Gray, with his ever present cigarette and constipated, pained expression
Gray, aka No-Neck, the Criminologist Narrator of the 1975 monster cult film THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, was born Donald Marshall Gray in England on August 29th, 1928.
The man who also played Bond villain Ernst Blofeld and Sherlock Holmes older brother Mycroft on film & TV, died March 7th, 2000 at age 71.
Charles Gray had a six decade career as a stage, film and TV scene stealer.
He made his Broadway debut as Henry Bolingbroke in 1956's KING RICHARD II with John Neville & Claire Bloom. Gray also appeared on The Great White Way in MacBETH, ROMEO AND JULIET, AS YOU LIKE IT, TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN (with Coral Browne), POOR BITOS, and he played the Prince of Wales in the 1961 musical KEAN with Alfred Drake (billed as Oliver Gray).
Closer to home, Gray performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he received his vocal training.
His British theater credits include: EXPRESSO BONGO, THE ALCHEMIST, TWELFTH NIGHT, JULIUS CAESAR, ARDELE, POOR BITOS, THE WINTER'S TALE, RICHARD II, ROMEO AND JULIET, MacBETH, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE and THE PHILANTHROPIST.
Gray made his telly debut in 1957 and the following year appeared in his first 2 feature films: I ACCUSE, directed by and starring Jose Ferrer as Capt. Alfred Dreyfus & Clive Donner's HEART OF A CHILD with Donald Pleasence.
My favorite Gray big screen roles, in chronological order, include:
The jealous Astronaut Leo in the 1960 comedy MAN IN THE MOON with Kenneth More
Nazi General von Seidlitz-Gabler in 1967's THE NIGHT OF THE GENERALS
Donald Pleasance, Peter O'Toole, Gray and Omar Sharif in GENERALS
His first of 2 appearances in the James Bond films:
Japan-based British Intelligence agent Dikko Henderson in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
Allied General Adrian Cox-Roberts in THE SECRET WAR OF HARRY FRIGG with Paul Newman, Sylvia Koscina, Andrew Duggan, Tom Bosley, John Williams & Jacques Roux
Satan-worshiping cult leader Mocata in the 1968 Hammer Films classic
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT aka THE DEVIL'S BRIDE
Master criminal/counterfeiter Harrison aka The Owl in THE FILE OF THE GOLDEN GOOSE with Yul Brynner
Air Commodore Hufford in MOSQUITO SQUADRON with David McCallum
The Earl of Essex in 1970's CROMWELL with Robert Morley
My favorite Gray role, his hammy take on arch criminal Ernst Blofeld (plus his doubles & drag incarnation) in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER with Sean Connery as 007
and Jill St. John as Tiffany Case
Diplomat Arthur Bennington in the 1974 werewolf opus THE BEAST MUST DIE
Playing chess with Peter Cushing in BEAST
The role he is probably best remembered for--The Criminologist Narrator aka No-Neck, in the 1975 film version of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
His first time playing Sherlock Holmes older brother, Mycroft, in the 1976 thrill ride
THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION with Nicol Williamson as Sherlock, Robert Duvall as Dr. Watson, Laurence Olivier as Prof. Moriarty and Alan Arkin as Sigmund Freud
Notorious Ravenshurst estate guest Karl Liebnecht in the 1978 horror film THE LEGACY with Katherine Ross, Sam Elliott and Roger Daltrey
Bates the Butler in THE MIRROR CRACK'D with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Edward Fox and Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple
Reunited with ROCKY HORROR director Jim Sharman, as Judge Oliver Wright in
1981's SHOCK TREATMENT, a sequel to the HORROR SHOW
With Ruby Wax in ST
Sir James Chorley in the spy thriller THE JIGSAW MAN with Michael Caine
and Laurence Olivier
On TV, Gray's notable roles include:
Back playing Mycroft Holmes, opposite Jeremy Brett as his little brother, in 4 guest spots on the Granada productions of THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES & THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES,10 appearances on BBC PLAY OF THE MONTH, opposite Margaret Leighton as her husband Lord Seacroft in the 6 episode run of the 1973 comedy THE UPPER CRUSTS, General ''Freddie'' DeGuingand in IKE: THE WAR YEARS with Robert Duvall, Earl Spencer in CHARLES & DIANA: A ROYAL LOVE STORY, General Lischke in THE HOUSE ON GARIBALDI STREET, Claudius in AN ENGLISHMAN ABROAD with Alan Bates & Coral Browne, the title role in THE GOURMET, Rudyard Parkinson in the 1988 miniseries SMALL WORLD, Admiral Dennis D'Ath in TALES FROM THE POOP DECK, The Judge in the 1994 miniseries SCARLETT, Sir Ranald Hearney in the 1996 series MADSON with Ian McShane, his many televised versions of Shakespeare (title role in JULIUS CAESAR, Malvolio in TWELFTH NIGHT, Duke of York in RICHARD II, etc.), The Prime Minister in THE PAPER MAN and his last role, Admiral Balchen in 2000's LONGITUDE with Jeremy Irons.
