Geoffrey Palmer
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- June 4, 1927
- Died
- November 5, 2020 (aged 93)
- Birthplace
- Finchley, Middlesex, England, UK
Biography
Geoffrey Dyson Palmer, OBE (4 June 1927 - 5 November 2020) was an English actor known for his roles in British television sitcoms playing Jimmy Anderson in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–79), Ben Parkinson in Butterflies (1978–1983) and Lionel Hardcastle in As Time Goes By (1992–2005). His film appearances include A Fish Called Wanda (1988), The Madness of King George (1994), Mrs. Brown (1997), and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Geoffrey Dyson Palmer was born on 4 June 1927 in North Finchley, Middlesex. He was the son of Frederick Charles Palmer, who was a chartered surveyor, and Norah Gwendolen (née Robins). He attended Highgate School from September 1939 to December 1945. He served as a corporal instructor in small arms and field training in the Royal Marines during his national service from 1946 to 1948, following which he briefly worked as an unpaid trainee assistant stage manager. Palmer's early television appearances included multiple roles in episodes of The Army Game (Granada Television), two episodes of The Baron and as a property agent in Cathy Come Home (1966). After a major break in John Osborne's West of Suez at the Royal Court with Ralph Richardson, he acted in major productions at the Royal Court and for the National Theatre Company and was directed by Laurence Olivier in J. B. Priestley's Eden End. Palmer found the play so dull, however, that he was deterred from a stage career. Two BBC sitcom roles brought him attention in the 1970s: the hapless brother-in-law of Reggie Perrin in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–79), and the phlegmatic dentist Ben Parkinson in Butterflies (1978–1983). In 1978, Palmer appeared as organized crimelord Simon Sinclair in London Weekend Television's hard-hitting police drama The Professionals, the episode entitled "Where the Jungle Ends". Palmer played Doctor Price in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Kipper and the Corpse" (1979), determined to have breakfast amidst the confusion caused by the death of a guest and Fawlty's inept way of handling the emergency. In 1986, Palmer appeared as Donald Fairchild in the first series of an ITV sitcom, Executive Stress, alongside Penelope Keith. He later left, and was replaced by Peter Bowles. Palmer later starred opposite Judi Dench for over a decade in another BBC sitcom, As Time Goes By (1992–2005). In 1997, he also appeared with Dench in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, in which he portrayed Admiral Roebuck to Dench's M, and Mrs Brown, playing Sir Henry Ponsonby to Dench's Queen Victoria. Palmer married Sally Green in 1963. They had a daughter, Harriet, and a son, Charles, a television director. Palmer was a longtime resident of Lee Common in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, and enjoyed fly fishing in his spare time. At the time of his death, he resided in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Palmer died peacefully at his home on 5 November 2020, aged 93.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Best Of Enemies
TV · 7 eps
To Olivia
Movie
Paddington
Movie · as Head Geographer
Walrus: Two Tonne Tusker
Movie · as Narrator
Bert & Dickie
Movie · as Charles Burnell
Run For Your Wife
Movie · as Man on Toilet
Queen Victoria's Last Love: Abdul Karim
Movie · as Narrator
The Hollow Crown
TV · as Lord Chief Justice · 1 ep
Lost Christmas
Movie · as Dr. Clarence
W.E.
