Biography

Philip Madoc

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Philip Madoc was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and attended Twyn School. He became interested in acting when he was a teenager. He studied at the University of Vienna and pursued a theatrical career by attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. During the 1960s, he became a familiar face on British television, often cast in sinister roles due to his dark looks and deep voice. He became particularly familiar to fans of fantasy television, playing five different roles on The Avengers (1961) and four different roles on Doctor Who (1963). Into the 1970s and the guest appearances kept coming, including comedies such as Dad's Army (1968) (as a U-Boat captain in one of the most famous scenes on British TV) and The Good Life (1975). Although widely respected as a versatile actor adept at accents, Madoc never really became a star until 1981, when he portrayed former British prime minister David Lloyd George on an acclaimed television series, The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981). Madoc has not been short of work for the last 40 years, a rare accomplishment for an actor, and has worked on films, radio and on the stage as well as his prolific television career. Madoc died of cancer in 2012.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

He spoke seven foreign languages fluently (including Russian and, he liked to say, English), and was cast in The Deadly Attachment (1973) because Jimmy Perry wanted an actor who spoke fluent German. He played his role in Operation Crossbow (1965) entirely in German, just as his role in A High Wind in Jamaica (1965) was mostly in Spanish.
He passed away at Michael Sobell Hospice in Northwood, Hertfordshire, England at 9am.
On 17 July 2001, he was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Glamorgan.
Before turning to the stage he was an interpreter in Vienna.
Went to RADA at 25 and believed if he hadn't done so he would have been in the diplomatic service.

Certainly initially I rarely played heroes because there was still this tradition that heroes were six foot tall. Certainly if you had a voice that wasn't high and dark eyes then there was a feeling that we were set out to play the villains of this world. I didn't ever argue with that, because they were more or less the best parts.
[on The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981)] A great experience. A great company to work with. Very gifted actors and I thought a splendid production right through, working from a script that was so clever as well, you know, you just did it really, it spoke for itself. So all my memories of those days are a good part of my life.
[on his guest appearances in two hugely popular Doctor Who (1963) serials, The War Games: Episode Seven (1969) and The Brain of Morbius: Part One (1976)] I'm getting to realise how popular that a couple of the series that I did as the guest villain or whatever, how popular they were. Now I'm realising it and there are a couple which I watched them myself not long ago and I was delighted...somehow I'd expected them to show an age and they haven't done that. They're sparkling. They're my words, I'm saying them, so I'm the best critic in a way but I was surprised to feel their quality. So whoever wrote them and however we delivered them, it's still of a standard and that's marvellous because you realise it may have been 20-30 years ago but the quality is there.

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