Alfred Cornelius Lynch (26 January 1931 – 16 December 2003) was an English actor on stage, film and television.
Early life Lynch was born in Whitechapel, London, the son of a plumber. After attending a Catholic school, he worked in a drawing office as a draughtsman before entering national service in the army. Then, while working in a factory, he attended theatre acting evening classes, at which he met his life partner, James Culliford.
Stage In 1958 he joined the Royal Court Theatre and acted in a number of plays, including original productions of Chicken Soup with Barley and The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker. Lynch also starred in Joan Littlewood's production of Brendan Behan's The Hostage in London and New York, in which critic Kenneth Tynan praised his "beautiful playing".
Screen work After 1960 his career moved more into film and television, with leading roles in On the Fiddle (1961) and West 11 (1962) as well as prominent roles in Two and Two Make Six and The Password Is Courage (both 1962) and supporting roles in 55 Days at Peking (1963) and The Hill (1965). He also appeared as Tranio in 1967's The Taming of the Shrew and as Medvedenko in the 1968 adaptation of The Sea Gull; while he later played Charlie Kray in the 1990 film The Krays.
On television he had the title role in the now-lost TV series Hereward the Wake (1965), as well as the lead in Manhunt (1969); along with a number of roles in one off plays, in series such as Theatre 625, The Wednesday Play and Armchair Theatre. He appeared in a number of popular television series in later years including Jackanory, Going Straight, Bergerac, Lovejoy, Pie in the Sky and the Doctor Who serial The Curse of Fenric as Commander Millington.
Death After Culliford's stroke in 1972, Lynch moved from London to Saltdean, near Brighton, until his death from cancer in 2003. He was cremated at Woodvale Crematorium, Brighton.
Selected filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1959 Look Back in Anger 2nd Commercial Traveller 1961 On the Fiddle Horace Pope 1962 Two and Two Make Six Thomas 'Tom' Ernest Bennett The Password Is Courage Corporal Bill Pope 1963 55 Days at Peking Gerald Uncredited West 11 Joe Beckett 1965 The Hill George Stevens 1967 The Taming of the Shrew Tranio 1968 Something Like Love The Sea Gull Medvedenko 1973 The Blockhouse Larshen Uncredited1977 Joseph Andrews Postilion 1981 Loophole Harry 1990 The Krays Charlie Kray 1991 Until the End of the World Old Man Alfred 1994 Second Best Edward
Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1959- 1968Armchair TheatreTaff/ Bill Jones/ Freddy/ Jupp/ Eddy6 episodes1965Hereward the WakeHereward16 episodesTheatre 625Gordon ComstockStory: "Keep the Apidistra Flying"1965- 1968The Wednesday PlayBishorpe/ Eddy Marble/ Peter Young3 episodes1968ITV PlayhouseEdgar LuntStory: "Your Name's Not God, It's Edgar"1969The Gold RobbersJosef TyzakEpisode: "Dog Eat Dog"1970ManhuntSquadron Leader Jimmy Briggs19 episodes1971Thirty-Minute TheatreBarneyStory: "Something for the Children"1975Churchill's PeopleKing James I2 episodes1978Going StraightDave PipersEpisode: "Going Off the Rails"1980- 1981The Good CompanionsJoby Jackson3 episodes1983Shades of DarknessSaul RutledgeStory: "Bewitched"1985- 1987BulmanJoe Revell2 episodes1987FloodtideP.F. 4 episodes1989BoonGeoff KershawEpisode: "Of Meissen Men"Doctor WhoCommander MillingtonSerial: "The Curse of Fenric" (4 episodes)1990BergeracWhittakerEpisode: "Under Wraps"1993LovejoyGideonEpisode: "The Ring"1995Pie in the SkyBill PritchardEpisode: "The One That Got Away"1996Kavanagh QCPearsonEpisode: "A Stranger in the Family"2000Monsignor RenardHubert1 episode
Notes
External links
Obituary from The Guardian