Donald Pelmear (6 July 1924 – 11 January 2025) was a British actor on stage and screen. Among his notable performances were Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons in 1961, in Farnham, Salisbury and Southport, and Malvolio in the 1964 production of Twelfth Night which inaugurated the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton. On screen, he may be best known for portraying Professor Joseph Rubeish in the 1973–74 Doctor Who serial The Time Warrior.
Life and career Pelmear began acting in amateur theatre and then, from 1953, acted in repertory theatre. He did not attend drama school, but learned from watching and listening to other actors. He appeared with theatre companies across England, including the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company, the Oxford Playhouse Company, and the New Shakespeare Company, and was known for his versatility and flexibility as an actor.
Pelmear enjoyed playing comedy, and critics applauded his comic roles in plays such as The White Sheep of the Family, Separate Rooms and Kafka's Dick, musical comedies such as The Fantasticks and Salad Days. He played various roles in pantomimes, including Aladdin in The Adventures of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp and Mole in Toad of Toad Hall.
In the West End, Pelmear played Doc in the 1984/85 revival of West Side Story at Her Majesty's Theatre, and Monsieur Damiens in the 1990/91 production of Anouilh's The Rehearsal at the Almeida Theatre and Garrick Theatre.
He also played many serious roles, including Aslaksen in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People and Lawrence of Arabia in Terence Rattigan's play Ross, a review of which stated "Donald Pelmear is an actor of subtlety and power, who draws a consistent portrait and resists every temptation to overdraw it". His portrayal of Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons was described as "a very sensitive portrayal" and a "warming, human performance of a beautifully realized character", in which "[e]very mood of this great man is faithfully depicted - his gentleness, lowliness, gravity, wit, affability, piety and heroism." Pelmear also appeared in the first play performed at the new Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, playing Malvolio in the Salisbury Arts Theatre Company's production of Twelfth Night; a critic wrote that "Donald Pelmear is an excellent Malvolio who finally leaves his audience torn between pity and aversion."
In December 2005, Pelmear entered a civil partnership with his partner, the actor Max Harvey, who died three months later.Ancestry Family Tree: POLMEAR CLAN, incorporating POLMEER, PELMEAR, and other variations
Pelmear died on 11 January 2025, at the age of 100.
Selected stage performances Year Title Author Theatre Role Notes 1953 Will Any Gentleman? Vernon Sylvaine Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Dr. Smith Loraine Theatre Company Relative Values Noël Coward Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Loraine Theatre Company The White Sheep of the Family Lawrence du Garde Peach and Ian Hay Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Vicar Loraine Theatre Company The Deep Blue Sea Terence Rattigan New Pavilion, Redcar Mr. Miller, ex-doctor North Riding Theatre Company 1956 The Duke in Darkness Patrick Hamilton Southport The Duke of Latteraine Southport Repertory Company We at the Crossroads Keith Winter Southport Author Southport Repertory Company 1957 Burdalane Winifred Bannister Scala, Southport Hew Kennedy Southport Repertory Company Separate Tables Terence Rattigan Scala, Southport Major Pollock Southport Repertory Company My Three Angels Bella and Samuel Spewack Scala, Southport Southport Repertory Company 1958 The Adventures of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp Donald Bodley Scala, Southport Aladdin Southport Repertory Company Family on Trial John Wiles Scala, Southport Schoolmaster Southport Repertory Company Ring for Catty Patrick Cargill and Jack Beale Scala, Southport Len White Southport Repertory Company Cuckoo in Clover Kate Lindsay Scala, Southport Richard Cavendish Southport Repertory Company 1960 The Father August Strindberg Castle Theatre, Farnham Dr. Ostermark Castle Theatre Repertory Company 1961 The Birthday Party Harold Pinter Castle Theatre, Farnham McCann Castle Theatre Repertory Company A Man for All Seasons Robert Bolt Castle Theatre, Farnham Sir Thomas More Castle Theatre Repertory Company A Man for All Seasons Robert Bolt Kings Theatre, Southsea Sir Thomas More Salisbury Arts Theatre 1962 Salad Days Julian Slade, Dorothy