Roy Dotrice

Late in life, he narrated a series of audiobooks for George R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, for which he holds the Guinness World Record for the most character voices by an individual for an audiobook.

Roy Dotrice studied at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The recorded working language is English. Distinctions recorded are Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, Drama Desk Awards, British Academy Television Awards and Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

• Name — Roy Dotrice • Born — 26 May 1923 • Birthplace — Guernsey, Bailiwick of Guernsey • Died — 16 October 2017 • Place of death — London, England • Citizenship — British • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1957–2012 • Known for — Brief Lives A Moon for the Misbegotten • Children — 3; including Michele and Karen • Awards — 1 Tony Award 1 Drama Desk Award 1 British Academy Television Award • Website — roydotrice.com • Illustration — Dotrice in 1981

Dotrice was born in Guernsey, Bailiwick of Guernsey on 26 May 1923 to Neva (née Wilton; 1897–1984) and Louis Dotrice (1896–1991). He served as a wireless operator/air gunner with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, and was imprisoned in a German prisoner of war camp from 1942 to 1945, after being shot down in an Avro Manchester R5840 of No.106 Squadron based at Coningsby, all seven airmen of the crew being taken Prisoner of War.

Dotrice was the voice of "Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Gregory Pitkin" in the early episodes of BBC Radio's long-running comedy The Men from the Ministry. He was succeeded by Ronald Baddiley in the role. He also played the caretaker Ramsay alongside Patricia Hayes in the Radio 2 sitcom Know Your Place.

Dotrice was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and in the early 1960s played a variety of roles, including Caliban in The Tempest, opposite Tom Fleming's Prospero (dir: Peter Brook), John of Gaunt and Hotspur opposite David Warner's Richard II, and Justice Shallow, opposite Hugh Griffith as Falstaff in Henry IV, and then Edward IV in the Hall/Barton-adapted Shakespeare cycle The Wars of the Roses, later broadcast by the BBC. Dotrice played the part of John Aubrey in Brief Lives, a one-man play devised and directed by Patrick Garland in which he held the stage for almost three hours (including the interval, during which he would feign sleep). Premiering in 1967 at the Hampstead Theatre in London, the play later toured England, before two productions on Broadway. In 1968 it moved to the Criterion Theatre in the West End, where it ran for 400 performances before transferring to the Mayfair Theatre. He revived the role in 2008, again under Patrick Garland's direction. These runs, combined with extensive international touring, earned Dotrice a place in the Guinness World Records for the greatest number of solo performances (1,782). His other one-man productions included Mister Lincoln in 1979, and Churchill in 1982, both premiering in Washington, D.C. at Ford's Theatre. In 1984 he starred opposite Rosemary Harris in a production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever. He appeared in the stage production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas at The Lowry theatre in Salford from November 2009 to January 2010.

In the 1970s Dotrice played Charles Dickens in the television mini-series Dickens of London. He also appeared as Albert Haddock in the BBC television adaptation of A. P. Herbert's Misleading Cases in 1971. In 1972 he played the Curé Ponosse in the BBC2 TV adaptation of Clochemerle (1972). Dotrice played "Father" in the 1980s TV series Beauty and the Beast and Father Gary Barrett, a Catholic priest, in the 1990s series Picket Fences. His acting career dates from 1945 in a revue called Back Home, performed by former prisoners-of-war in aid of the Red Cross. In an episode of Angel, part of the Buffyverse, he played the role of Roger Wyndam-Pryce, the overbearing father of the character Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. An earlier science-fiction role was Commissioner Simmonds in two episodes of the 1970s series Space: 1999. In 1998 Dotrice appeared in three episodes of the series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as Zeus. In June 2010 it was announced that Dotrice would be playing the role of Grand Maester Pycelle in the HBO television series Game of Thrones, an adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. He later withdrew from the part for medical reasons and Julian Glover was cast in his place. Shortly after filming for the second season commenced it was confirmed that Dotrice would be returning to play "Wisdom Hallyne the Pyromancer", who is featured in the episodes "The Ghost of Harrenhal" and "Blackwater".

In 1982 BBC Radio 4 broadcast Dotrice's reading of G.B. Edwards' novel The Book of Ebenezer Le Page in twenty-eight 15-minute parts on its Woman's Hour segment. The producer subsequently wrote that the serialisation was "without question the most popular serial I have ever done in the 500 or so I have produced in the last 21 years...". He subsequently performed "The Islander", a stage version of The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, to critical success at the Theatre Royal Lincoln. In 2012 AudioGO produced a complete and unabridged recording of Ebenezer Le Page, which is available on Audible. Dotrice recorded audiobooks for each book in George R. R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire. In 2005, when he was replaced by John Lee for the fourth installment, A Feast for Crows, due to his health, fans petitioned and argued for a re-release with Dotrice once he was able to perform again. Random House, the publisher, relented and Dotrice's version was released in 2011. That same year, he was awarded the world record for most character voices in an audiobook for his recording of A Game of Thrones, which contained 224. Dotrice also narrated many storybook adaptations for Disney Records, including The Little Mermaid and Pooh's Heffalump Movie, for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Dotrice was married to Kay Newman (1929–2007), a television and stage actress, from 1947 until her death in 2007. They had three daughters—Michele, Yvette and Karen—all of whom have acted at various times in their lives. He was the father-in-law of actors Edward Woodward (Michele) and Alex Hyde-White (Karen). For more than twenty five years, Dotrice was a resident of the Highland Garden Hotel in Los Angeles where he lived with his wife in room 222, a suite once occupied by L Ron Hubbard. Dotrice was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours. He died on 16 October 2017 in London, aged 94.

