Geoffrey Chater

Geoffrey Michael Chater Robinson^[1] (23 March 1921 – 16 October 2021) was an English film, television and stage actor. He appeared in the crime drama series Callan, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders and in the classic episode Six Days of the spy-fi Department S .

Geoffrey Michael Chater Robinson was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire on 23 March 1921 and lived in Iden, East Sussex and London. His father, Lawrence Chater Robinson, was a composer of music for dance bands and his mother Peggy was an actress. It was seeing her perform at London St Martin's Theatre when he was 11 that made him want to follow her onto the stage.^[2]

Chater was educated at Marlborough College. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the Royal Fusiliers in 1940. He served as a captain in India and Burma, where he wrote and performed in revues for the troops during time off.^[2] He served in the British Army until 1946.

Following his military service, he focused on his career in the entertainment industry.^[2] He became an assistant stage manager at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, where in 1947, made his first professional appearance in A Midsummer Night's Dream. His West End debut was in 1952, as "Constable" in Master Crook.^[3] Later on he appeared in Howard Brenton's play Magnificence.^[4] He also had a minor role in the British TV serial Brideshead Revisited, in which he played the role of a British Consul.^[5] He made his film debut in 1958 with The Strange World of Planet X. In Gandhi (1982), he played the chairman of the inquiry into the Amritsar massacre. He also appeared in the film classics If.... (1968) and Barry Lyndon (1975) in supporting roles.

Chater's career saw him take on roles from Shakespeare to Midsomer Murders. While he appeared in films and television roles, he avoided longer contracts so he could have time to devote to his first love of performing in the theatre.^[2]

In 2017, Chater began giving poetry readings and he continued to read the lesson at his local church until lockdown was imposed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic on 23 March 2020, his 99th birthday.^[6]

Chater turned 100 on 23 March 2021 and died on 16 October 2021 in Iden, East Sussex.^[7][8]

• The Strange World of Planet X (1958) - Gerard Wilson
• Battle of the V-1 (1958) - Minister of Defence
• Wonderful Things! (1958) - Solicitor
• The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) - Pat Holroyd
• Two Letter Alibi (1962) - Inspector Warren
• If.... (1968) - Chaplain: Staff
• One of Those Things (1971) - Falck
• 10 Rillington Place (1971) - Old Bailey: Christmas Humphreys
• Endless Night (1972) - Coroner
• The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973) - Reverend Thorn
• O Lucky Man! (1973) - Bishop / Vicar
• Barry Lyndon (1975) - Doctor Broughton
• Gandhi (1982) - Government Advocate
• Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1990) - Doctor Archibald

• Geoffrey Chater at IMDb