Rudolph Walker
Rudolph Malcolm Walker CBE (born 28 September 1939)[1] is a Trinidadian-British actor, best known for his sitcom roles as Bill Reynolds in Love Thy Neighbour (1972–76), Constable Frank Gladstone in The Thin Blue Line (1995–96) and since 2001, he has played Patrick Trueman in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Rudolph Walker | |
|---|---|
Walker at the funeral of Wendy Richard (2009) | |
| Born | Rudolph Malcolm Walker 28 September 1939 |
| Citizenship | Trinidad and Tobago United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse(s) | Lorna Ross (m. 1968, divorced)Dounne Alexander (m. 1998, divorced)Evangeline Vincent (m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | rudolphwalkerfoundation |
Early life and emigration
Rudolph Walker was born on 28 September 1939 in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago.[2] He began acting as an eight-year-old in primary school,[3] going on to join Derek Walcott's Trinidad Theatre Workshop as its youngest member.[4] With the aim of furthering his career he left the island at the age of 20 in 1960. He had been planning to go to the United States, where he had connections, but actor Errol John — who had already migrated to Britain but was in Trinidad doing a play — convinced him to go to the UK, where the training was considered to be superior.[3]
Walker was married to Lorna Ross in 1968, but they divorced after having two children. He then married fellow Trinidadian Dounne Alexander in 1998. This union later ended, and in 2016, he married Evangeline Vincent.[5]
Career
Walker's earliest television role was as a policeman in the British The Wednesday Play, in the episode titled "Fable" (aired 27 January 1965).[6] He is known for his comedic roles in Love Thy Neighbour (Thames Television), The Thin Blue Line, which starred Rowan Atkinson, and in Ali G Indahouse. Walker also appeared in Doctor Who, in the 1969 serial The War Games, and also in several episodes of Empire Road in 1979. He was one of the first black actors to be seen regularly on British television, and so has always been proud of his role on the controversial Love Thy Neighbour, which ran for seven series, from 1972 to 1976.[7]
He appeared in the first episode of the ITV sitcom ⋅On the Buses, "The Early Shift" (1969), and the first episode of Mr. Bean as "The Examiner" (1990). His other notable roles included as barrister Larry Scott in the 1985 BBC series Black Silk, by Mustapha Matura and Rudy Narayan.[8]
Since 2001, Walker has played Patrick Trueman in the BBC One television soap opera EastEnders, for which role he was voted best actor in 2002 at the annual Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards,[9] and in 2010 he appeared in the Internet spin-off series EastEnders: E20. He also starred in a BBC One sitcom called The Crouches, about a family from Walworth, in South-East London. He played the grandfather for both series (2003–2005).
Although much of his work has been on television, he has appeared in several movies, including 10 Rillington Place, King Ralph (along with his Love Thy Neighbour co star, Jack Smethurst), and Let Him Have It. On the stage, Walker appeared in the first production of Mustapha Matura's Play Mas at the Royal Court Theatre in 1974, and has played the titular character in stage productions of Shakespeare's Othello, directed by David Thacker and Charles Marowitz, and also Caliban in a production of The Tempest directed by Jonathan Miller. Walker was also Gower in Thacker's 1989 production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
He also played opposite Diane Parish in Lovejoy (starring Ian McShane) where they played Father and Daughter.
Walker also lent his voice to the British children's television series Teletubbies, in which he renarrated the opening and closing sequences for the American dubbed version and voiced some of the voice trumpets for both the British and American versions.
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1999, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel on his 60th birthday at Lord's cricket ground.[10]
A biography for children about Walker, written by Verna Wilkins, was published by Tamarind Books on 4 September 2008.[11][12]
In 2018, he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards.[13]
Honours
Walker was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2006 Birthday Honours for services to drama[14][15] and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to drama and charity.[16]
The Rudolph Walker Foundation
On Walker's 70th birthday, he launched The Rudolph Walker Foundation,[17] whose aims include helping to provide opportunities and incentives for disadvantaged youths starting out on an entertainment career. The Foundation administers Rudolph Walker's inter-School Drama Award (RWiSDA), competed for by schools across London. In addition, Rudolph Walker's Role Model Award (RWRMA) is presented to outstanding students who have contributed something special, such as demonstrating positive leadership, a good influence to their peers and others, and a role model within the school.[18]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The Witches | Mark | Uncredited |
| 1971 | All the Right Noises | Gordon | |
| 10 Rillington Place | Beresford Brown | ||
| 1972 | The Trouble with 2B | ||