Movie · as Stanley Baldwin
The Pink Panther 2
Movie · as Joubert
Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened
Movie · as Self / Dr Price
Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley
Movie · as Sir John Crowder
Ashes to Ashes
TV · as Lord Scarman · 1 ep
Chateau Monty
TV · 6 eps
Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned
Movie · as Captain Hardaker
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
James Bond's Greatest Hits
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The One Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag
Movie · as Corbett's Ghost
Pope John Paul II: 1920 - 2005
Movie · as Narrator
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
Movie · as Self
Piccadilly Jim
Movie · as Bayliss
He Knew He Was Right
TV · as Sir Marmaduke Rowley · 3 eps
The Young Visiters
Movie · as Minnit
Peter Pan
Movie · as Sir Edward Quiller Couch
Absolute Power
TV · 12 eps
Grumpy Old Men
TV · as Narrator · 14 eps
Looking for Victoria
TV · as Narrator · 2 eps
Stig of the Dump
TV · as Robert · 6 eps
Dickens
TV · as Thackeray · 3 eps
Great Comedy Moments
Movie · as Jimmy Anderson (archive footage)
The Savages
TV · as Donald · 6 eps
The 1940s House
TV · as Narrator (voice) · 5 eps
Rat
Movie · as The Doctor
Anna and the King
Movie · as Lord John Bradley
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Movie · as White King
Reckless: The Sequel
Movie · as Robert Crane
Mr. Men & Little Miss: The Christmas Letter
Movie · as Narrator / Santa
Stiff Upper Lips
Movie · as His Butler's Voice
Tomorrow Never Dies
Movie · as Admiral Roebuck
Mrs Brown
Movie · as Henry Ponsonby
The Legacy of Reginald Perrin
TV · as Jimmy Anderson · 7 eps
Mr. Men and Little Miss
TV · 104 eps
Look at the State We're In!
TV · as The Ruler · 1 ep
The Madness of King George
Movie · as Warren
Stalag Luft
Movie · as The Kommandant
As Time Goes By
TV · as Lionel Hardcastle · 67 eps
A Question of Attribution
Movie · as Donleavy
Smack and Thistle
Movie · as Sir Horace Wimbol
Agatha Christie's Poirot
TV · as Vice Admiral Hamling · 1 ep
Screen One
TV · as Donleavy · 1 ep
A Fish Called Wanda
Movie · as Judge
Hawks
Movie · as SAAB Salesman
Christabel
TV · as Mr Burton · 2 eps
Inspector Morse
TV · as Matthew Copley-Barnes · 1 ep
Season's Greetings
Movie · as Bernard
The Insurance Man
Movie · as The Angry Doctor
Clockwise
Movie · as Headmaster
Hot Metal
TV · as Harold Stringer · 6 eps
Executive Stress
TV · as Donald Fairchild · 7 eps
A Zed & Two Noughts
Movie · as Fallast
Inside Rooms: 26 Bathrooms, London & Oxfordshire
Movie · as Narrator
Absurd Person Singular
Movie · as Ronald Brewster-Wright
Radio Pictures
Movie · as Glyn Bryce
Summer Season
TV · as Glyn Bryce · 1 ep
Oxbridge Blues
TV · as Fred · 1 ep
Fairly Secret Army
TV · as Major Harry Kitchener Wellington Truscott · 13 eps
The Honorary Consul
Movie · as British Ambassador
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
Movie · as Jimmy Anderson
Waters of the Moon
Movie · as Robert Lancaster
Natural World
TV · as Narrator · 1 ep
Dalgliesh
TV · as Edwin Lorrimer · 2 eps
Blackadder
TV · as Field Marshal Haig · 1 ep
Death of an Expert Witness
TV · as Edwin Lorrimer · 3 eps
Mr. Kershaw's Dream System
Movie · as Psychiastrist
The Houseboy
Movie · as Eric
The Funny Side of Christmas
Movie · as Jimmy Anderson, Ben Parkinson
The Kenny Everett Television Show
TV · as Various · 1 ep
Whoops Apocalypse
TV · as Foreign Secretary · 4 eps
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Movie · as Quince
The Last Song
TV · 13 eps
Bergerac
TV · as Nigel Carter · 1 ep
Plays for Pleasure
TV · as Alec Boot · 1 ep
Safe at Work?
Movie · as Narrator
The Outsider
Movie · as Col. Wyndham
Butterflies
TV · as Ben Parkinson · 28 eps
An Audience with...
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Scorpion Tales
TV · as Arnold Sparrow · 1 ep
The Professionals
TV · as Avery, Simon Sinclair · 1 ep
Maidens' Trip
TV · as Wilfred · 3 eps
Loyalties
Movie · as Graviter
The Battle of Billy's Pond
Movie · as First Policeman
A Story to Frighten the Children
Movie · as Det. Chief Insp. Harris
Bill Brand
TV · as Malcolm Frear · 4 eps
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
TV · as Jimmy Anderson · 7 eps
Goodbye
Movie · as Jack
The Sweeney
TV · as Commander Watson · 1 ep
Fawlty Towers
TV · as Dr. Price · 1 ep
Angels
TV · as Lawrence Rutherford · 3 eps
Three Comedies of Marriage
TV · as Dennis · 1 ep
Churchill's People
TV · as Samuel Partridge · 1 ep
Happy Ever After
TV · as Mr Critchley, Bob Holsgrove · 1 ep
Only Make Believe
Movie · as Richard Nicholls
O Lucky Man!
