Charles Gray
- Known For
- Acting
- Born
- August 29, 1928 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, UK
- Died
- March 7, 2000
- Active Years
- 1951–2021 (71 Years)
- Total Credits
- 134 credits in database
Biography
Charles Gray, born Donald Marshall Gray on August 29, 1928, in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, was an English actor who died on March 7, 2000, at the age of seventy-one. The son of a surveyor, he abandoned his early work as a clerk for a real estate agent to pursue acting, receiving vocal training from the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and at the Old Vic. Gray gained widespread recognition for several prominent roles, including the arch-villain Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, Dikko Henderson in You Only Live Twice, and Mycroft Holmes in television productions including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. He also appeared as The Criminologist and narrator in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Career overview
Charles Gray, born Donald Marshall Gray on August 29, 1928, in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, was an English actor. Before beginning his acting career, he worked as a clerk for a real estate agent. As a young actor, he received vocal training from the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and at the Old Vic.
Gray became well-known for playing several notable film and television characters. In the James Bond series, he appeared as Dikko Henderson in You Only Live Twice and portrayed the arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever. He also gained recognition for playing Mycroft Holmes, the brother of Sherlock Holmes, in television series such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes produced by Granada. Additionally, he appeared as The Criminologist and narrator in the cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Over the course of his career, Gray accumulated numerous acting credits in movies and television shows. He passed away on March 7, 2000, at the age of 71.
Ask the Vault
Ask anything about Charles Gray.
Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
134 titles- Passing Through (2021)
- Love Don't Come Easy (2008) as Mr. Fairbanks
- Longitude (2000) as Admiral Balchen
- Where Are They Now? (1999) as Self
- The Tichborne Claimant (1999) as Arundell
- One Man Band (1999) as Tailor
- Madson (1996) as Sir Ranald Hearnley
- Orson Welles: The One-Man Band (1995) as Self (segment "Taylor's shop" ) (archive footage)
- Scarlett (1994) as The Judge
- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994) as Mycroft Holmes
- Tales from the Poop Deck (1992) as Admiral Dennis De'Ath
- Performance (1991) as Maurice Hussey
- Absolute Hell (1991) as Maurice Hussey
- Firestar: First Contact (1991) as Commodore Vandross
- Harry and Harriet (1990) as Satan
- Blackeyes (1989) as Sebastian
- The Nineteenth Hole (1989) as Col. Westray
- Hannay (1988)
- The New Statesman (1987) as Roland Gidleigh-Park
- Porterhouse Blue (1987) as Sir Cathcart D'Eath
- Dreams Lost, Dreams Found (1987) as Jason Klein
- Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood (1987) as Narrator (voice)
- Cariani and the Courtesans (1987) as Narrator
- ScreenPlay (1986) as Storyteller(voice)
- The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986) as Mycroft Holmes
- Casey at the Bat (1986) as Mr. Dent
- The Gourmet (1986) as Manley Kingston
- C.A.T.S. Eyes (1985)
- Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Mycroft Holmes
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Mycroft Holmes
- An Englishman Abroad (1983) as Claudius (Charles)
- The Jigsaw Man (1983) as Sir James Chorley
- The Comedy of Errors (1983) as Solinus, Duke of Ephesus
- Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982) as Earl Spencer
- Bergerac (1981) as Bart Bellow
- Ticket to Heaven (1981) as Musician
- Shock Treatment (1981) as Judge Oliver Wright
- Troilus & Cressida (1981) as Pandarus
- The Mirror Crack'd (1980) as Bates, The Butler
- Ike (1979) as Gen. "Freddie" de Guingand
- Ike (1979) as Gen. 'Freddie' de Guingand
- Heartland (1979) as Mr. Wheeler
- The House on Garibaldi Street (1979) as Gen. Lischke
- Mrs. R's Daughter (1979) as Rogers
- Julius Caesar (1979) as Julius Caesar
- Schalcken the Painter (1979) as Narrator
- The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) as Duke of York
- The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978) as Julius Caesar
- The Legacy (1978) as Karl Liebnecht
- Richard II (1978) as Duke of York
- Across a Crowded Room (1978) as Harold Charles
- The Sunday Drama (1977) as Delaforce
- The Galton & Simpson Playhouse (1977) as Charles
- Silver Bears (1977) as Charles Cook
- Three Dangerous Ladies (1977) as Santander
- Six Characters in Search of an Author (1977) as The Director
- The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) as Mycroft Holmes
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) as The Criminologist
- Night Is the Time for Killing (1975) as Hilary Vance
- The Philanthropist (1975) as Braham
- Churchill's People (1974) as Duke of Portland
