George Sewell
Born	(1924-08-31)31 August 1924 Hoxton,London, England
Died	2 April 2007(2007-04-02) (aged 82) London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1963–2006
Spouse	Helen Logan Davies ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	1

George Sewell (31 August 1924 – 2 April 2007) was an English actor, best known for his television roles, but also active on stage and in films.^[1]

The son of aHoxton printer and aflorist,^[2] Sewell left school at the age of 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses. He then trained as aRoyal Air Force pilot, though too late to see action during theSecond World War.^[2]

Following hisdemob, Sewell joined theMerchant Navy. He worked for theCunard Line as an oil trimmer in the engine rooms of theRMS Queen Mary andRMS Queen Elizabeth during theirAtlantic crossings toNew York. He worked as a street photographer, assisted a French roller-skating team, and was drummer and assistant road manager of arumba band.^[2] He also travelled Europe as amotor coachcourier for a holiday company.^[3]

Sewell had not considered acting until, aged 35,^[2] he met the actorDudley Sutton by chance in a pub.^[3] Sutton recommended that Sewell audition for a production byJoan Littlewood'sTheatre Workshop ofFings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be. Sewell made his acting debut as apoliceman in the show both at theTheatre Royal, Stratford East and in theWest End.^[3] He went on to star in two other Littlewood productions,Sparrers Can't Sing (1962) and asField Marshal Haig inOh! What a Lovely War (1963), which later opened inParis and onBroadway.^[3]

For many years, Sewell was the gritty face of crime and law enforcement in a huge array of television series. Amongst his early roles, he was the tallyman in the television playUp The Junction (1965), a criminal who runs off with a teenage girl inSoftly, Softly (1966), a hard-nosed building engineer inThe Power Game (1965–66), a cowardly informer inMan in a Suitcase (1967), and a seedy private eye inSpindoe (1968). In 1969 he played escaped convict Jansen in theRandall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "Vendetta for a dead man".^[4] In 1970, he played ColonelAlec Freeman inGerry Anderson's live-action science-fiction dramaUFO.^[5] Also in 1970 he played resistance leader Pierre Allard in three episodes of the ITV seriesManhunt – 14 (One Way Home), 17 (The Ugly Side of War) and 22, (Intent to Steal) which were filmed in 1969 and aired in January 1970.^[6][7][8] He appeared in a 1971 episode ofPublic Eye (Come into The Garden, Rose) as Harry Brierly.

In 1973,Euston Films re-invigorated the TV seriesSpecial Branch, formerly a videotaped series starringDerren Nesbitt.^[9] Sewell was brought in to play lead character DCI Alan Craven.^[10] The show ran for two seasons with Sewell, and served as a stylistic forerunner of crime dramaThe Sweeney (in which Sewell also appeared, this time as a villain). Sewell parodied this role asSupt Frank Cottam in theJasper Carrott/Robert Powell comedy,The Detectives.^[11]

He played a Detective Baker who turned out to be a burglar in theRising Damp episodeThe Prowler.^[12]

He played Ray Walker inHeartbeat (series 9 episode 20).

Later television appearances includeTinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), in which he played Mendel, and theDoctor Who storyRemembrance of the Daleks (1988), in which he played builder's merchant andfascist leader Ratcliffe.^[13][14] He appeared frequently in films, notablyThis Sporting Life (1963),Poor Cow (1967) andGet Carter (1971).^[15]

He was the subject ofThis Is Your Life in 1973 when he was surprised byEamonn Andrews while filming scenes for the TV seriesSpecial Branch.^{[citation needed]}

His brother,Danny Sewell, a former boxer, also became an actor.^[16] George Sewell died fromcancer on 2 April 2007 at the age of 82.^[16]

• George Sewell atIMDb
• The Guardian obituary

• 1924 births
• 2007 deaths
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors
• British Merchant Navy personnel
• Deaths from cancer in England
• English male film actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• Male actors from London
• People educated at St Ignatius' College, Enfield
• Actors from the London Borough of Hackney
• Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
• People from Hoxton

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use British English from November 2012
• Use dmy dates from August 2021
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• Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021