Charismatic
Actor known for his versatility in
British TV drama and as a campaigner for BAME performersLouis Mahoney, who has died aged 81, was one of the first black actors to appear regularly on British television, becoming a recognisable face during a successful 55-year career on the small screen. His charismatic, often zestful performances – although he was as capable of unflappable professionalism and quiet menace as he was of his natural avuncular charm – culminated earlier this year with a vivacious turn in the popular divorce drama The Split (2020) as a bungee-jumping priest with a bucket list.
He cropped up as a guest actor in almost every popular drama going, from Dixon of Dock Green (1965) to Holby City (2016) via three turns in Doctor Who (1973, 1975 and latterly a touching deathbed scene with Carey Mulligan in the acclaimed 2007 episode Blink).