Vernon Dobtcheff (born 14 August 1934) is a British actor, best known for his roles on television and film, he has acted in numerous stage productions.

Vernon Dobtcheff
Born (1934-08-14) 14 August 1934 (age 89)
OccupationActor
Years active1956–present

Biography edit

Dobtcheff was born in Nîmes, France, of Russian descent.[1] He attended Ascham Preparatory School in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, in the 1940s, where he won the Acting Cup. In 1967 he was in The Avengers episode entitled The Living Dead.

Among his many other television roles was as the Chief Scientist in the Doctor Who series The War Games in 1969, in which he became the first actor ever to mention the Time Lords by name. He appeared in the Blake's 7 episode "Shadow" as the Chairman of the Terra Nostra in 1979. He has appeared in such films as The Day of the Jackal (1973), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Before Sunset (2004).

In his 2006 memoir, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins, British actor Rupert Everett describes an encounter with Dobtcheff on the boat train to Paris, and reveals his extraordinary reputation as the "patron saint" of the acting profession, stating that Dobtcheff "was legendary not so much for his acting as for his magical ability to catch every first night in the country".[2]

Dobtcheff appeared in the Doctor Who audio drama The Children of Seth in which he plays the role of Shamur.[3]

Selected film & TV roles edit

References edit

  1. ^ Profile, cineman.ch. Accessed 8 December 2022.
  2. ^ Everett, Rupert (2006). Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins. Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-7595-7139-6.
  3. ^ "Doctor Who: The Lost Stories – The Children of Seth". Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  4. ^ "An Englishman Abroad (1983)". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Vernon Dobtcheff". IMDb.
  6. ^ "Vernon Dobtcheff". IMDb.
  7. ^ "Vernon Dobtcheff". IMDb.
  8. ^ "Vernon Dobtcheff". IMDb.

External links edit