Roy Dotrice television credits • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1957 — The Adventure — Sailor — TV movie • Treasure Island — Abe Gray — TV miniseries • 1959 — A Midsummer Night's Dream — Egeus — TV movie • 1962 — The Cherry Orchard — Firs — TV movie • 1963 — Boyd Q.C. — Mr. Jacobs — Episode: "What the Eye Doesn't See" • 1965 — Armchair Theatre — Donald Timwood — Story: "A Cold Peace" • 1965- 1966 — The Wars of the Roses — King Edward IV/ Jack Cade — 6 episodes • 1966 — The Liars — Fogarty — 1 episode • Public Eye — Donald Scott — Episode: "Don't Forget You're Mine" • Theatre 625 — Robinson — Story: "Amerika" • 1967 — Armchair Theatre — Aaron Toft — Story: "I'am Osango" • The Wednesday Play — Dad — Story: "Dial Rudolph Valentino One One" • 1967- 1971 — A.P. Herbert's Misleading Cases — Albert Haddock — 19 episodes (3 series) • 1968 — Late Night Horror — Douglas Stone — Story: "The Kiss of Blood" • 1969 — The Gold Robbers — Freddy Lamb — Episode: "Crack Shot" • Imperial Palace — Evelyn Orchram — 4 episodes • 1970 — Tales of Unease — Kayo Hathaway — Story: "Bad Bad Jo Jo" • 1971 — The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes — Simon Crane — Story: "The Duchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds" • 1972 — Clochemerle — Curé Ponosse — 8 episodes • 1975 — Space: 1999 — Commissioner Gerald Simmonds — 2 episodes • 1976 — Dickens of London — Charles Dickens / Mr. John Dickens — 13 episodes • Laurence Olivier Presents — Sir Timothy Farrar — Story: "Hindle Wakes" • 1976- 1979 — Sykes — The Tramp — 2 episodes • 1981 — Family Reunion — Lester Frye — TV movie • Magnum, P.I. — Harcourt — Episode: "Tropical Madness" • 1983 — Tales of the Gold Monkey — Lord Hedriks — Episode: "God Save the Queen" • 1984 — Remington Steele — Victor Janoff — Episode: "Steele Eligible" • Hart to Hart — Courtney Peterson — Episode: "Max's Waltz" • 1986 — The A-Team — Charles Jourdan — Episode: "The Spy Who Mugged Me" • Shaka Zulu — George IV — TV miniseries • The Wizard — Troyan — 3 episodes • 1987 — Faerie Tale Theatre — The King / Peter Vanderdonk — "The Dancing Princesses" "Rip Van Winkle" • Tales from the Darkside — Vampire Count Jeffrey Draco — Story: "My Ghostwriter - The Vampire" • 1987- 1990 — Beauty and the Beast — Jacob "Father" Wells — 55 episodes • 1989 — The Equalizer — Charlie McGuinness — Episode: "Trial by Ordeal" • Nighmare Classics — Leo — Story: "Carmilla" • 1990 — Hunter — Bishop Pine — Episode: "Final Confession" • 1990 — Murder, She Wrote — Professor Chandler Fitzpatrick — Episode: "The Great Twain Robbery" • 1991 — For the Greater Good — Charles Truman MP — 3 episodes • 1992- 1993 — Going to Extremes — Doctor Croft — 17 episodes • 1993 — Murder, She Wrote — Dr Howard Sorenson — Episode: "The Legacy of Borbey House" • 1993- 1996 — Picket Fences — Father Gary Barrett — 15 episodes • 1994 — Children of the Dark — Dr Burnham — TV movie • Wings — Pete — Episode: "The Faygitive" • L.A. Law — Alex Vedder — Episode: "McKenzie, Brackman, Barnum and Bailey" • 1995 — Babylon 5 — Frederick Lantz — Episode: "The Fall of Night" • Batman: The Animated Series — Frederick — Episode: "The Lion and the Unicorn" • Murder, She Wrote — Dr Myles Purcell — Episode: "School for Murder" • 1996 — Mr. & Mrs. Smith — Mr Big — 12 episodes • Tales from the Crypt — Major Nicholson — Story: "Escape" • 1997 — Spider-Man: The Animated Series — Keene Marlow / The Destroyer — 4 episodes • 1998 — Like Father, Like Santa — Ambrose Booth — TV movie • Hercules: The Legendary Journeys — Zeus — 3 episodes • 1999 — Sliders — Archibald Chandler — Episode: "Data World" • 2000 — Madigan Men — Seamus Madigan — 12 episodes • Sliders — Marc LeBeau — Episode: "The Seer" • 2001 — Touched by an Angel — Micah — Episode: "Holy of Holies" • 2003 — Angel — Roger Wyndam-Pryce — 1 episode • Just Shoot Me! — Jarvis Leeds — Episode: "Just Shoot Me" • Doctors — Tomasz Zelinksy — Episode: "Roots" • 2004 — Life Begins — Frank Buchanan — 8 episodes • 2006 — La Femme Musketeer — Commander Finot (uncredited) — TV miniseries • Heartbeat — Mr Carter — Episode: "Give Peace a Chance" • 2012 — Game of Thrones — Hallyne — 2 episodes

Roy Dotrice's audiobook voice acting credits include: • Watership Down • The Prince and the Pauper • The Book of Ebenezer Le Page • The Death Gate Cycle Vol. 4: Serpent Mage • A Song of Ice and Fire