Next person biography:
Charles Gray was born in Queen's Park, Bournemouth, to a surveyor father. He received his vocal training from the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Old Vic, having previously worked as a clerk for a real estate agent. Gray's voice became one of his most valuable tools, and he went on to dub for Jack Hawkins after the actor became unable to speak due to throat cancer.
Gray's theatrical debut came in 1952 in the part of Charles the Wrestler in "As You Like It". He later took on leading dramatic roles, including Achilles in "Troilus and Cressida", Macduff in "Macbeth", and the gluttonous Sir Epicure Mammon in "The Alchemist". He won critical plaudits for his performances and won the Clarence Derwent Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the play "Poor Bitos".
Gray's big screen debut came in 1958 in the satirical musical "Expresso Bongo". He went on to create a memorable gallery of egocentric, imperious, and suave, sardonic super-villains, often playing coldly pompous military heavies, perpetually sneering upper-class twits, and demonic acolytes. Some of his most popular roles were for the big screen, including General Gabler in "The Night of the Generals", Hillary Vance in the "Thriller" episode "Night is the Time for Killing", and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "Diamonds Are Forever".
Gray's recurring roles included Lord Seacroft in the short-lived satirical miniseries "The Upper Crusts" and Mycroft Holmes in "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution". He was also a temporary replacement for Edward Hardwicke and Jeremy Brett in Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes saga. Gray died of cancer in March 2000, aged 71.
