James Ottaway

Acting
1908-07-25
Chertsey, Surrey, England

Biography

James Ottaway was a British film, television and stage actor whose career spanned seven decades.

Known For & Full Filmography46 Titles

#1Agatha Christie's Poirot

Drama Series - 1989, 16 episodes as Mr. Russell

8.2 / 10
CrimeDramaMystery

From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

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#2Casualty

Drama Series - 1986, 16 episodes as Edwin Palmer

6.2 / 10
DramaSoap

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

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#3The Saint

Drama Series - 1962, 16 episodes as Dr. Cranston

7.4 / 10
Action & AdventureCrimeDrama

Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who recovers ill-gotten wealth and redistributes it to those in need.

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#4Minder

Drama Series - 1979, 16 episodes as Vickery

7.2 / 10
ComedyDramaAction & Adventure

Roguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.

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#5Minder

Drama Series - 1979, 16 episodes as Percy

7.2 / 10
ComedyDramaAction & Adventure

Roguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.

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#6A Touch of Frost

Drama Series - 1992, 16 episodes as Mr Adams

7.5 / 10
DramaCrimeMystery

Jack Frost is a gritty, dogged and unconventional detective with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice who attracts trouble like a magnet. Despite some animosity with his superintendent, Norman “Horn-rimmed Harry” Mullett, Frost and his ever-changing roster of assistants manage to solve cases via his clever mind, good heart, and cool touch.

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#7Gideon's Way

Drama Series - 1965, 16 episodes as Sideman

7.0 / 10
Drama

Gideon's Way is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment in 1964/65, based on the novels by John Creasey. The series was made at Elstree in twin production with The Saint TV series. It starred Liverpudlian John Gregson in the title role as Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard, with Alexander Davion as his assistant, Detective Chief Inspector David Keen, Reginald Jessup as Det. Superintendent LeMaitre, Ian Rossiter as Detective Chief Superintendent Joe Bell and Basil Dignam as Commissioner Scott-Marle. The show did not acknowledge any help from Scotland Yard, any other police force or advisor. Daphne Anderson starred as his wife, Kate with Giles Watling as young son, Malcolm, Richard James as older son, Matthew who seemed to have a lot of new girlfriends and Andrea Allan as daughter, Pru. Unusually for police stories, Gideon was shown as a family man at home though urgent phone calls from his bosses tend to disrupt family plans too often. However, he did admit in "State Visit" that his wife had walked out on him for a while years ago when he put the job first and her second. They live in an expensive detached house in Chelsea.

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#8Crown Court

Drama Series - 1972, 16 episodes as Joseph Pearson

5.7 / 10
Drama

Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984.

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#9Crown Court

Drama Series - 1972, 16 episodes as Mr. Prendergast

5.7 / 10
Drama

Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984.

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#10BBC Play of the Month

Drama Series - 1965, 16 episodes as Belobotnikov

5.3 / 10
Drama

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

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#11All Creatures Great and Small

Drama Series - 1978, 16 episodes as Pub Customer

7.8 / 10
ComedyDrama

The trials and misadventures of the staff at a country veterinary office in Yorkshire. James Herriot, a young animal surgeon, moves to a small Yorkshire town to begin his first job.

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#12All Creatures Great and Small

Drama Series - 1978, 16 episodes as Dick Fawcett

7.8 / 10
ComedyDrama

The trials and misadventures of the staff at a country veterinary office in Yorkshire. James Herriot, a young animal surgeon, moves to a small Yorkshire town to begin his first job.

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#13Keeping Up Appearances

Drama Series - 1990, 16 episodes as Mr. Oxley

7.7 / 10
Comedy

Hyacinth Bucket (whose name, she insists, is pronounced "Bouquet") is a suburban housewife in the West Midlands. She would be the first to tell you that she is a gracious hostess, a respected citizen, and a well-connected member of high society. If you don't believe that, just ask her best friend Elizabeth, held captive in Hyacinth's kitchen; or the postmen and neighbours who bristle at the sound of her voice; or Richard, her weary and compliant husband. In fact, Hyacinth's reputation could be as perfect as her new lounge set, if not for her senile father's love of running wild in the nip. Oh, and she would prefer it if her brother-in-law was a sharper dresser. And that her husband was more ambitious. And that her sisters were more presentable. And do take your shoes off before you come in the house, dear. Mind that you don't brush against the wallpaper.