Reynolds Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury Ambrose and Police Inspector Marlowe Theatre Company The Unexpected Guest Agatha Christie Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury Michael Starkwedder Marlowe Theatre Company Separate Rooms Alan Dinehart and Joseph Carole Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury Jim Stackhouse Marlowe Theatre Company 1963 Ross Terence Rattigan Guildford Theatre, Guildford Lawrence of Arabia Guildford Theatre Company 1964 Twelfth Night William Shakespeare Nuffield Theatre, Southampton Malvolio Salisbury Arts Theatre Company 1965 You Never Can Tell George Bernard Shaw Phoenix Theatre, Leicester Walter, the waiter Phoenix Theatre Company See How They Run (play) Philip King Phoenix Theatre, Leicester Vicar, Rev. Lionel Toop Phoenix Theatre Company The Fantasticks Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones Phoenix Theatre, Leicester Father Phoenix Theatre Company 1967 Next Time I'll Sing To You James Saunders Swan Theatre, Worcester The Hermit Worcester Repertory Company 1968 Juno and the Paycock Seán O'Casey Little Theatre, Bristol Joxer Daly Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company Loot Joe Orton Little Theatre, Bristol Inspector Truscott Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Peter Nichols Little Theatre, Bristol Freddie Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company 1969 An Enemy of the People Henrik Ibsen Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford Aslaksen Oxford Playhouse Company 1970 Toad of Toad Hall A. A. Milne, Kenneth Grahame Oxford Playhouse Mole Oxford Playhouse Company Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Tennessee Williams Phoenix Theatre, Leicester Doctor Baugh Phoenix Theatre Company In Celebration David Storey Phoenix Theatre, Leicester Mr Shaw Phoenix Theatre Company Narrow Road to the Deep North Edward Bond York Theatre Royal Basho York Theatre Royal Company 1972 The Tempest William Shakespeare Hull New Theatre New Shakespeare Company Twelfth Night William Shakespeare York Theatre Royal New Shakespeare Company 1980 The Caretaker Harold Pinter The Capitol Theatre, Horsham Davies the tramp New Shakespeare Company 1981 Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare Theatre Royal, Lincoln Leonato, governor of Messina New Shakespeare Company 1984–1985 West Side Story Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim Her Majesty's Theatre, London Doc 1986 Tristram Shandy Laurence Sterne, adapted by Peter Buckman Oxford Playhouse Uncle Toby Oxford Playhouse Company 1989 Habeas Corpus Alan Bennett Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead Dr Arthur Wicksteed 1990 Pack of Lies Hugh Whitemore Belgrade Theatre, Coventry MI5 Officer 1990–1991 The Rehearsal Jean Anouilh Almeida Theatre, London, then Garrick Theatre, London Monsieur Damiens Theatre Division 1998 Kafka's Dick Alan Bennett Nottingham Playhouse Father
Partial filmography
Film +YearTitleRoleNotes1987Little DoritMr. Clive1998ElizabethThird bishop2017EdieGeorge 2018The Curse of ShalottMalcolmShort film
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1959ITV Play of the WeekMr. GreenEpisode: "A Man Involved"1960BBC Sunday-Night PlayUnknownThe World of Tim FrazerProjectionist1 episode1961Gamble for a ThroneRichard WhiteacreMiniseries - 5 of 6 episodes1966Ransom for a Pretty GirlWillisMiniseries - 3 of 6 episodes1967Coronation StreetMr. FitchEpisode: "Episode: #1.684"1968Public EyeElliotEpisode: "Have Mud, Will Throw"1969Special BranchWilliam Arthur CowleySeason 1, Episodes 1 + 21970UFOEstate agentEpisode: "The Square Triangle"1973–74Doctor WhoProfessor Joseph RubeishSerial: The Time Warrior1976The Duchess of Duke StreetMajor GutchEpisode: "Plain Sailing"1981The Day of the TriffidsUniversity GatemanEpisode: "Part Three"1982Yes MinisterPermanent Secretary, DHSSEpisode: "Equal Opportunities"1983The CitadelDr. ThoroughgoodEpisode: "Part 10"1990Agatha Christie's PoirotJudgeEpisode: "The Mysterious Affair at Styles"1991Paul Merton: The SeriesJudgeEpisode: "Episode #1.2"1992London's BurningCurator1 episode1993In Suspicious CircumstancesHenry DobsonEpisodes: "Shadow of Doubt" and "The Death of Lucy Kyte" 1998McCallumMr. WestonEpisode: "City of the Dead"2000The 10th KingdomCourt clerkMiniseriesLock, Stock...CaptainEpisode: "...And Two Sips"2001The Way We Live NowDoctorMiniseries2003StrangeMr. ParrishEpisode: "Asmoth"My HeroPatientEpisode: "The Mayor of Northolt"2004Little BritainWaiterEpisode: "Episode #2.1"2006Hotel BabylonMr. Farrah1 episode
See also
List of centenarians (actors, filmmakers and entertainers)
References
External links
Donald Pelmear at Theatricalia