Gray in THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES episode The Mazarin Stone
Bros Brett and Gray with David Burke's Dr. Watson in
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES The Greek Interpreter
With Leighton in THE UPPER CRUSTS
LONGITUDE
His other film and TV credits include:
THE ENTERTAINER, SWORD OF FREEDOM, BBC-SUNDAY NIGHT THEATRE, FOLLOW A STAR, TOMMY THE TOREADOR, NO HIDING PLACE, KRAFT MYSTERY THEATER, THE FOUR JUST MEN, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE, DANGER MAN, ITV PLAY OF THE WEEK, DESIGN FOR MURDER, MAIGRET, ARMCHAIR MYSTERY THEATRE, MASQUERADE, DRAMA 61-67, THE MAN OUTSIDE, MENACE, OH IN COLOR, THIRTY-MINUTE THEATRE, UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, THE EXECUTIONER, THE NINE AGES OF NAKEDNESS, THE RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, SEX THROUGH THE AGES, ORSON WELLES' GREAT MYSTERIES, FALL OF EAGLES, THRILLER, CHURCHILL'S PEOPLE, MUTINY, SEVEN NIGHTS IN JAPAN, THIRTY MINUTE THEATRE,
SOFTLY SOFTLY: TASK FORCE, THE SUNDAY DRAMA, THREE DANGEROUS LADIES, MRS. R'S DAUGHTER, SILVER BEARS, HEARTLAND, WE, THE ACCUSED, TICKET TO HEAVEN, THE DESPERATE MAN, TALL TALES AND LEGENDS, C.A.T.S. EYES, TICKETS FOR THE TITANIC, PORTERHOUSE BLUE, DREAMS LOST, DREAMS FOUND, THE NEW STATESMAN, HANNAY, BLIND JUSTICE, BLACKEYES, Satan in HARRY AND HARRIET, SHRINKS, THE NEW STATESMAN, THE TICHBORNE CLAIMANT, FIRESTAR: FIRST CONTACT and more.
With Lyndon Brook in THIRTY MINUTE THEATRE's 3 part presentation of
Something to Hide
MASQUERADE with Cliff Robertson and Jack Hawkins
With Micheal York in SEVEN NIGHTS IN JAPAN
Did you know...?
In the late 1970's,
Gray directed JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR & OLIVIER! at the Paper Mill Playhouse in
New Jersey.
Gray dubbed for Jack Hawkins after the actor lost his voice to throat cancer in such films as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, WHEN EIGHT BELLS TOLL, THEATER OF BLOOD & TALES THAT WITNESS MADNESS.
Gray at work:
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT/THE DEVIL'S BRIDE Spoiler Alert!
THE BEAST MUST DIE
TV's SHERLOCK HOLMES
SHOCK TREATMENT
BBC PLAY OF THE MONTH
More on Gray:
With his neighbor and good friend Ava Gardner
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