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#14The Sweeney

Drama Series - 1975, 16 episodes as Uncle Billy

8.1 / 10
Action & AdventureDramaCrime

Jack Regan, an unethical officer of the Flying Squad, uses unorthodox methods to pursue criminals with the help of his partner, George Carter.

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#15Pie in the Sky

Drama Series - 1994, 16 episodes as Jack Coverly

8.3 / 10
ComedyDrama

Pie in the Sky is a British offbeat police comedy drama programme starring Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed, created by Andrew Payne and first broadcast in five series on BBC1 between 13 March 1994 and 17 August 1997 as well as being syndicated on other channels in other countries, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series departs slightly from other police dramas in that the protagonist, Henry Crabbe, while still being an on-duty policeman, is also the head chef of the title restaurant set in the fictional town of Middleton and county of Westershire.

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#16Jeeves and Wooster

Drama Series - 1990, 16 episodes as Mr Burwash

8.1 / 10
Comedy

Jeeves and Wooster is a British comedy-drama series adapted by Clive Exton from P.G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories. It aired on the ITV network from 1990 to 1993, starring Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster, a young gentleman with a "distinctive blend of airy nonchalance and refined gormlessness", and Stephen Fry as Jeeves, his improbably well-informed and talented valet. Wooster is a bachelor, a minor aristocrat and member of the idle rich. He and his friends, who are mainly members of The Drones Club, are extricated from all manner of societal misadventures by the indispensable valet, Jeeves. The stories are set in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1930s.

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#17Dad's Army

Drama Series - 1968, 16 episodes as Parliament Member

7.4 / 10
ComedyWar & Politics

Introducing the Walmington-On-Sea home guard. During WW2, in a fictional British seaside town, a ragtag group of Home Guard local defense volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion.

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#18The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

Drama Series - 1971, 16 episodes as Parsloe

7.5 / 10
MysteryCrimeDrama

An anthology series produced by Thames Television, comprised of short mystery, suspense or crime adaptations featuring, as the title suggests, detectives who were literary contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

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#19Justice

Drama Series - 1971, 16 episodes as County Court Judge

7.3 / 10
Drama

Justice is a British drama television series which originally aired on ITV in 39 hour-long episodes between 8 August 1971 and 16 October 1974. Margaret Lockwood stars as Harriet Peterson a female barrister in the North of England. It was made by Yorkshire Television and was based loosely on Justice Is a Woman, an episode of ITV Playhouse broadcast in 1969 in which Lockwood had previously also played a barrister. The theme music was Crown Imperial by William Walton.

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#20The Protectors

Drama Series - 1972, 16 episodes as Bradley

6.1 / 10
Action & AdventureCrimeDrama

The Protectors is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series using live actors as opposed to electronic marionettes, and also his second to be firmly set in contemporary times. It was also the only Gerry Anderson produced television series that was not of the fantasy or science fiction genres. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company. Despite not featuring marionettes or any real science fiction elements, The Protectors became one of Anderson's most popular productions, easily winning a renewal for a second season. A third season was in the planning stages when the show's major sponsor pulled out, forcing its cancellation. The Protectors first aired in 1972 and 1973, and ran to 52 episodes over two series, each 25 minutes long - making it one of the last series of this type to be produced in a half-hour format. It starred Robert Vaughn as Harry Rule, Nyree Dawn Porter as the Contessa Caroline di Contini, and Tony Anholt as Paul Buchet. Episodes often featured prominent guest actors.

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#21Secret Army

Drama Series - 1977, 16 episodes as Priest

7.7 / 10
DramaWar & Politics

World War II drama about covert organisation Lifeline helping allied airmen escape after being shot down in occupied Europe, working with the Resistance and hiding from the Gestapo.

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#22As Time Goes By

Drama Series - 1992, 16 episodes as Mr. Wellington

7.5 / 10
Comedy

Two lovers are reunited after decades apart following a mutual misunderstanding.

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#23The Paradise Club

Drama Series - 1989, 16 episodes as Syd Mellors

6.2 / 10
DramaCrime

Focuses on brothers Frank and Danny Kane. Their mother is the matriarch of a South London criminal gang, assisted by Danny. Frank has become a priest but leaves the church; he inherits The Paradise Club following the death of their mother and returns to London to try and steer Danny away from crime.

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#24Hancock's Half Hour

Drama Series - 1956, 16 episodes Main Cast Role

7.4 / 10
Comedy

Hancock's Half Hour is a BBC television comedy series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock with Sid James. The final series, renamed simply Hancock, starred Hancock alone. Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. The series was influential in the development of the situation comedy, with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development.

