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Donald Pelmear
British actor (1924–2025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Donald Pelmear (6 July 1924 – 11 January 2025) was a British actor on stage and screen. Among his notable performances were Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons in 1961, in Farnham, Salisbury and Southport,[1][2] and Malvolio in the 1964 production of Twelfth Night which inaugurated the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton.[3] On screen, he may be best known for portraying Professor Joseph Rubeish in the 1973–74 Doctor Who serial The Time Warrior.
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Life and career
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Pelmear began acting in amateur theatre and then, from 1953, acted in repertory theatre. He did not attend drama school, but learned from watching and listening to other actors.[4] He appeared with theatre companies across England, including the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company,[4][5] the Oxford Playhouse Company,[6][7] and the New Shakespeare Company,[8] and was known for his versatility and flexibility as an actor.[9][4]
Pelmear enjoyed playing comedy,[4] and critics applauded his comic roles in plays such as The White Sheep of the Family,[10] Separate Rooms[11] and Kafka's Dick,[12] musical comedies such as The Fantasticks[13] and Salad Days.[9] He played various roles in pantomimes, including Aladdin in The Adventures of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp[14] and Mole in Toad of Toad Hall.[7]
In the West End, Pelmear played Doc in the 1984/85 revival of West Side Story at Her Majesty's Theatre,[15] and Monsieur Damiens in the 1990/91 production of Anouilh's The Rehearsal at the Almeida Theatre and Garrick Theatre.[16][17]
He also played many serious roles, including Aslaksen in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People[6][18] and Lawrence of Arabia in Terence Rattigan's play Ross, a review of which stated "Donald Pelmear is an actor of subtlety and power, who draws a consistent portrait and resists every temptation to overdraw it".[19] His portrayal of Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons was described as "a very sensitive portrayal"[20] and a "warming, human performance of a beautifully realized character",[2] in which "[e]very mood of this great man is faithfully depicted - his gentleness, lowliness, gravity, wit, affability, piety and heroism."[1] Pelmear also appeared in the first play performed at the new Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, playing Malvolio in the Salisbury Arts Theatre Company's production of Twelfth Night; a critic wrote that "Donald Pelmear is an excellent Malvolio who finally leaves his audience torn between pity and aversion."[3]
In December 2005, Pelmear entered a Civil Partnership with his partner, the actor Max Harvey. Sadly, this would not last long, as Harvey would pass away three months later.[21]
Pelmear died on 11 January 2025, at the age of 100.[22]
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Selected stage performances
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Partial filmography
Film
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