| Universal Soldier | Mbote | ||
| 1973 | Love Thy Neighbour | Bill Reynolds | |
| Divorce His, Divorce Hers | Kaduna | ||
| A Warm December | Minor Role (Uncredited) | ||
| Girl Stroke Boy | Mr Delaney | ||
| 1974 | Man About the House | Rudolph Walker | |
| 1982 | Spaghetti House | Commander Martin | |
| 1985 | Black Silk | Larry Scott | |
| 1991 | King Ralph | King Mulambon of Zambezi | |
| Let Him Have It | West Indian Driver | ||
| 1993 | Bhaji on the Beach | Leonard Baptiste | |
| Never Judge a Book by its Cover | Earl Taylor | ||
| 1997 | The House of Angelo | Somers | |
| 2002 | Ali G Indahouse | President Mwepu | |
| 2007 | Hit for Six | Colin Thompson |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Doctor Who | Harper | Episodes: "The War Games" |
| On The Buses | George | ||
| 1970 | Diamond Crack Diamond | Henderson | Episode: "Diamonds and Spades" |
| 1971 | Say Hello to Yesterday | Man in A+E | Uncredited |
| 1972 | New Scotland Yard | Henry Buckingham | Episode: "A Case of Prejudice" |
| 1972–1976 | Love Thy Neighbour | Bill Reynolds | Main role, 55 episodes |
| 1978–1979 | Empire Road | Sebastian Moses | 5 episodes |
| 1982 | The Chinese Detective | Terence Villiers | Episode: "Wheels Between Wheels" |
| 1987 | The Lenny Henry Show | Sonny | Episode: "Sonny Sidles Up" |
| 1990 | Mr. Bean | The Invigilator | Episode: "Mr. Bean" |
| 1990–1992 | The Bill | Papa Reeves / Lawrence Joseph / Ivan Wilson | 3 episodes |
| 1991 | For the Greater Good | Dr. Lawrence James | Episode: "Mandarin" |
| Smack and Thistle | Churchill | Television film | |
| The Play on One | Kimumwe | Episode: "Escape from Kampala" | |
| Bodger and Badger | Mr. Valentino | 3 episodes | |
| Pirate Prince | Thomas Newton | Television film | |
| 1993 | Lovejoy | Earl Taylor | Episode: "Never Judge a Book by Its Cover" |
| 1994 | Scarlett | Ransom | Television film |
| 1995–1996 | The Thin Blue Line | PC Frank Gladstone | Main role, 14 episodes |
| 1997–2001 | Teletubbies | Male Voice Trumpet (voice) Opening and Closing Narrations (voice) | UK/USA Versions USA Version 352 episodes |
| 2001–present | EastEnders | Patrick Trueman | Series regular |
| 2003–2005 | The Crouches | Grandpa Langley Crouch | 2 series |
| 2010 | EastEnders: E20 | Patrick Trueman | |
| 2012 | Celebrity Antiques Road Trip | Himself (Participant) | |
| 2014 | Invasion 1897[19][20][21] | ||
| 2020 | The Queen Vic Quiz Night | Patrick Trueman | Cameo appearance Charity crossover between Coronation Street and EastEnders |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | TV Quick Awards | Best Soap Newcomer | Nominated | [22] |
| 2014 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [23] |
| 2015 | The British Soap Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [24] |
| 2018 | The British Soap Awards | Outstanding Achievement | Won | [25] |
References
- ^ . BFI. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012.
- ^ Verna Allette Wilkins, Rudolph Walker, Tamarind Books (Black Stars), 2008, p. 9.
- ^ a b Rudolph Walker, "It's not black and white", The Guardian, 22 October 2001.
- ^ Rudolph Walker interview with Johnson JohnRose, Caribbean Tourism Organization, 2013.
- ^ Shado Saeyang (27 November 2019). "Five Fast Facts About British Soap Star Rudolph Walker". SoapHub. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ Fable at IMDb
- ^ "Rudolph Walker Interview", The Lewis Nicholls Show, YouTube.
- ^ "Black Silk", IMDb.
- ^ "BBC triumphs at Emma awards". BBC News. 31 May 2002. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "This Is Your Life | Rudolph Walker". IMDb. 1999. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Rudolph Walker Biography". Penguin Random House. 2011. ISBN 9781448101412.
- ^ ITV [@ITV] (2 June 2018). "An Outstanding Achievement Award for a genuine soap legend" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Harris leads Queen's honours list", BBC News, 16 June 2006.
- ^ "Birthday Honours 2006", The British Theatre Guide, 19 June 2006.
- ^ "Order of the British Empire, Rudolph Walker". The Gazette. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ Larry Jaffee, "Exclusive Interview With Rudolph Walker (Patrick Trueman)", Walford Gazette.
- ^ "Home". rwisda.com.
- ^ Linda Ikeji (13 December 2014). "Lancelot Imasuen's 'Invasion 1897' leads Nollywood Invasion of cinemas". Lindaikeji Blogspot. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^ "Lancelot Imasuen's Invasion 1897 hits cinemas Dec 5". The Sun. 16 November 2014.
- ^ Chidumga Izuzu (26 November 2014). "'Invasion 1897' Lancelot Imaseun's movie set for cinema release". Pulse Nigeria.
- ^ . TV Quick. H Bauer Publishing. Archived from the original on 23 May 2002. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
- ^ Dainty, Sophie (29 July 2014). "Inside Soap Awards 2014 longlist revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (30 March 2015). "British Soap Awards 2015 voting opens, longlist announced". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (2 June 2018). "British Soap Awards 2018 winners updated live: Find out which of your favourite shows and stars won a trophy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
External links
- Rudolph Walker at IMDb
- Rudolph Walker at the BFI's Screenonline
- RWiSDA website
- "Rudolph Walker – The Interview", YouTube video.