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#25The Detectives

Drama Series - 1993, 16 episodes as Old Gentleman

6.9 / 10
Comedy

The absurd adventures of two defective detectives, who - despite unbelievable incompetence - somehow manage to solve their cases (or be nearby when the cases are solved) and retain their jobs.

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#26The Gentle Touch

Drama Series - 1980, 16 episodes as George Taylor

7.2 / 10
CrimeDrama

Notable as the first British series to feature a female police officer (predating Juliet Bravo by four months), Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes raises her teenage son while navigating a male-dominated police force following the murder of her police commissioner husband.

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#27Shine on Harvey Moon

Drama Series - 1982, 16 episodes as Vicar

7.7 / 10
Drama

Shine on Harvey Moon! is a British comedy-drama series made by Central Television for ITV from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by Meridian. This generally light-hearted series was created by comedy writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The series is set in the East End of London shortly after the Second World War. Upon being demobbed RAF serviceman Harvey Moon, played by Kenneth Cranham, returns home and finds his family involved in various troubles. His wife Rita, played by Maggie Steed, is not interested in resuming their relationship, and works in a seedy nightclub frequented by American servicemen. He becomes involved with the Labour Party and the union movement. The name of the series is a wordplay on the title of the popular 1908 song 'Shine On, Harvest Moon'. The first series was commissioned and recorded by ATV at their Elstree studios with the remaining series filmed at newly constructed facilities in Nottingham.

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#28The Long Good Friday

Movie - 1980, 2h 15m as Commissionaire

7.2 / 10
CrimeThrillerDrama

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

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#29Shadows

Drama Series - 1975, 16 episodes as Mason

6.8 / 10
Drama

Shadows is a British Supernatural television anthology series produced by Thames Television for ITV between 1975 and 1978. Extending over three seasons, it featured ghost and horror dramas for children. Guest actors included John Nettleton, Gareth Thomas, Jenny Agutter, Pauline Quirke, Brian Glover, June Brown, Rachel Herbert, Jacqueline Pearce and Gwyneth Strong. The series was also notable for reviving the character of Mr. Stabs. Notable writers for the series included J. B. Priestley, Fay Weldon and PJ Hammond.

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#30Up Pompeii!

Drama Series - 1969, 16 episodes as Scrophulus

7.3 / 10
Comedy

Up Pompeii! is a British television comedy series broadcast between 1969 and 1970, starring Frankie Howerd. The first series was written by Talbot Rothwell, a scriptwriter for the Carry On films, and the second series by Rothwell and Sid Colin. Two further specials were transmitted in 1975 and 1991. In ancient Pompeii, much-put-upon slave Lurcio navigates the chaotic lives of his owner's family

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#31Country Matters

Drama Series - 1972, 16 episodes as Mr Duffy

4.6 / 10
Drama

An anthology series adapted from plays and short stories by A.E Coppard and H.E. Bates, depicting English country life and rural romance at the turn of the 20th-century. It presents unsentimental stories of human relationships and raw emotions – heartfelt passions, crippling frustrations, unspoken love and destructive jealousy.

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#32Big Deal

Drama Series - 1984, 16 episodes as Tommy

7.3 / 10
Drama

The ups and downs of small time London gambler Robby Box, and the effect that his poker addiction has on his long suffering girlfriend Jan Oliver and family.

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#33Quatermass

Drama Series - 1979, 16 episodes as Arthur

6.8 / 10
DramaSci-Fi & Fantasy

In the near future, a now-elderly Bernard Quatermass investigates the disappearance of his granddaughter and a mysterious cult.

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#34The Fellows

Drama Series - 1967, 16 episodes as Thomas Anthem

8.8 / 10
DramaCrime

Richard Vernon and Michael Aldridge star as Home Office-appointed criminologists in this clever, humorous and highly original Granada series. Devised and co-written by the award-winning Robin Chapman – the creator of the series’ famous prequel The Man in Room 17 – The Fellows charts the continuing work and often strained relationship of Room 17’s former occupants Oldenshaw and Dimmock. Now appointed to the Peel Research Fellowship at All Saints’ College, Cambridge, they no longer simply solve crimes, trap spies and hunt traitors; their new brief is to investigate the changing nature of crime, ultimately advising the police, legislature and government. But the familiar cat-and-mouse game with the criminal fraternity isn’t over yet, and and their ingeniously unorthodox tactics help to ensnare several lynchpins of organised crime – including infamous gangland boss Spindoe.

