoration plays for RADA
. He was drama advisor for the BBC World Service Classical Drama Series and has adapted several plays for the BBC World Service. When not directing, Gregory works for several organisations in the field of public speaking and communication skills. He coaches several top TV and sports presenters. Gregory also works extensively for RADA in Business providing communication and presentation skills training for a wide variety of business organisations. He has recently been appointed Director of the RADA Shakespeare Certificate Scheme.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Probably best remembered for his role as Det. Sgt. Mike Brewer in Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, de Polnay was also a regular in the Australian situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
series, The Group
The Group (TV series)
The Group was a popular Australian situation comedy series produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7 in 1971.The situation involved five young flatmates - three men and two women - living together for financial and pragmatic reasons and regularly attempting to outwit their landlord who was...
(1971).
De Polnay's credits include: Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor 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...
(the serial The Robots of Death
The Robots of Death
The Robots of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1977.-Synopsis:...
), Poldark
Poldark
Poldark 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:...
, Enemy at the Door
Enemy at the Door
Enemy At The Door is a British television drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The series was shown between 1978 and 1980 and dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second World War...
, Tenko
Tenko (TV series)
Tenko is a television drama, co-produced by the BBC and the ABC. A total of thirty episodes were produced between 1981 and 1984 for women, followed by a one-off special , Tenko Reunion, in 1985 - also for women in mind.The series dealt with the experiences of British, Australian and Dutch women...
, The Fourth Arm
The Fourth Arm (TV series)
The Fourth Arm is a British television series produced by the BBC in 1983.The twelve-part serial dealt with secret agents parachuted into occupied Europe during the Second World War, following their progress through initial recruitment and training, and finally their first mission in enemy...
, One by One
One By One (TV series)
One By One is a British television series made by the BBC between 1984 and 1987.The series, created by Anthony Read, followed the career of international veterinarian David Taylor and his work caring for exotic animals at zoos in Britain, from the 1950s to the 1970s...
, Howards' Way
Howards' Way
Howards' Way is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC One between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the yachting and business communities in the fictional town of Tarrant on the South Coast of...
and Boon
Boon (TV series)
Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV...
.
Gregory de Polnay has been an actor, director and voice teacher for nearly forty years, working in all aspects of the theatre with several West End credits to his name and appearing with the RSC in his own production of You Can't Shut Out The Human Voice with the late Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Sir Ben Kingsley. He also has over 100 TV appearances and 350 radio broadcasts to his name.
Due to an accident sustained while playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, USA in 1987, Gregory retrained as a voice specialist at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
, where he gained the Advanced Diploma in Voice Studies and later on an MA at King's College, London in Text and Performance Studies. Whilst being Head of Voice at the Drama Centre, London and at LAMDA, he has been a prominent member of staff at several major drama schools and has lectured on 'Language and Style' in the USA, Canada and South Africa.
During the past decade, Gregory has directed twenty-one Jacobean and Restoration plays for RADA
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
. He was drama advisor for the BBC World Service Classical Drama Series and has adapted several plays for the BBC World Service. When not directing, Gregory works for several organisations in the field of public speaking and communication skills. He coaches several top TV and sports presenters. Gregory also works extensively for RADA in Business providing communication and presentation skills training for a wide variety of business organisations. He has recently been appointed Director of the RADA Shakespeare Certificate Scheme.