DEREK BENFIELDDerek Benfield, who died on 10 March, 2009, was an actor best known for his roles in British drama over the course of several decades.His best known roles were as the foreman at the troubled firm in The Brothers (1972-76), one of the most popular shows of the 1970s, and the vexed husband of Patricia Routledge’s pensioner detective in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996-98).Other well known roles included the disapproving patriarch in children’s sci-fi series Timeslip (1970-71), the clerk in Rumpole of the Bailey (1978-80) and shop-owner Mr Scrimshaw in the Last of the Summer Wine pre-war prequel, inevitably titled First of the Summer Wine (1988-89).Derek Benfield was born on 11 March, 1926, in Bradford. After service in the Bureau of Current Affairs during the Second World War he trained at RADA where he won the Gertrude Lawrence Award.As well as acting, he was the author of more than 30 plays such as The Post Horn Gallop and Wild Goose Chase. Beyond a Joke saw Arthur Lowe in the leading role, while Bedside Manners starred John Inman and later Tim Brooke-Taylor. He also wrote scripts for some of the television shows he appeared in such as Dixon of Dock Green and Z Cars.During his career he also had parts in Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Lovejoy, Peak Practice, Casualty and Poirot. In his spare time he was a keen gardener and cricket fan.He died on the eve of his 83rd birthday and was survived by a wife, a son and a daughter.
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