Roger Lloyd Pack(1944-2014)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
A superbly versatile character actor of lugubrious countenance and
strong physical presence, Roger was the son of
Charles Lloyd Pack, a frequent
supporting actor in British films of the '50s and '60s. Roger
was educated at Bedales, a prestigious co-educational school in
Hampshire, noted for a laid-back approach and a pronounced emphasis
towards arts, crafts and drama. With inspiration provided by his drama
teacher and rather liking the attention and applause that came with
being on stage, Lloyd Pack managed to attain A-levels in languages.
After leaving school, aged nineteen, he successfully auditioned for
RADA, where one of his teachers was the actor
Peter Barkworth. Soon after, he made his
stage debut in the Elizabethan play "The Shoemaker's Holiday" at
Northampton Repertory Theatre. From the beginning, Lloyd Pack always
thought of becoming a Shakespearean actor. However, his career took him
on quite a different path.
His first television appearances were similar peripheral 'no-name
parts' as cleaners, soldiers and constables. After years of toiling in
relative obscurity, he finally managed to secure a recurring role as
the vacuous, simple-minded road sweeper Colin 'Trigger' Ball in the
sitcom
Only Fools and Horses (1981).
Appearing in nearly every episode of the long-running series, Lloyd
Pack came to be identified with this character in the national
consciousness to such an extent, that he could "not go anywhere without
anyone going on about it".
His next popular casting was no less fortuitous: that of the flatulent,
somewhat seedy farmer Owen Newitt in
The Vicar of Dibley (1994),
lusting after Dawn French's extrovert cleric
(when not entertaining dubious thoughts about farm animals). On the big
screen, Lloyd Pack reached a wider audience as Bartemius Crouch Sr, a
ruthless Ministry of Magic functionary in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005),
destined to be killed by his Death Eater son, played by
David Tennant. Still more dramatic
was his role as evil megalomaniac John Lumic (who creates an army of
cybermen in his pursuit of immortality) menacing Tennant and company in
the Doctor Who (1963) two-parter
Rise of the Cybermen (2006) and The Age of Steel (2006), set on a parallel Earth.
Lloyd Pack thoroughly enjoyed participating in the iconic series.
Lloyd Pack's theatrical work encompassed performances at the National,
the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court. He was much
acclaimed for roles in plays by
Harold Pinter and latterly portrayed the
Duke of Buckingham in "Richard III" at the Globe. On screen, he was
glimpsed as Inspector Mendel in
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
and as a friar, friend of Cardinal Della Rovere, in
The Borgias (2011). The actor was
self-effacing in private life and was much esteemed by his peers. He
was an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspurs, cricket and left-wing
causes.
strong physical presence, Roger was the son of
Charles Lloyd Pack, a frequent
supporting actor in British films of the '50s and '60s. Roger
was educated at Bedales, a prestigious co-educational school in
Hampshire, noted for a laid-back approach and a pronounced emphasis
towards arts, crafts and drama. With inspiration provided by his drama
teacher and rather liking the attention and applause that came with
being on stage, Lloyd Pack managed to attain A-levels in languages.
After leaving school, aged nineteen, he successfully auditioned for
RADA, where one of his teachers was the actor
Peter Barkworth. Soon after, he made his
stage debut in the Elizabethan play "The Shoemaker's Holiday" at
Northampton Repertory Theatre. From the beginning, Lloyd Pack always
thought of becoming a Shakespearean actor. However, his career took him
on quite a different path.
His first television appearances were similar peripheral 'no-name
parts' as cleaners, soldiers and constables. After years of toiling in
relative obscurity, he finally managed to secure a recurring role as
the vacuous, simple-minded road sweeper Colin 'Trigger' Ball in the
sitcom
Only Fools and Horses (1981).
Appearing in nearly every episode of the long-running series, Lloyd
Pack came to be identified with this character in the national
consciousness to such an extent, that he could "not go anywhere without
anyone going on about it".
His next popular casting was no less fortuitous: that of the flatulent,
somewhat seedy farmer Owen Newitt in
The Vicar of Dibley (1994),
lusting after Dawn French's extrovert cleric
(when not entertaining dubious thoughts about farm animals). On the big
screen, Lloyd Pack reached a wider audience as Bartemius Crouch Sr, a
ruthless Ministry of Magic functionary in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005),
destined to be killed by his Death Eater son, played by
David Tennant. Still more dramatic
was his role as evil megalomaniac John Lumic (who creates an army of
cybermen in his pursuit of immortality) menacing Tennant and company in
the Doctor Who (1963) two-parter
Rise of the Cybermen (2006) and The Age of Steel (2006), set on a parallel Earth.
Lloyd Pack thoroughly enjoyed participating in the iconic series.
Lloyd Pack's theatrical work encompassed performances at the National,
the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court. He was much
acclaimed for roles in plays by
Harold Pinter and latterly portrayed the
Duke of Buckingham in "Richard III" at the Globe. On screen, he was
glimpsed as Inspector Mendel in
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
and as a friar, friend of Cardinal Della Rovere, in
The Borgias (2011). The actor was
self-effacing in private life and was much esteemed by his peers. He
was an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspurs, cricket and left-wing
causes.