- Fall of Eagles (1974) as Rodzianko
- Dial M for Murder (1974) as Hugo Vardon
- The Beast Must Die (1974) as Bennington
- On the Game (1974) as Narrator (voice)
- Thriller (1973) as Hilary Vance
- Orson Welles' Great Mysteries (1973) as Mikail Zigorin
- Theatre of Blood (1973) as Solomon Psaltery (voice) (uncredited)
- Tales That Witness Madness (1973) as Nicholas (Clinic Link Episodes segment) (voice) (uncredited)
- The Upper Crusts (1973) as Lord Robin Seacroft
- The Merchant of Venice (1972) as Antonio
- The Millionairess (1972) as Adrian Blenderbland
- Upstairs, Downstairs (1971) as Sir Edwin Partridge
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971) as Eugene Valmont
- Diamonds Are Forever (1971) as Ernst Stavro Blofeld
- A Ghost Story for Christmas (1971) as Narrator
- When Eight Bells Toll (1971) as Sir Anthony Skouras (voice) (uncredited)
- The Cherry Orchard (1971) as Gayev
- Play for Today (1970)
- Menace (1970) as Micky
- The Executioner (1970) as Vaughan Jones
- Cromwell (1970) as The Earl of Essex
- W. Somerset Maugham (1969) as The Storyteller
- The File of the Golden Goose (1969) as Harrison, 'The Owl'
- Mosquito Squadron (1969) as Air Commodore Hufford
- The Merchant of Venice (1969) as Antonio
- The Nine Ages of Nakedness (1969) as Narrator
- The Devil Rides Out (1968) as Mocata
- The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968) as Gen. Adrian Cox-Roberts
- Omnibus (1967) as Narrator
- You Only Live Twice (1967) as Dikko Henderson
- The Night of the Generals (1967) as General von Seidlitz-Gabler
- The Man Outside (1967) as Charles Griddon
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Charles Strickland
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Richard Greatham
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Field-Marshall Allenby
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Gayev
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Antonio
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Lord Augustus
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Adrian Blenderbland
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Mr. Beebe
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) as Sir Harcourt Courtly
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) as Detective Inspector Waugh
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) as Inspector Waugh
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) as Bertrand Asquith
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) as Knox
- Tea Party (1965)
- Masquerade (1965) as Benson
- Suspense (1962) as Verdon
- Out of This World (1962) as Abel Jones
- Drama 61-67 (1961) as David
- Maigret (1960)
- Danger Man (1960) as Alex
- Danger Man (1960) as Zameda
- Somerset Maugham Hour (1960) as Major Templeton
- Armchair Mystery Theatre (1960) as Madingley
- Armchair Mystery Theatre (1960) as Quill
- Man in the Moon (1960) as Leo
- The Entertainer (1960) as Columnist
- No Hiding Place (1959)
- Whicker's World (1959)
- Follow a Star (1959) as Taciturn Man at Party (uncredited)
- Tommy the Toreador (1959) as Gomez
- The Desperate Man (1959) as Lawson
- I Accuse! (1958) as Captain Brossard
- Heart of a Child (1958) as Fritz Heiss
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Philip Comely
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Stuart Marlowe
- Armchair Theatre (1956) as Felix Hull
- Gunsmoke (1955) as Sheriff
- Gunsmoke (1955) as Tyler
- Gunsmoke (1955) as Bob Gringle
- Highway Patrol (1955) as Officer Edwards (#1430)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Bounine
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Charles Gray best known for?
Charles Gray is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Longitude (2000), Where Are They Now? (1999), Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980), The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994).
When and where was Charles Gray born?
Charles Gray was born on August 29, 1928 in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, UK. They passed away on March 7, 2000.
How many credits does Charles Gray have?
Charles Gray has accumulated over 134 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2021.
What is Charles Gray's background in cinema and television?
Charles Gray, born Donald Marshall Gray on August 29, 1928, in Bournemouth, Dorset, England, was an English actor who died on March 7, 2000, at the age of seventy-one. The son of a surveyor, he abandoned his early work as a clerk for a real estate agent to pursue acting, receiving vocal training from the Royal Shakespe...
Charles Gray by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986) as Mycroft Holmes — aged about 57
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Bounine — aged about 22
- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994) as Mycroft Holmes — aged about 65
- Sherlock Holmes (1984) as Mycroft Holmes — aged about 55
- Upstairs, Downstairs (1971) as Sir Edwin Partridge — aged about 42
- The New Statesman (1987) as Roland Gidleigh-Park — aged about 58
What viewers say
No comments yet. Be the first to share your take on Charles Gray.