Jeff Rawle
Jeffrey Alan Rawle (born 20 July 1951) is a British actor. He is known for playing Billy in Billy Liar (1973–1974), and for portraying George Dent in the news-gathering sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey (1990–1998), and Silas Blissett in Hollyoaks (2010–2022). Other credits include Minder (1993), Doc Martin (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Grantchester (2023), and Beyond Paradise (2024).
Also recorded as Jeffrey Alan Rawle
Jeff Rawle

Richard Harris · Flickr: Harry Potter actor Jeff Rawle judging Kew Fair Dog Show (1) · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Jeff Rawle
- Birth Name
- Jeffrey Alan Rawle
- Born
- 20 July 1951
- Birthplace
- Birmingham, England
- Occupation
- Actor
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Education
- London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Jeffrey Alan Rawle (born 20 July 1951) is a British actor. He is known for playing Billy in Billy Liar (1973–1974), and for portraying George Dent in the news-gathering sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey (1990–1998), and Silas Blissett in Hollyoaks (2010–2022). Other credits include Minder (1993), Doc Martin (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Grantchester (2023), and Beyond Paradise (2024).
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1320903 · wikipedia · Jeff Rawle
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jeff Rawle • Birth Name — Jeffrey Alan Rawle • Born — 20 July 1951 • Birthplace — Birmingham, England • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1973–present • Children — 2
Early life
Early life
Rawle was born on 20 July 1951, in Birmingham. His first secondary school was King Edward VI School in Aston, Birmingham. When he was 15, his family moved to Sheffield, and it was at High Storrs Grammar School that he first became interested in drama when he appeared in school plays. He worked at the Sheffield Playhouse before training at LAMDA.
Career
Career
Rawle landed his first significant role in 1973 as the protagonist in the television version of Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall's Billy Liar. He played Billy Fisher for two seasons, 26 episodes from 1973 to 1974. In 1979, he appeared as Rudy with Ian McKellen and Tom Bell in the premiere production of Bent at the Royal Court Theatre, London. In 1984, he appeared in the story Frontios as the character Plantaganet in Doctor Who. In 1980, he appeared in the Hammer House of Horror, episode "Charlie Boy." In 1981, he appeared in an episode of Juliet Bravo. In 1983, He starred as Jeff Harris in three episodes of Angels and appeared in Bergerac (1983). In 1989, he starred as W.O. Wilson in the three-part miniseries Vote for Them, which was about allied troops still based in Cairo in 1943. He appeared in Minder (1993) and Faith in the Future on ITV from 1995 to 1998. In 2004, Rawle appeared as Roger Fenn in the ITV series Doc Martin. The actor made a guest appearance as lawyer Jonathan Blunt in the fourth episode of the fourth series of New Tricks (2007). In 2005, Rawle portrayed Amos Diggory, father of Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 2008 saw Rawle play Gilbert Murray in the National Theatre's production of Tony Harrison's play Fram. The following year, he guested in The Bill and appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures on CBBC. During 2010, Rawle joined the cast of Hollyoaks as serial killer Silas Blissett. He stated that he was delighted to be playing such a sinister character. He has won various awards for his portrayal of Silas. He initially left the role in 2012, before making guest returns from January to May 2016, and from October 2020 to January 2021. He reprised the role in September 2022, when his grandson, Bobby, finally killed off his character. In October 2012, it was announced that Rawle had joined the Doctors cast as Rory Bishton, a road sweeper with something to hide. Rawle made his screen debut as Rory in early 2013. He had previously appeared in the series in 2004. Rawle has provided numerous narrations, including A Bear Called Paddington, three series of the Duchess of York's Budgie the Little Helicopter, Stephen Hawking's Universe and Tom Fort's The Grass is Always Greener for BBC Radio 4. Rawle's writing credits include The Young Poisoner's Handbook in 1995 and Who Goes There?