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#35Absolution

Movie - 1978, 2h 15m as Father Matthews

6.5 / 10
DramaThrillerMystery

At a Catholic boys' school, domineering disciplinarian Father Goddard rules over his pupils with an iron hand. When one of his teenage charges confesses to murder, the dogmatic but deeply repressed Goddard finds his faith challenged and his life spiralling dangerously out of control.

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#36Victoria Regina

Drama Series - 1964, 16 episodes as Mr. Richards

10.0 / 10
Drama

Patricia Routledge gives a career-best performance as Queen Victoria in this 1964 series of plays based on the celebrated collection of dramas by playwright Laurence Housman. Self-willed, obstinate, imperious and passionate... a now-familiar description of one of history's longest-serving female monarchs – but Housman's satirical tribute marked a decisive break with the tradition of the uncritical historical portrait. A Broadway hit deemed too disrespectful for public performance in Britain until the late 1930s, Victoria Regina is a frank portrayal of an extraordinarily complex woman, tracing her development from royal teenager to inconsolable widow at the helm of a vast empire, with all her contradictions, prejudices and unconstitutional behavior.

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#37The Man Who Finally Died

Movie - 1963, 2h 15m as Rahn - Hotel Manager

6.3 / 10
ThrillerMystery

Joe Newman, a naturalised Briton, is telephoned by his German father, whom he believed long dead, at the same time as a funeral is taking place in Bavaria - with his father's name on the coffin. His investigation in Bavaria reveals startling facts and the obstruction he meets makes him suspect foul play.

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#38The Old Crowd

Movie - 1979, 2h 15m as Piano Tuner

5.4 / 10
ComedyDramaTV Movie

George and Betty, a middle-class English couple, have just moved into a big Edwardian house in London and are throwing a party to celebrate. Unfortunately, after ten days none of their furniture has arrived, having been sent to Carlisle by mistake, three of the four toilets don't work and cracks are starting to appear in the ceiling. However, nothing can dent their determination to have a good time.

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#39Passport to Shame

Movie - 1958, 2h 15m as Assistant Registrar

6.1 / 10
DramaCrime

British melodrama about a cabbie befriending a girl caught up in the white slave trade.

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#40The Love-Girl and the Innocent

Movie - 1973, 2h 15m as Belobotnikov

5.6 / 10
DramaTV Movie

The prisoner Nemov is an honest man serving ten years for violations of Article 58. Nemov falls in love with Lyuba, who is having sex with the camp doctor Mereshchun, in exchange for better food and living conditions.

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#41In the Wake of a Stranger

Movie - 1959, 2h 15m as Johnson

10.0 / 10
Thriller

An unfortunate sailor gets implicated in a murder he never committed. After a bookie is murdered, the sailor is caught in an ever-tightening vice that would trap him as the killer unless he can clear himself. Along the way to struggling free and tracking down the real culprits, several unsavory characters cross his path as well as a rather interesting woman who sets romantic sparks flying.

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#42That'll Be The Day

Movie - 1973, 2h 15m as Granddad

6.5 / 10
MusicDrama

Britain, 1958. Restless at school and bored with his life, Jim leaves home to take a series of low-level jobs at a seaside amusement park, where he discovers a world of cheap sex and petty crime. But when that world comes to a shockingly brutal end, Jim returns home. As the local music scene explodes, Jim must decide between a life of adult responsibility or a new phenomenon called rock & roll.

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#43Inadmissible Evidence

Movie - 1968, 2h 15m as Dinner Guest

7.0 / 10
Drama

A lawyer's agonizing journey to the breaking point of his private and professional lives as he becomes more and more alienated from everyone connected with him.

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#44Matchfit

Movie - 1976, 2h 15m as Jack Grace

8.8 / 10
DramaTV Movie

A grumpy Scottish soccer boss meets a young fan in a TB sanatorium.

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#45The Widowmaker

Movie - 1990, 2h 15m as Mourner

10.0 / 10
DramaCrimeTV Movie

The Widowmaker is a 1990 made for television film starring Annabelle Apsion, Alun Armstrong, David Morrissey and Kenneth Welsh. The film deals with a woman whose husband has been arrested after going on a killing rampage and the reaction of her local community. It was produced In the United Kingdom by Central Independent Television for the ITV Network and aired on 29 December 1990. It received a nomination for Best Single Drama at the 1991 BAFTA Awards.

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#46Ride, Ride

Movie - 1970, 2h 15m as Mr Stone

7.0 / 10
Drama

An art student encounters a mysterious girl at a psychedelic party. She insists he give her a ride home on his motorbike, when something very strange occurs.

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