Don Warrington MBE (born Don Williams, 23 May 1951) is a Trinidadian-born British actor."Don Warrington MBE" , The British Blacklist. He is best known for playing Philip Smith in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp (1974–78), and Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in the BBC detective series Death in Paradise (2011–present). His son, Jake Fairbrother, is also an actor.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.
Early life Warrington was born in Trinidad but moved to Newcastle upon Tyne with his mother and brother at the age of five, whilst his sister stayed in Trinidad. His father, Basil Kydd, was a Trinidadian politician who died in 1958.Don Warrington biography, from Caribbean Britain: The Cultural and Biographical Directory by Marjorie H. Morgan. Historical Biographies, 1 October 2012.
Warrington attended Harris College (now the University of Lancashire) and trained as an actor at the Drama Centre London.Don Warrington biography, ATG Tickets. As there was already an actor called Don Williams when he joined Equity, he took the stage surname Warrington after Warrington Road, the street he grew up in. He started acting in repertory theatre at the age of 17."Don Warrington", Ultimate Strictly.
Career Television and film Warrington originally became well known for playing Philip Smith in Rising Damp, from 1974 to 1978, alongside Leonard Rossiter, Richard Beckinsale, and Frances de la Tour. Warrington also appeared as series regular in the crime drama C.A.T.S. Eyes, as government contact Nigel Beaumont (1985–1987); as General Harris in Impact Earth (2007), and as Judge Ken Winyard in New Street Law.
In 1993 Warrington played television reporter Graham Gaunt in To Play the King, the second part of the BBC's House of Cards trilogy.
He has had smaller roles in many programmes including Red Dwarf, Lovejoy, Manchild, and Diamond Geezer. Warrington portrayed the founder of Time Lord society, Rassilon, in several Doctor Who audio plays, and also appeared as the President of an alternative-universe Great Britain in the Doctor Who episode "Rise of the Cybermen" (2006). Soon after, he recorded an abridged audio book of the Doctor Who novel The Art of Destruction by Stephen Cole.
He is one of the interviewees on the BBC 2 series Grumpy Old Men, and he appears in a series of Kenco coffee advertisements in the United Kingdom in which he plays an African coffee plantation owner. He regularly provides voice-overs for both BBC television and radio.
Warrington has also appeared in BBC1 sitcom The Crouches, which aired from 9 September 2003 until 2005. He played Bailey, who was Roly's boss at a London Underground station in South London. Roly was played by Robbie Gee. Warrington played the role of the Hospital Chaplain in Casualty, assuming the role of Trevor. He also starred in the 2010 film It's a Wonderful Afterlife. He also appeared in Grange Hill as Mr Peters, the father of pupil Lauren Peters.
He provided voiceover links, reading out the various methods of contacting the show on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, which was broadcast from 11 January 2010.
Since 2011, Warrington has played Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in the BBC show Death in Paradise.Characters, Death in Paradise, BBC One."Don Warrington", Internet Movie Database.
He also appeared as jazz musician Frederick J. Louden in a BBC radio production of The Devil's Music, written by Alan Plater. In 2011, Warrington played the father of a suspected terrorist in the last series of the BBC drama Waking the Dead. In 2012, he played master of the college Marcus Harding in “Generation of Vipers”, S6:E2 of Lewis.
His film roles included the movie version of Rising Damp (1980), the Kenny Everett horror comedy Bloodbath at the House of Death (1983), The Lion of Africa (1987), Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996), Peter Greenaway's 8½ Women (1999), and the horror film Lighthouse (1999).
Theatre Warrington is also a theatre actor and has performed with the National Theatre,Don Warrington page , Royal National Theatre. the Royal Shakespeare Company, Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Exchange, Manchester.
In 2012–13, he toured with Gwen Taylor in a new stage version of Driving Miss Daisy.Marion McMullen, "Driving force behind Don Warrington's stage return" , Coventry Telegraph, 8 February 2013.
In 2013, Warrington played the lead role of Joe Keller, in Talawa Theatre Company's all-black revival of Arthur Miller's tragedy All My Sons at the Royal Exchange, Manchester,"All My Sons" , Talawa Theatre Company. Clare Brennan, "All My Sons – review", The Observer, 6 October 2013. directed by Michael Buffong – a production that The Guardian reviewer called "flawless", giving it a five-star rating.Alfred Hicking, "All My Sons – review", The Guardian, 2 October 2013.
Warrington performed in the lead role of King Lear in a 2016 Talawa Theatre Company and Royal Exchange, Manchester production. Mark Shenton wrote in The Stage that "Warrington seizes and owns it with magnetic, majestic power" as "one of many virtues in this outstanding production." Claire Allfree in The Telegraph wrote: "Lear is the Everest of roles, and Don Warrington ... ascends the cliff face with magnificent authority. He rages around his daughters like a hulking thunder cloud in human form, not just the incarnation of absolute rule but of something more ancient and of the earth."
Warrington appeared as George in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross between October 2017 and February 2018 at the Playhouse Theatre alongside Christian Slater, Robert Glenister, Kris Marshall and Daniel Ryan.
He appeared as the central protagonist Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the Royal Exchange Theatre from October to November 2018.
Strictly Come Dancing In 2008, Warrington competed in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with the 2005 and 2006 British National Champion in Latin American dance, Lilia Kopylova."Don Warrington & Lilia Kopylova", Strictly Come Dancing, BBC One. After Week 4, Warrington was joint seventh out of the remaining 12 contestants with an average of 24.5 points. In Week 5, he was eliminated, having lost the dance-off against Heather Small, with the first three judges all voting for Small over Warrington.
He joined the show to step out of his comfort zone, and he appreciated the opportunity to learn to dance.Alex Fletcher, "Don Warrington ('Strictly Come Dancing')", Digital Spy, 22 October 2008.
Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResultHorwoodPhillipsGoodmanTonioliTotal1Cha-Cha-Cha / "Let's Groove Tonight"356519Dance Off3Tango / "Whatever Lola Wants"778830Safe5American Smooth / "Can't Smile Without You"667625Eliminated
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1976 Meetings, Bloody Meetings Short film 1979 The Last Giraffe Peter Mwenga Television film 1980 Rising Damp Philip Smith 1984 Bloodbath at the House of Death Stephen Wilson 1987 The Lion of Africa Henry Piggot Television film 1990 Camping Afrikansk Ambassadør1994 Red Dwarf: Smeg Ups Commander Binks Direct-to-video The Anatomist's Notebook Anatomist Short film 1996 Hamlet Voltimand 1997 The Trick The Magic Man Short film 1998 Babymother Luther - The Don Television film1999 8½ Women Simon Tube Tales Preacher Segment: "Steal Away" Lighthouse Prison Officer Ian Goslet Black XXX-Mas Black Santa Short film 2000 Trick of the Light Columbine Short film2004 Monkey Trousers Various roles Television film Fat Slags General Secretary2006 Land of the Blind First Sergeant The Battersea Ripper2007 Expresso Mr. Jones (Autopilot) Short film Impact Earth General Harris Television film 2008 God, Smell and Her2010 It's a Wonderful Afterlife Chief Superintendent Interval Sir Jeffries Short film Terry Pratchett's Going Postal Priest Television film 2011 The Glass Man Anton 2013 Voodoo Magic Lucky 2014 Night Shift Well-Mannered Don Short film 2015 The Ark Paul Television film 2017 You, Me and Him Charles 2020 Spanish Pigeon DI Patrick Greene Short film 2021 Rhythm of Life Short film 2022 Still We Thrive Short film
Television Year Title Role Notes 1974 Crown Court Emmanuel Nyopa 3 episodes: "The Probationer: Parts 1, 2 & 3" 1974–1978 Rising Damp Philip Smith Series regular; 28 episodes1975 Six Days of Justice Henry Vaughan Episode: "The Good Samaritan" Against the Crowd Albert Sharpe II Episode: "Carbon Copy" Second City Firsts Dave Episode: "Club Havana" 1976 The XYY Man Jomo Ibbon Recurring role; 2 episodes 1978 Crown Court Delroy Conway Episode: "Black and Blue: Part 1" 1979 Play for Today Jonathan Foot Episode: "Billy" 1981 Triangle Alan Lansing Recurring role; 8 episodes 1982 Holding the Fort Lieutenant Augustus Mrwebi Episode: "All Boys Together"1983 Live from Pebble Mill Leroy Episode: "Night Kids"Crown CourtCharles Benjamin Episode: "A Black and White Case: Part 1"1984 Episode: "Oddball: Part 1" Fairly Secret Army Johnson Episode: "When the Talking Had to Stop" 1985–1986 The Mysteries Angel Gabriel Miniseries; 3 episodes 1985–1987 C.A.T.S. Eyes Nigel Beaumont Series regular; 28 episodes1992 Red Dwarf Commander Binks Episode: "Holoship" Bookmark Macbeth Episode: "The Poet, the President and the Travelling Players" Trainer DI Raffe Recurring role; 2 episodes1993 Lovejoy Felix Episode: "Dainty Dish" To Play the King Graham Gaunt Miniseries; 3 episodes 1994 The 10%ers Fraser Episode: "Awards" 1995 Chiller John Meyburne Episode: "Number Six"1997 Grange Hill Mr. Phillips Recurring role; 8 episodes Backup Youden Episode: "Touched"1999 The Seventh Scroll Colonel Nogo Miniseries; 3 episodes CI5: The New Professionals Ndaka Episode: "Tusk Force"2000 Arabian Nights Hari Ben Karim Miniseries; 2 episodes Trial & Retribution Willard Pembroke Episode: "Trial and Retribution IV (Part 2)" 2001 The Armando Iannucci Shows Ivy Diner Episode: "Mortality" (uncredited role) 2002 Believe Nothing Chairman Recurring role; 4 episodes 2002–2003 Manchild Patrick Recurring role; 4 episodes 2003 Holby City Ethan Hope Recurring role; 4 episodes 2003–2005 The Crouches Bailey Series regular; 12 episodes 2006 Doctor Who The President Episode: "Rise of the Cybermen" 2006–2007 New Street Law Judge Ken Winyard Series regular; 13 episodes 2007 Diamond Geezer Hector Miniseries; 1 episode: "Old School Lies" 2009, 2014 Law & Order: UK Police Commissioner Eamonn Callaghan Recurring role; 2 episodes 2009–2010 Casualty Trevor Recurring role; 7 episodes2011 M.I. High Bodleian / Crime Episode: "Ghosts" Waking the Dead Gideon Barclay 2 episodes: "Conviction: Parts 1 & 2" This is Jinsy Chief Thinker Episode: "Vel" 2011–present Death in Paradise Commissioner Selwyn Patterson Series regular; 77 episodes 2012 Lewis Marcus Harding Episode: "Generation of Vipers" 2014 Chasing Shadows CS Harley Drayton Miniseries; 4 episodes 2015 BBC Comedy Feeds: Sunny D Lawrence Miniseries; 4 episodes 2016 The Five Ray Kenwood Miniseries; 7 episodes 2017 Henry IX Gilbert Miniseries; 3 episodes 2020–2022 The World According to Grandpa Grandpa Series regular; 29 episodes 2023, 2025 Beyond Paradise Commissioner Selwyn Patterson 2 episodes 2025–present Policing Paradise Narrator
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