David Collings
Born	(1940-06-04)4 June 1940 Brighton, Sussex, England
Died	23 March 2020(2020-03-23) (aged 79)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1961–2019
Children	3, includingSamuel Collings

David Collings (4 June 1940 – 23 March 2020)^[1] was an English actor. In an extensive career he appeared in many roles on stage, television, film and radio, as well as various audio books, voiceovers, concert readings and other work. He garnered a following through his numerous appearances in cult sci-fi series such asDoctor Who,Sapphire & Steel andBlake's 7, as well as dubbing the titular character in the seriesMonkey and Legolas in the classicBBC Radio 4 adaptation of Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings.

Collings was born inBrighton on 4 June 1940.

Collings's screen breakthrough came playing the protagonist Raskolnikov inFyodor Dostoyevsky'sCrime & Punishment (1964 withAssociated-Rediffusion Television).^[2] The production was broadcast live. He has played historical characters such asPercy Grainger inKen Russell'sSong of Summer (1968), Richard Simmons in The Shadow of the Tower (1972),John Ruskin inThe Love School (1975), a BBC series about thePre-Raphaelites, and SirAnthony Babington inElizabeth R. In 1975, he portrayedWilliam Wilberforce inThe Fight Against Slavery, and he starred asWilliam Pitt inPrince Regent in 1979.

Collings also appeared as Deva in the final episode ofBlake's 7 and as the character of 'Silver' in several episodes ofSapphire & Steel TV adventures.^[3] He appeared in the TV seriesDanger Man,Mystery and Imagination,UFO (episode "The Psychobombs") andGideon's Way; in the last, he played an emotionally disturbed man attacking young women in the episode "The Prowler".

Collings played the character ofBob Cratchit in the classic 1970 film musical,Scrooge, starring alongside Albert Finney, Dame Edith Evans, Sir Alec Guinness, Kenneth More, Anton Rodgers and others. In 1981 he played the dual roles of Lord Dark and The Friendly Ghost in the perennial school-children's favouriteDark Towers, part of the Look and Read series. He voiced the eponymous lead for the long-running hit Japanese television seriesJourney to the West, released in English-speaking countries asMonkey. The show was a hit and had a mass following, particularly with young people. He is also noted for his children's television appearances including the role of Julian Oakapple inMidnight is a Place (1977). In 1989 he played Charn (the villain) inThrough the Dragon's Eye, and had a recurring role as the headmaster inPress Gang from 1989 to 1993.

He has appeared a number of times in the long-running British science fiction television seriesDoctor Who, including Vorus inRevenge of the Cybermen, Poul inThe Robots of Death and Mawdryn in the serialMawdryn Undead.^[4] He has also played an alternate Doctor in theaudio plays byBig Finish Productions in theDoctor Who Unbound series,Full Fathom Five, alongside other Doctor Who audio credits. Collings returned to the role of Poul, now named Paulus, in the episodeHidden Persuaders of the audio drama seriesKaldor City and in Big Finish Productions'The Robots series, now named Poul again.

On radio, he portrayedLegolas in the classicBBC Radio 4 adaptation ofThe Lord of the Rings.^[5]

He was Mr Carlyle in Radio 4's seven-episode serial dramatisation ofEast Lynne by Mrs Henry Wood, first broadcast in June 1987.^[6]

Collings was described byThe Stage as a "stalwart of theNational andRSC".^[7] His career on stage began with seasons at theLiverpool Rep and subsequently took him all over the world with leading companies includingCheek by Jowl, as well asBAM and theLincoln Center in New York.

He has had a long theatre career appearing in various productions in the UK, US and globally, ranging from Shakespeare and his contemporaries, classical works,Restoration dramas and farce, through to contemporary classics and new plays. He played the parts of Mortimer the Elder and Matrevis in a production ofEdward II at theRoyal Exchange, Manchester, which also featured his son, the actor Samuel Collings. He also appeared as the King of France inHenry V, and finally Giles Corey inThe Crucible at the same venue.

He died aged 79, on 23 March 2020.^[8][9]

• David Collings atIMDb

• 1940 births
• 2020 deaths
• English male film actors
• English male Shakespearean actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• English male voice actors
• Male actors from Brighton
• Royal Shakespeare Company members

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from August 2017
• Use dmy dates from March 2023
• Articles with hCards
• Place of death missing