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IMDbPro

William Franklyn(1925-2006)

  • Actor
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
William Franklyn
Home Video Trailer from Anchor Bay Entertainment
Play trailer2:35
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
2 Videos
8 Photos
Debonair British actor at home on stage (since the age of 15), screen and TV. Initially, his roles tended to be dramatic but, by his 40s, he was increasingly playing tongue-in-cheek comedy parts. His smooth lounge-lizard voice has frequently been used for voice-overs on television advertisements (most famously a long-running campaign for Schweppes drinks) and TV trailers.
BornSeptember 22, 1925
DiedOctober 31, 2006(81)
BornSeptember 22, 1925
DiedOctober 31, 2006(81)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos7

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Known for

Cul-de-sac (1966)
Cul-de-sac
7.0
  • Cecil
  • 1966
Christopher Lee in The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
5.5
  • Torrence
  • 1973
Top Secret (1961)
Top Secret
6.5
TV Series
  • Peter Dallas
The Avengers (1961)
The Avengers
8.3
TV Series
  • Brinstead
  • Peter Omrod

Credits

IMDbPro

Actor

  • Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures (1999)
    Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures
    8.0
    Podcast Series
    • Pharoah Amenhotep II (voice)
    • 2004
  • Judith Barker, Jacqueline Leonard, and Colin Wells in The Courtroom (2004)
    The Courtroom
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Judge Matthew Johnson
    • 2004
  • Doctors (2000)
    Doctors
    4.6
    TV Series
    • Hugo Stephenson
    • 2001
  • Startopia (2001)
    Startopia
    8.2
    Video Game
    • Lead Vocals (voice)
    • 2001
  • Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders in French and Saunders (1987)
    French and Saunders
    7.6
    TV Series
    • James
    • 1999
  • Alan Davies in Jonathan Creek (1997)
    Jonathan Creek
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Narrator of Banana Commercial (voice, uncredited)
    • 1997
  • El último viaje de Robert Rylands (1996)
    El último viaje de Robert Rylands
    6.0
    • Robert Rylands
    • 1996
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jonathan Silverman in London Suite (1996)
    London Suite
    5.2
    TV Movie
    • Widley
    • 1996
  • Ian McShane in Lovejoy (1986)
    Lovejoy
    7.8
    TV Series
    • Burgess
    • 1994
  • John Cleese, Barbara Hershey, Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Splitting Heirs (1993)
    Splitting Heirs
    5.5
    • Andrews
    • 1993
  • Serena Scott Thomas in Diana: Her True Story (1993)
    Diana: Her True Story
    4.8
    TV Movie
    • Lord Mountbatten
    • 1993
  • The Upper Hand (1990)
    The Upper Hand
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Eric
    • 1992
  • Millicent Martin in Moon and Son (1992)
    Moon and Son
    7.2
    TV Series
    • George Milestone
    • 1992
  • Michael Palin and Robert Lindsay in G.B.H. (1991)
    G.B.H.
    8.5
    TV Mini Series
    • Distinguished Gent
    • 1991
  • Kelly Monteith in Kelly Monteith (1979)
    Kelly Monteith
    7.2
    TV Series
    • 1984

Writer

  • Top Secret (1961)
    Top Secret
    6.5
    TV Series
    • writer
    • 1961

Videos2

Cul-de-sac: The Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
Trailer 1:31
Cul-de-sac: The Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
Trailer 2:35
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
Trailer 2:35
The Satanic Rites of Dracula

Personal details

  • Alternative name
    • Widow Twanky/Abanazar
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • September 22, 1925
    • Kensington, London, England, UK
  • Died
    • October 31, 2006
    • London, England, UK(prostate cancer)
  • Spouses
      Susanna Carroll1966 - October 31, 2006 (his death, 2 children)
  • Children
    • Sabina Franklyn
  • Other works
    TV commercial for Schweppes.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

  • Trivia
    Replaced the late Peter Jones as the voice of The Book for the new "Tertiary Phase" episodes of "The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy" BBC4 radio series, adapted from the late Douglas Adams' books 3-5 of the "trilogy". At the beginning of the first new episode, Jones' voice begins, then is replaced by Franklyn as Arthur's copy of the Book undergoes an "upgrade". Phase 4 ("Quandary") is slated for 2005, with phase 5 ("Quintessential") to follow.

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