Movie · as Examination Doctor/Basil Keyes
Away from It All
TV · as Ashe · 1 ep
Doctor Who: The Mutants
Movie · as Administrator
Colditz
TV · as Doc · 2 eps
Van der Valk
TV · as Head of Faculty · 1 ep
Crown Court
TV · as Kenneth Eden · 3 eps
Six Days of Justice
TV · as Mr. Nicholas · 1 ep
Michael Regan
Movie · as Chief Superintendent
The Uninvited
Movie · as Jack Mervyn
Doctor Who and the Silurians
Movie · as Masters
The High Game
Movie · as Man at the Clinic
Doomwatch
TV · as Major Sims · 2 eps
Play for Today
TV · as Detetective Chief Inspector Harris, Jack Buckett · 1 ep
The Goodies
TV · as School Headmaster · 1 ep
Ben Travers Farces
TV · as Hugh Stafford · 7 eps
Menace
TV · as Major Ryder · 1 ep
1+1=1.5
Movie · as Gosford
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
TV · as Mac · 1 ep
The Chequers Manoeuvre
Movie · as Professor Wybrow
The Expert
TV · as Asst. Chief Constable Rogers · 2 eps
Frost on Sunday
TV · as Self – Guest · 1 ep
The Revenue Men
TV · as Bill Mitchell · 1 ep
The Further Adventures of the Musketeers
TV · as Oliver Cromwell · 2 eps
ITV Playhouse
TV · as Harper, Oscar, Bradley Fawcett, Man at the clinic, Eric · 1 ep
City '68
TV · as Robins · 1 ep
Trapped
TV · as Doctor Clay Morrow · 1 ep
Cathy Come Home
Movie · as Property Agent
Softly, Softly
TV · 1 ep
Mystery and Imagination
TV · as Turner · 1 ep
No Place Like Earth
Movie · as Chief Officer
Out of the Unknown
TV · as Jack Mervyn, Chief Officer / Gosford / Jack Mervyn · 3 eps
The Joe Baker Show
TV · 6 eps
Gideon's Way
TV · as Jeff Grant · 1 ep
The Troubleshooters
TV · as Jeremy Martin · 2 eps
The Man in Room 17
TV · as Ian McWatt · 1 ep
BBC Play of the Month
TV · as Monteith · 1 ep
Londoners
TV · as Jack Poncey · 1 ep
Thirty-Minute Theatre
TV · as Professor Wybrow · 1 ep
Ring of Spies
Movie · as Police Officer (uncredited)
The Wednesday Play
TV · as Property Agent · 2 eps
Detective
TV · as Chief Superintendent Smeed · 1 ep
Incident at Midnight
Movie · as Dr. Tanfield
Drama '63: A Well Dressed Man
Movie · as Basil Mallard
The Human Jungle
TV · as Williams · 1 ep
Doctor Who
TV · as Administrator, Masters · 1 ep
A Prize of Arms
Movie · as Cpl. Myers
The Saint
TV · as Pete Ferguson · 1 ep
Bulldog Breed
TV · 7 eps
Suspense
TV · as Newspaper Reporter · 1 ep
The Avengers
TV · as Dr. Terence, Paul Manning, Martin Smythe · 1 ep
Drama 61-67
TV · as Basil Mallard · 1 ep
Family Solicitor
TV · as Hugh Cowley · 24 eps
The Odd Man
TV · as Const. Swift · 4 eps
The Strange World of Gurney Slade
TV · as Floor manager · 1 ep
No Hiding Place
TV · as Det. Sgt. Walsh · 1 ep
Armchair Theatre
TV · as Rankin · 1 ep