Thorley Walters
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1913-05-12
Day of Death
1991-07-06 (78 years old)
Place of Birth
Teigngrace, Devon, England, UK
Thorley Walters
Biography
Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English character actor.
He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in Two-Way Stretch and Carlton-Browne of the FO. He also appeared in the acclaimed TV drama Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Walters played Sherlock Holmes sidekick Doctor Watson in four unrelated films: Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962), The Best House in London (1969), The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), and Silver Blaze (1977).
He featured in three of the St Trinian's movies, starting as an army major in Blue Murder at St Trinian's. He later appeared as Butters, assistant to Education Ministry senior civil servant Culpepper-Brown (Eric Barker) in The Pure Hell of St Trinian's and played the part of Culpepper-Brown in The Wildcats of St Trinian's.
In the 1960s he also appeared in several Hammer horror films, including The Phantom of the Opera (1962), Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969).
In the DVD commentary to The Man Who Haunted Himself, Roger Moore mentioned that co-star Walters lived in Dolphin Square, the prestigious apartment block in Pimlico, London in which some scenes of the film were shot.
Thorley and Richard Hope-Hawkins visited the ailing Terry-Thomas in Barnes, London in 1989. Walters had starred with Terry in the Boulting Brother's film Carlton-Browne of the F.O., and was shocked at his appearance (he was ill with Parkinson's Disease). That visit resulted in the "Terry-Thomas Gala" held in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in the same year which raised funds to help Terry live the rest of his life in comfort. Hope-Hawkins was with Walters and actress Siobhan Redmond, when he died in a London nursing home. Actor Ian Bannen gave the main address at his funeral held at Golders Green.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Thorley Walters, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Acting
(2025)
Mrs. Weekley's Lover
as Baron Von Richthofen
(1991)
A Murder of Quality
as Bishop Harry
(1990)
He's Asking For Me
as Uncle Harold
(1988)
The Dunroamin' Rising
as Mr Finister
(1988)
Onassis: The Richest Man in the World
as Winston Churchill
(1987)
Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood
as Ludwig (archive footage)
(1985)
In the Secret State
as Johnny Davenport
(1984)
The Little Drummer Girl
as Ned Quilley
(1983)
The Sign of Four
as Major John Sholto
(1982)
Soft Targets
as Old Wedding Guest
(1982)
Spider's Web
as Hugo Birch
(1980)
The Wildcats of St. Trinian's
as Hugo Culpepper Brown
(1980)
A Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special
as Colonel Bloodstock
(1979)
Henry V
as Charles the Sixth, King of France
(1977)
The People That Time Forgot
as Norfolk
(1977)
Silver Blaze
as Dr. Watson
(1976)
Beasts: The Dummy
as Sir Ramsey
(1976)
James and the Giant Peach
as Grasshopper
(1975)
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother
as Dr. Watson
(1975)
The Apple Cart
as Home Secretary
(1975)
Goodbye
as Chalcott-Bentinck
(1975)
Chips with Everything
as Wing Commander
(1974)
Soft Beds, Hard Battles
as General Erhardt
(1973)
Ring Once for Death
as Dr. Ledworth
(1972)
Vampire Circus
as Burgermeister
(1972)
Young Winston
as Major Finn
(1971)
Mr. Forbush and the Penguins
as Mr. Forbush Sr.
(1970)
Trog
as Magistrate
(1970)
There's a Girl in My Soup
as Manager of Carlton Hotel
(1970)
Bartleby
as The Colleague
(1970)
The Man Who Haunted Himself
as Frank Bellamy
(1969)
The Best House in London
as Doctor Watson (uncredited)
(1969)
Oh! What a Lovely War
as Staff Officer
(1969)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
as Insp. Fritsch
(1969)
The Last Shot You Hear
as Gen. Jowett
(1969)
Crooks and Coronets
as Hubbard
(1968)
Twisted Nerve
as Sir John Forrester
(1968)
On the Eve of Publication
as Holland
(1967)
Frankenstein Created Woman
as Dr. Hertz
(1966)
The Family Way
as Vicar
(1966)
The Wrong Box
as Patience
(1966)
Dracula: Prince of Darkness
as Ludwig
(1966)
The Psychopath
as Martin Roth
(1965)
Rotten to the Core
as Chief Constable Preston
(1965)
Joey Boy
as Col. Grant
(1964)
The Earth Dies Screaming
as Edgar Otis
(1964)
Ring of Spies
as Cmdr. Winters
(1964)
A Home of Your Own
as Estate agent
(1963)
Heavens Above!
as Tranquilax Executive
(1962)
The Phantom of the Opera
as Lattimer
(1962)
Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace
as Dr. Watson
(1961)
Petticoat Pirates
as Captain Jerome Robertson
(1961)
Murder She Said
as Cedric Ackenthorpe
(1961)
(1960)
Suspect
as Special Agent Prince
(1960)
Two-Way Stretch
as Col. Parkright
(1960)
The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's
as Butters
(1960)
A French Mistress
as Colonel Edmonds
(1959)
Carlton-Browne of the F.O.
as Colonel Bellingham
(1959)
(1958)
Happy Is the Bride
as Jim
(1958)
A Lady Mislaid
as Mr. Smith
(1957)
Blue Murder at St. Trinian's
as Major Whitehart
(1957)
The Truth About Women
as Trevor Eaton
(1957)
Second Fiddle
as Charles
(1957)
The Birthday Present
as Photographer
(1957)
The Passionate Stranger
as Jimmy
(1956)
The Baby and the Battleship
as Lt. Setley
(1956)
Who Done It?
as Raymond Courtney
(1956)
Private's Progress
as Captain Bootle
(1956)
You Can't Escape
as Chadwick
(1955)
Josephine and Men
as Salesman
(1947)
Captain Boycott
as Army Officer (uncredited)
(1945)
Waltz Time
as Stefan Ravenne
(1945)
They Were Sisters
as Channing
(1944)
Medal for the General
as Andrew
(1940)
It Happened to One Man
as Ronnie
(1939)
Design for Murder
as Huey Frazer
(1939)
The Kindled Flame
as Cleon
(1938)
Life of St. Paul
as Unidentified role
(1935)
Once in a New Moon
as Beamish
(1935)
The Love Test
as Chemist