Gary Watson

{{Short description|British actor}}

{{about||the cricketer|Gary Watson (cricketer)|the American philosopher|Gary L. Watson|the footballer|Garry Watson|the silent film actor|Watson family}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{BLP sources|date=July 2021}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Gary Watson

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1930|06|13|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Shropshire, England

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| othername =

| occupation = Actor

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}}

Garrowby Watson (born 13 June 1930), known professionally as Gary Watson, is a retired British actor. Early in his career he appeared in Friedrich Hebbel's 1962 play Judith at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, with Sean Connery. He made more than 40 appearances in television programmes between 1956 and 1988, and many more on radio{{cite book|title=The Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LZNIAQAAIAAJ|year=1970|page=35}} and in commercials.

He became known for his appearances in British ITC productions of the 1960s, including The Avengers, The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) in 1969 in the last episode "The Smile Behind the Veil".{{Cite web|url=https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=18023|title=Gary Watson|website=www.aveleyman.com}} In 1966 he appeared as Aramis in all ten episodes of The Three Musketeers, starring alongside Brian Blessed and Jeremy Young.{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba04bdb3a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223403/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba04bdb3a|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 March 2016|title=Gary Watson|website=BFI}} He also appeared in the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Evil of the Daleks".{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbcstudios.com/news/bbc-studios-announce-doctor-who-the-evil-of-the-daleks-animation-due-for-release-on-27th-september-2021/|title=BBC Studios announce Doctor Who: The Evil of the Daleks Animation, due for release on 27th September 2021|website=www.bbcstudios.com}} He played Denisov in the 1972 television series War and Peace.{{cite book|author=Alvin H. Marill|title=More Theatre: M-Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u4cjAQAAIAAJ|year=1993|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-2717-2|page=1274}} and the semi-regular character of Detective Inspector Fred Connor in the long-running BBC police drama Z-Cars between 1972 and 1974.{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/473009/credits.html|title=BFI Screenonline: Z Cars (1962-78) Credits|website=www.screenonline.org.uk}} In 1974 he played George Vavasor in five episodes of The Pallisers.{{cite book|author1=Jon E. Lewis|author2=Penny Stempel|title=Cult TV: The Essential Critical Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=73CW7tHHcLQC|year=1993|publisher=Pavilion|isbn=978-1-85793-053-5|page=200}} In 1977 he played the role of Ross in the BBC series Murder Most English. He also appeared in the 1970 Thames Television adaptation of [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783546/Macbeth ], playing MacDuff.{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7e3ee93c|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707204118/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7e3ee93c|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 July 2019|title=Macbeth Part 4 (1970)|website=BFI}} He was also much employed as a reader and narrator, featuring in dozens of commercials throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He was particularly noted for his work for British Transport Films and commercials for Lloyds Bank and Nescafé.

Watson was born in Shropshire on 13 June 1930. He attended Kingswood School, where he was a classmate of Anthony Thwaite.{{cite book|author1=Anthony Thwaite|author2=Peter Dale|author3=Ian Hamilton|title=Anthony Thwaite in Conversation with Peter Dale and Ian Hamilton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CQcsAQAAIAAJ|year=1999|publisher=BTL|isbn=978-0-9532841-2-2|page=21}} graduated from the University of Cambridge. In the late 1950s he taught English at Westminster City School, off Victoria Street in London. He was very popular with the pupils and directed some school plays such as Treasure Island, starring a young Ken Phillips as Doctor Trelawny.