Roy Kinnear

Roy Mitchell Kinnear (8 January 1934 – 20 September 1988) was a British character actor and comedian. He was known for playing Algernon in The Beatles' Help! (1965), Clapper in How I Won the War (1967), Mr. Salt in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), and Planchet in The Three Musketeers (1973) and its two sequels. On television, Kinnear starred in The Dick Emery Show (1979–1981), Man About the House (1974–1975), George and Mildred (1976–1979), and Cowboys (1980–1981).

Kinnear was born on 8 January 1934 in Wigan,^[1][2] Lancashire, the son of Annie (née Durie, previously Smith) and Roy Kinnear.^[1] He had a sister, Marjory. His parents were Scottish, originally from Edinburgh.^[1] His father was an international in both rugby union and rugby league, having played for Scotland and Great Britain; he scored 81 tries in 184 games for Wigan. He collapsed and died while playing rugby union with the RAF in 1942 at the age of 38.^[1] Scotland Rugby League have named their Student Player of the Year Award after him.

Kinnear was educated at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh.^[2] Aged 17, he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.^[2] This was cut short by his call up for National service, for which he served in the army for two years,^[3] returning to RADA to complete his education in acting, graduatin in 1955.^[4]

Kinnear's acting career began in 1955, playing Albert in The Young in Heart, at the repertory theatre, Newquay. In 1959 he joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal Stratford East,^[5] performing in both the 1960 play and 1963 film of Sparrows Can't Sing.^[5]

Kinnear's television debut was on the STV children's series Mr. Fixit in 1959,^[2] before gaining national attention as a participant in the television show That Was the Week That Was.^[2]

Kinnear later appeared in many films and television shows, including Till Death Us Do Part,^[6] Doctor at Large, Man About the House,^[7] George and Mildred,^[2] The Dick Emery Show (as Gaylord's long-suffering father) and four episodes of The Avengers.^[2] He starred in Cowboys, a sitcom about builders. His best-known films are those he made with director and close friend Richard Lester:^[2] Help!, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, How I Won the War, The Bed Sitting Room, Juggernaut^[2] and the Musketeer series of the 1970s and 1980s.^[2]

He appeared with Christopher Lee in the Hammer horror film Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970).^[6] Also in 1970 he played Mr. Perkins, Melody's father in Waris Hussein's Melody (1971), a puppy love story.^[8] He played the father of spoiled rich girl Veruca Salt in the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), an adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.^[9]

He guest-starred as the Roman Emperor in episode "Rome Antics", in The Goodies' (1975),^[10] and as the fearsome German Sergeant Vogel in the BBC's Ripping Yarns episode "Escape From Stalag Luft 112B" (1977).^[11]

He narrated and provided voices for the stop-motion children's television show Bertha.^[12] He appeared in two music videos for Mike and the Mechanics ("All I Need Is a Miracle" and "Taken In")^[2] as the band's manager; in the former, he was reunited with his Help! co-star Victor Spinetti.^[2]

He narrated Towser (1990-1991),^[6] and voiced Pipkin in the animated film Watership Down (1978),^[6] and voiced Texas Pete's henchman Bulk in SuperTed (also with Victor Spinetti, who voiced the evil Texas Pete). Kinnear appeared regularly on the stage. In later life he appeared in productions such as The Travails of Sancho Panza (playing the title role),^[5] and in The Cherry Orchard, in 1985.^[5]

His final completed roles were in A Man for All Seasons (1988),^[7] a made-for-television film directed by and starring Charlton Heston, John Gielgud and Vanessa Redgrave, as a patient in the BBC One hospital drama Casualty, and a voice role as Mump in The Princess and the Goblin (1992),^[6] four years after his sudden death in September 1988.^[6] Following his death, the Casualty episode was postponed, and not aired until August 1989.^[13] In October 1988 Radio 4 first broadcast The T Machine, an episode of the comedy series The Fall of the Mausoleum Club in which he played the lead character, Mr Tilly.^[14]

Kinnear was married to actress Carmel Cryan, and they had three children: Karina, casting director Kirsty, and actor Rory.^[15] Karina, who suffered from quadriplegia and profound learning disabilities,^[16] died in May 2020 from COVID-19^[15] and was buried near her father.^[16]

On 19 September 1988, Kinnear fell from a horse while filming The Return of the Musketeers in Toledo, Spain, sustaining a broken pelvis and internal bleeding.^[17] He died the following day, at age 54, in Ruber International Hospital in Madrid, from a heart attack brought on by his injuries.^[17] Kinnear was buried in East Sheen Cemetery, London. Following his death, Kinnear's family sued the film's production company and director, Richard Lester, receiving a £650,000 settlement in 1991.^[18]

In May 1994, the Roy Kinnear Trust, which was inspired by his daughter, Karina, was founded to help improve the life of young adults with physical and mental disabilities.

• The Roy Kinnear Show
• The Clairvoyant

• Make Me an Offer, Theatre Royal Stratford East, October 1959 – 18th June 1960.^[5]
• Sparrers Can't Sing, Theatre Royal Stratford East + Wyndham's Theatre 1960.^[5]
• They Might Be Giants, Theatre Royal Stratford East, 28 June – 22 July 1961.^[19]
• The Clandestine Marriage, Theatre Royal, Bath, 1983 – 1984.^[5]
• The Real Inspector Hound, Royal National Theatre, 1985 – 1986.^[5]
• The Travails of Sancho Panza
• The Cherry Orchard
• The Duchess of Malfi
• Cinderella

• Roy Kinnear at IMDb
• Roy Kinnear at the BFI's Screenonline