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Norman Eshley

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Norman Eshley
Born (1945-05-30) 30 May 1945 (age 79)
OccupationActor
Years active1968–present
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[2]
Spouses
(m. 1969; div. 1973)
[citation needed]
Lynette Braid
(m. 1980; div. 1981)
[citation needed]
Rachel Spiers
(m. 2015)
[citation needed] [3]

Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945)[citation needed] is an English actor best known for his television roles.

Biography

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Eshley attended Bristol Grammar School and worked in a bank, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.[citation needed] He played many Shakespearean roles on stage. His first screen role was in the 1968 film The Immortal Story, directed by Orson Welles. He played a lead character, Steve, in Blind Terror (1971) and appeared in the Pete Walker horror film House of Mortal Sin in 1975.[4]

In 1969, Eshley appeared alongside Dudley Sutton in two very similar villainous roles: in the Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "Could You Recognise the Man Again?", and in the Department S episode, "Handicap Dead". However, he is possibly best known for his role in the sitcom George and Mildred (1976–79) as the snobbish, right-wing estate agent Jeffrey Fourmile, the foil to George. In the show's direct predecessor, Man About the House, (1973–76) he had previously featured in several episodes as Robin Tripp's brother Norman, who married Chrissy (Paula Wilcox), and Jeffrey was mentioned in the spin-off show, Robin's Nest in the episode "Love and Marriage" as Robin's best man, who never turned up to the wedding due to having mumps. In an earlier Man About the House episode, "In Praise of Older Men" (1974), Eshley played a sleazy married executive named Ian Cross who tried to seduce Chrissy.[4]

In 1985, Eshley played the Reverend Redwood, a benevolent vicar who runs a social club with a view to rehabilitating ex-convicts in the Minder episode "Give Us This Day Arthur Daley's Bread".[5]

Eshley's other TV credits include: Thriller ("The Colour of Blood"/US title: "The Carnation Killer", 1973) as an escaped serial killer, Warship (1973–74), The Duchess of Duke Street, I, Claudius, The Sweeney (all 1976), Return of the Saint (1978), a former SAS colleague of Bodie in The Professionals' episode "Kickback" (1980), a vicar in Minder (1985), Taggart (1990), Cadfael (1994), One Foot in the Grave (1997), Dangerfield (1998), and The Bill (1999–2000).

In 1988 he appeared in a public information film about road safety called Accident in Park Road. His character is seen driving a Ford Escort, before running over a child who dashes out between cars in front of him. He is questioned by Graham Cole who plays a policeman, a role Cole played as PC Tony Stamp in The Bill.[4]

Along with Douglas Fielding, Eshley provided the narration for the Blind Guardian album Nightfall in Middle-Earth.[6] He had roles in the BBC TV series New Tricks (2007) and A Christmas Campaign (short, 2011).[4] In 2019, he appeared in the documentary The Immortal Orson Welles, directed by Chris Wade.

Personal life

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In 1993, Eshley was a passenger in a car which was involved in a crash in the Dordogne in France. He sustained multiple injuries, including head trauma. Eshley now lives with his wife in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England.

Filmography

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Film

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1968 A Most Unfortunate Accident Roger
1968 A Man of Our Times Simon
1968 Mystery and Imagination Jean Lemaistre
1968 City '68 Jeremy
1969 Department S Red
1969 Thirty-Minute Theatre Rab
1969 Canterbury Tales Lover
1970 Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Mike Hales
1970 Parkin's Patch Vickory
1972 The Regiment Simon Howarth
1972 A Splinter of Ice Jude
1972 Play for Today Dave Osmond
1973 Justice Nick Adams
1973 Thriller Arthur Page
1973 Between the Wars Vincent
1973 Vienna 1900 Alfred Beratoner
1973 Warship Lieutenant Bob Last
1974 Man About the House Ian Cross
1974 The Onedin Line Hon. Hugh Kernan
1974 Zodiac Paul Deening
1974 The Skin Game Charles Hornblower
1974 And Mother Makes Five Mr. Witherspoon
1975 Whodunnit? Roy Sharp
1976 House of Mortal Sin Father Bernard Cutler
1976 Man About the House Norman Tripp
1976 Orde Wingate Cpl. Thomas
1976–1980 George and Mildred Jeffrey Fourmile
1976 The Sweeney Det. Sgt. Robert Hargreaves
1976 The Duchess of Duke Street Wilson
1976 I, Claudius Marcus Vinicius
1976 Centre Play William Wilson
1977 Supernatural Edward
1977 Yanks Go Home Lt. Beamish Cooke-Cooke
1977 Secret Army Sgt. Clifford Howson
1978 1990 Tony Borden
1978 Out Turpitt
1978 Return of the Saint Detective Caufield
1978 Return of the Saint Inspector George
1980 The Professionals Jimmy Keller
1983 Maybury Larry Chalmers
1983 The Outsider Donald Harper
1985 Hilary Dr. Fenwick
1985 Minder Reverend Redwood
1985 The Black Tower Victor Holroyd
1985–1986 Brookside Alun Jones
1986 Executive Stress Gascoigne
1987 Late Expectations Harry
1989 William Tell Woodsman
1989 After Henry Philip
1990 Taggart Commander Gunner
1991 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Jon Walsh
1994 Cadfael Baron Huon de Domville
1994 All Night Long Roy Morris
1997 The New Adventures of Robin Hood Baron Royston
1997 Thief Takers CI Samson
1997 One Foot in the Grave Detective Inspector Rickles
1998 The Broker's Man Leigh Dunwell
1998 Get Real Martin
1998 Dangerfield Superintendent Studley
1999 Murder Most Horrid DCI Reed
1999 The Bill Terry Riley
1999 Harbour Lights Mayor
1999 Goodnight Sweetheart Priestley
2000 The Bill Mr. Gibbs
2007 New Tricks Billy Pierce
2017 The White Princess The Abbot

References

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  1. ^ "Norman Eshley". IMDb.
  2. ^ Norman Eshley - Biography - IMDb
  3. ^ "Norman Eshley". IMDb.
  4. ^ a b c d Norman Eshley at IMDb
  5. ^ "#6.1 Give Us This Day Arthur Daley's Bread".
  6. ^ "Discography – Nightfall in Middle-Earth". Blind Guardian Website. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
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