Ray Brooks (actor)
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| Ray Brooks | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 April 1939 Brighton, Sussex, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouse(s) | Sadie Brooks (1961–present) |
| Children | Emmy Brooks Will Brooks Tom Brooks |
Ray Brooks (born 20 April 1939[1] in Brighton, Sussex) is an English television and film actor.
Early work
Ray Brooks began as a television actor. He appeared in the long-running soap Coronation Street and played Terry Mills in the series Taxi! with Sid James (1963). He played small roles in British films such as H.M.S. Defiant, Play It Cool and Some People (all 1962), and then rose to prominence in the UK after starring alongside Michael Crawford and Rita Tushingham in The Knack …and How to Get It (1965). The film, directed by Richard Lester, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965. Brooks followed up this success starring in the groundbreaking 1966 television drama Cathy Come Home.
Through the 1960s he also had small roles in a number of other cult television series including The Avengers, Danger Man, and Doomwatch. He played the major role of David Campbell in the Doctor Who film Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966).
Major film roles in the 1970s were less numerous. These included roles in The Last Grenade (1970), the all-star Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972), Assassin (1973), and Carry On Abroad (1972) as oversexed waiter Giorgio. He also appeared in a number of Pete Walker films including The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), Tiffany Jones (1973) and House of Whipcord (1974). In this decade he built a career doing voiceovers for television advertisements. He also released an album of his own songs.
The 1980s
Brooks returned to prominence with the BBC comedy drama Big Deal (1984–86), where he co-starred with Sharon Duce. After Big Deal ended, Duce and Brooks starred together, as different characters, in the popular Growing Pains (1992) about a pair of middle-aged foster parents.
Brooks was also the narrator of the well known children's animations by David McKee: Mr Benn and King Rollo. In 1982 he played Detective Sergeant Brook in a BBC Radio 4 detective series. 'Death in a Lonely Place' was broadcast in ten episodes on BBC Radio4 Extra in September 2014, under the general heading Robert Barr Detective.
In 1987 the BBC chose Brooks as one of the principal character voices for the acclaimed French animated science fiction film Les Maitres du Temps which the BBC had co-produced in 1982.
The 2000s
He was the original 'next stop' announcement voice of the London Tramlink system, before being replaced by Nicholas Owen.
In 2002 he acted in BBC drama Two Thousand Acres of Sky.
He joined the cast of soap opera EastEnders as Joe Macer in 2005. On 30 September 2006 it was announced that Brooks' EastEnders character would depart in January 2007 following the departure of Joe's wife, Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), at Christmas. His final appearance was on 26 January when his character confessed to killing Pauline before falling from a window to his death.
He starred as Detective Sergeant Brook in the Radio 4 Extra police series: "Robert Barr - Detective". Season 1 - 13 episodes, Season 2 - 10 episodes, Season 3 - 8 episodes (2013 to present). The series is written by Robert Barr.
References
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External links
- Ray Brooks interview by Chris Hunt, 1986, discussing his films of the Sixties
- Ray Brooks at the Internet Movie Database
- Ray Brooks Official Website
- Ray Brooks Interview at Best British TV
