Richard Heffer
Encyclopedia
Richard Heffer is a British
actor, best known for his roles on television in the 1970s and 1980s, when he became a very familiar face.
He played supporting roles in a variety of series in his early career, including Department S
, The Pathfinders and Jason King
, before landing the role of British Army Captain Tim Downing in the hit BBC 1970s television series, Colditz
(1972-74), in which Heffer was a regular throughout. He went on to play Det. Sgt. Alan Bruton in the final series of Dixon of Dock Green
(1976) and Peter Porteous in two series of Enemy at the Door
(1978,1980).
Heffer went on to guest in Father Brown
, Public Eye and Survivors
in the 1970s. He played Peter Witney alongside Roy Marsden
in Airline
in 1982, and took the leading role of rabies expert Michael Hilliard in the acclaimed BBC thriller The Mad Death
in 1983. He also played Dr Charles Cartwright in the early series of the sitcom, Don't Wait Up
.
Heffer continued to appear regularly on TV drama series in the 1980s, going on to star alongside Marsden again in Anglia's adaptation of The Black Tower
, and continued to appear in guest roles in Boon
, Howards' Way
. His appearances on television have been less prolific in recent years although he has appeared in Wycliffe
, Trial & Retribution
, Heartbeat and Rosemary & Thyme
. He has also narrated two recent special feature documentaries for 2entertain
's Doctor Who
DVD range in 2010.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor, best known for his roles on television in the 1970s and 1980s, when he became a very familiar face.
He played supporting roles in a variety of series in his early career, including Department S
Department S
Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The series consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969–1970. It starred Peter Wyngarde as author Jason King , Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan, and Rosemary Nicols as computer expert Annabelle Hurst...
, The Pathfinders and Jason King
Jason King (TV series)
Jason King was a British television series produced from 1971 to 1972. Each episode was one hour in duration , and the series had a run of one season of 26 episodes. As well as its native UK, the series was also screened in countries as far afield as Australia, Norway, Argentina and Peru...
, before landing the role of British Army Captain Tim Downing in the hit BBC 1970s television series, Colditz
Colditz (TV series)
Colditz is a British television series co-produced by the BBC and Universal Studios and screened between 1972 and 1974.The series deals with Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle when designated Oflag IV-C during World War II, and their many attempts to...
(1972-74), in which Heffer was a regular throughout. He went on to play Det. Sgt. Alan Bruton in the final series of Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
(1976) and Peter Porteous in two series of Enemy at the Door
Enemy at the Door
Enemy At The Door is a British television drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The series was shown between 1978 and 1980 and dealt with the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second World War...
(1978,1980).
Heffer went on to guest in Father Brown
Father Brown
Father Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor , a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922...
, Public Eye and Survivors
Survivors
Survivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction television series devised by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC from 1975 to 1977...
in the 1970s. He played Peter Witney alongside Roy Marsden
Roy Marsden
Roy Marsden is an English actor, who is probably best known for his portrayal of Adam Dalgliesh in the Anglia Television dramatisations of P. D. James's detective novels.- Education :...
in Airline
Airline (1982 TV series)
Airline is a British television series produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network in 1982.The series starred Roy Marsden as Jack Ruskin, a pilot demobbed after the end of the Second World War who starts up his own air freight business....
in 1982, and took the leading role of rabies expert Michael Hilliard in the acclaimed BBC thriller The Mad Death
The Mad Death
The Mad Death is a television serial made by BBC Scotland. It was filmed in 1981 and transmitted 2 years later in 1983. The programme has only ever been repeated twice; once on BBC in 1985 and again in 1993 on UK Gold...
in 1983. He also played Dr Charles Cartwright in the early series of the sitcom, Don't Wait Up
Don't Wait Up
Don't Wait Up is a British sitcom that aired for six series from 1983 to 1990 on BBC1. It starred Nigel Havers, Tony Britton and Dinah Sheridan, and was written by George Layton...
.
Heffer continued to appear regularly on TV drama series in the 1980s, going on to star alongside Marsden again in Anglia's adaptation of The Black Tower
The Black Tower
The Black Tower is an Adam Dalgliesh novel by P.D. James, published in 1975.-Plot outline:"Adam Dalgliesh, convalescing after a severe illness, arrives at Toynton Grange , the rest home for the young disabled, just too late to find out why his old friend Father Baddeley had sent for him...
, and continued to appear in guest roles in Boon
Boon (TV series)
Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV...
, Howards' Way
Howards' Way
Howards' Way is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC One between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the yachting and business communities in the fictional town of Tarrant on the South Coast of...
. His appearances on television have been less prolific in recent years although he has appeared in Wycliffe
Wycliffe (TV series)
Wycliffe is a British TV series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe . It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a...
, Trial & Retribution
Trial & Retribution
Trial & Retribution is a feature-length ITV police proceduraltelevision drama series that began in 1997. It was devised and written by Lynda La Plante as a follow-on from her successful television series Prime Suspect. Each episode of the Trial & Retribution series is broadcast over two nights. The...
, Heartbeat and Rosemary & Thyme
Rosemary & Thyme
Rosemary & Thyme is a British television mystery series that starred Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003, and the third series ended in August 2007...
. He has also narrated two recent special feature documentaries for 2entertain
2 Entertain
2 Entertain is a British video and music publisher, formed by the merger of BBC Video and Video Collection International in 2004....
's Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
DVD range in 2010.