Filmography and television
Filmography and television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • – — Billy Liar — Billy Fisher — | TV series; 26 episodes • Play for Today — Steve — episode: "The Death of a Young, Young Man" • Whodunnit? — Arthur Johnson — Episode: "Worth Dying For" • Crown Court — Robert Gray — episode: "Bad Day at Black Cape: Part 1" • Van der Valk — Diederick — TV series; episode: "The Professor" • The — Johannes • 1978 — A — 'Sniffy' Kemp • The — Pusher — TV series; episode: "A Game for Two Players" • Leave It to Charlie — TV series; episode: "Never a Cross Word" • Home Before Midnight — Johnnie McGee • Hammer House of Horror — Franks — TV series; episode: "Charlie Boy" • Juliet Bravo — Steve Ramsey — TV series; episode: "Lies and Liars" • Crystal Gazing — Julian • Bergerac — Mitch — TV series; episode: "Almost Like a Holiday" • Angels — Jeff Harris — TV series; episodes 22 and 24 of season 9 • 1984 — The — Norbert • Doctor Who — Plantagenet — TV series; episode: "Frontios" • Remington Steele — Chalky — TV series; episode: "Steele Searching: Parts 1 and 2" • The — Lambert • Call Me Mister — Guy — TV series; episode: "Humpty Dumpty" • Fortunes of War — Sgt. Ridley — TV miniseries • Boon — Maurice, also known as Billy Clutterbuck — TV series; episode: "Credit Where it's Due" • Screen Two — Billy — TV series; episode: "Run for the Lifeboat" • South of the Border — Stig — BBC TV series; Series 1, episode 3 • The — Derek Pardoe — TV series; episode: "Alarms and Embarrassments" • Vote for Them — W.O. Wilson — 3 part mini-series • ScreenPlay — episode: "Testimony of a Child" • ScreenPlay — The Man — episode: "Beyond the Pale" • The — John Price — 6 part mini-series for children • 1990–1998 — Drop the Dead Donkey — George Dent — TV series • This is David Harper — Bob Benchley — TV series; episode: "A List of Abuses" • A — Service Policeman — TV series • The — Ezra Pratt — TV series • Casualty — Len Jackson — TV series; episode: "Silent Night", series 7 episode 15 • Minder — Jehovah's Witness — TV series; episode: "Uneasy Rider" • – — Budgie the Little Helicopter — Narrator and Dell the baggage cart towing truck — TV series; voice • Wycliffe — Reverend Jordan — TV series; episode: "The Last Rites" • Look at the State We're In! — Jeff Jarndyce — TV mini-series • – — Faith in the Future — Paul — TV series • Lord of Misrule — Derek — TV • 1998 — Neville's Island — Neville — TV • – — Microsoap — Colin — TV series • I Saw You — Frank — TV • Take a Girl Like You — Mr. Charlton — TV • Dalziel and Pascoe — Raymond Miles — TV series; episode: "Mens Sana" • Midsomer Murders — Derrick Seagrove — TV series, episode: "A Talent for Life" • Blackball — Dennis • Death in Holy Orders — Father Peregrine Glover — TV • 2004 — Doctors — John Marshall — TV series; episode: "A Late Flowering" • The — Banks — TV series; episode: "Doing Time" • The — Graham Hammond — TV • Heartbeat — Ken Simner — TV series; episode: "Scent of a Kill" • William and Mary — George Emerson — TV series; series 2 episode 5 • My Dad's the Prime Minister — Union leader — TV series; episode: "Powerless" • – — Doc Martin — Roger Fenn — TV series; episodes: "Gentlemen Prefer", "Sh*t Happens", "Haemophobia", "The Family Way", "Happily Ever After" • Ultimate Force — David Cox — TV series; episode: "Never Go Back" • Holby City — Ron Fell — TV series; episode: "It's Kinda Rock 'n' Roll" • Spooks — Home Secretary — Also known as MI-5 in the USA TV series; episodes: "The Special: Part I" and "The Special: Part II" • A — Steve Markham — TV series; episode: "Near Death Experience" • 2005 — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — Amos Diggory • Holby City — Roger Nash — TV series; episodes: "Team Holby", "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Lost", "Now or Never" • Sea of Souls — James Norman — TV series; episode: "Oracle" • 2006 — The — Mr. Large — TV series; voice • The — George Fielding — TV series, episode: "Innocence Betrayed" • 2009 — The — Lionel Harding — Museum Curator, Mona Lisa's Revenge • 2010–2011, 2012, 2016, 2020–2021, 2022 — Hollyoaks & Hollyoaks Later — Silas Blissett — Series regular • Midsomer Murders — Gerry Dawkins — TV series, episode: "Dark Secrets" • 2011 — My Family — Antiques expert — episode: Germs of Endearment • 2012 — The Charles Dickens Show — Charles Dickens — TV miniseries • 2013 — An — Mervyn Pinfield — Television docudrama about the creation of Doctor Who in 1963 • Heading Out — Donald — One episode • – — Holby City — Jerry Clark — TV series; episodes: "Hanssen/Hemingway", "Unravelled", "Black Dog", "We Need to Talk About Fredrik" • 2016 — Bottersnikes and Gumbles — Happi — Voice only • 2016 — Steptoe and Son — Albert Steptoe — A one-off episode, part of the BBC's Lost Sitcom season, recreating lost episodes of classic comedies • Peterloo — Magistrate Rev. Hay — Film directed by Mike Leigh • Father Brown — Professor Robert Wiseman — Season 7 episode 3: "The Whistle in the Dark" • Brassic — Mr. Bates — Season 2 episode 3: "Antique Hunters" • The — Duke George 'Bluey' Stilton • Lockwood & Co. — Sebastian Saunders — Netflix series; two episodes • Grantchester — Dr. Abbot — Season 8, episode 3 • Beyond Paradise — Douglas Bevan — Season 2, episode 6 • 2026 — Vote Gavin Lyle — Arthur — Short film

British actor Jeff Rawle at the Kew Fair Dog Show, where he was a judge. The photographer and author of this image is Richard Harris.
Jeff_Rawle.jpg: Richard Harris derivative work: Materialscientist (talk) · Jeff_Rawle.jpg
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1320903: Jeff Rawle
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Jeff Rawle”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
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Literature
Scholarly footprint
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authority file
VIAF cluster 104149294247080521235 for Jeff Rawle, aggregating national library name authorities.OCLC
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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