Dinsdale Landen | |
---|---|
Born |
Margate, Kent, England |
4 September 1932
Died | 29 December 2003 South Creake, Norfolk, England |
(aged 71)
Years active | 1959–1997 |
Spouse(s) | Jennifer Daniel |
Dinsdale James Landen (4 September 1932 – 29 December 2003) was a British actor known mainly for his television appearances.
Landen was born at Margate, Kent and educated at King's School, Rochester. He made his television debut in 1959 as Pip in an adaptation of Great Expectations and made his film debut in 1960, with a walk-on part in The League of Gentlemen. He first became well known during the 1960s when he starred in the TV series Mickey Dunne and The Mask of Janus, which was renamed The Spies in later series. He also had a parallel career as a stage actor, including as Richard Dazzle in the RSC's 1970 production of London Assurance.
His film roles include appearances in Operation Snatch (1962), A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964), Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966), Mosquito Squadron (1969), Every Home Should Have One (1970), Young Winston (1972), Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973), International Velvet (1978), Morons from Outer Space (1985) and both The Buccaneers and The Steal in 1995.
On radio, he appeared in the 1973 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Foundation Trilogy, as Dr. Watson in the 1974 adaptation of A Study in Scarlet, and as General Bel Riose and Art Gordo in the 1976 adaptation of Jim Eldridge's novel Down Payment on Death. He also portrayed Rupert Purvis in the 1982 production of Tom Stoppard's play The Dog It Was That Died and played the urbane Ambassador McKenzie in BBC Radio 4 series of Flying the Flag.