Reginald Marsh (17 September 1926 – 9 February 2001) was an English actor who is best remembered for starring in many British sitcoms from the 1970s onwards.

Early life

Marsh was born in London in 1926 and he grew up on the coast at Worthing. After he left school he worked in a bank. After realising how serious he was about acting, his father introduced to him to a retired actress, who introduced him to an agent who got his first acting role, at the age of 16, as a juvenile in Eden End by J. B. Priestley. He then worked in rep.

In 1958, he started working behind the scenes of Granada Television, but he soon went back to acting, this time on television. During the 1960s he appeared in many films, including Young Winston and on television including Dixon of Dock Green and Z-Cars. He also played bookie Dave Smith in Coronation Street on and off from 1962 to 1976.

Television career

In the early 1960s, Marsh played trade-union steward Arthur Sugden in boardroom drama The Plane Makers. In the following decade he appeared in The Stone Tape, Emmerdale Farm, Crown Court, Bless This House, The Sweeney and The Duchess of Duke Street. In 1975, Marsh played Andrew, Jerry's boss and Managing Director of JJM, in three episodes of the first series of The Good Life. He would later star in one episode in the second series and the final episodes of the fourth series in 1977. Marsh played a similar role in George and Mildred from 1976 to 1979, as Humphrey Pumphrey, Mildred's brother-in-law. From 1979 to 1987, Marsh played another similar role as Sir Dennis Hodge, Terry's boss, in Terry and June.

Later life

In the 1980s and 1990s, Marsh had many small roles on television, including appearing Home to Roost, Bergerac, Boon, Alleyn Mysteries and Terry and Julian. His last television role was in an episode of Paul Merton in Galton & Simpsons..., that was aired on 14 October 1997.

Reginald Marsh was married to actress Rosemary Murray, and they had four children. Marsh had two other children by his first marriage. One of his sons had Down's syndrome, and during his retirement on the Isle of Wight he actively supported MENCAP. He died in 2001 at his home in Ryde aged 74.

References

External links

• Reginald Marsh at the Internet Movie Database