Hywel Thomas Bennett (8 April 1944 – 3 August 2017) was a Welsh film and television actor.

Bennett is known for his recurring title role as James Shelley in the television sitcoms Shelley (1979–84) and its sequel The Return of Shelley (1988–92).

After becoming known for his role in the comedy film The Virgin Soldiers(1969), Bennett made appearances in films such as Loot (1970) and Percy(1971). He was in East Enders during 2003 as gangster Jack Dalton.

Biography

Bennett was born in Garnant, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the son of Sarah Gwen (née Lewis) and Gorden Bennett.[2] He was the brother of actor Alun Lewis, who is best known for playing Vic Windsor in Emmerdale. Bennett was brought up in London from an early age, and attended Sunnyhill School, Streatham, Henry Thornton Grammar School, Clapham and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Bennett's first film appearance was as Leonardo in the 1966 Italian it, directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, a comedy in which a young wife carefully plans to murder her husband, who is 40 years her senior, to marry a young beatnik.[3]

Bennett played small parts in Doctor Who (1965) and The Sweeney (1976). He starred in The Virgin Soldiers (1969), the film adaptation of Loot (1970) by Joe Orton, and Percy (1971). He was also cast opposite Hayley Mills in several films, including The Family Way (1966), Twisted Nerve (1968) and Endless Night (1972).

He played major parts in several Dennis Potter television plays, including Where the Buffalo Roam (1966), Pennies from Heaven ("Better Think Twice", 1978) in which he played Tom, a pimp, Karaoke (1996), and Cold Lazarus (also 1996). He took the lead role in Shelley (1979–84) and its sequel The Return of Shelley (1988–92).

He was also the villainous Mr Croup in Neil Gaiman's serial Neverwhere (1996). Bennett also starred in the four-part BBC mini-series Malice Aforethought (1979) based on a novel written in the 1920s by Francis Iles. Bennett's character, Ricki Tarr, was pivotal in the BBC serial based on John le Carré's novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979). He also appeared in Lock, Stock... (2000) as Deep Throat.

In 2003 Bennett joined the cast of the long-running soap opera EastEnders as Jack Dalton, a gangland boss who was a former adversary of Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham) and was believed to have ordered Watts's death in 1989. He first appeared in the series in May 2003, but was written out just two months later when his character was shot dead by Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), son of Den Watts. Just before his death Dalton revealed that Den had survived the shooting 14 years earlier, and later that year Den returned to the series.

Bennett also appeared as an occasional character, Peter Baxter, on The Bill and was in the first episode of Jam & Jerusalem.

He appeared in the 1986 music video of "Loving You's a Dirty Job But Somebody's Gotta Do It" by Bonnie Tyler and Todd Rundgren. He playbacked the Todd Rundgren vocals. The song can be found on Bonnie's album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire.

From 1970 to 1988 Bennett was married to Cathy McGowan, who was the presenter of the TV rock show Ready Steady Go! in the mid-1960s. They had a daughter, Emma. From 1998 he was married to Sandra Layne Fulford. Bennett retired from acting in 2007, and later moved to Deal, Kent. He died on 3 August 2017 aged 73.

Filmography

• it (1966) – Leonardo
• The Family Way (1966) – Arthur Fitton
• Twisted Nerve (1968) – Martin Durnley/Georgie
• The Virgin Soldiers (1969) – Private Brigg
• Loot (1970) – Dennis
• The Buttercup Chain (1970) – France
• Percy (1971) – Edwin Anthony
• Endless Night (1972) – Michael Rogers
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) – Duckworth
• The Love Ban (1973) – Mick Goonahan
• Murder Elite (1984) – Jimmy Fowler
• Witness in the War Zone (1987) – Mike Jessop
• Deadly Advice (1994) – Doctor Crippen
• Married 2 Malcolm (1998) – Reg
• Misery Harbour (1999) – The Captain
• Vatel (2000) – Colbert
• Nasty Neighbours (2000) – The Boss
• One for the Road (2003) – Richard Stevens

• Doctor Who (1965 serial The Chase) – Rynian
• Redcap (1965) – Brown
• Theatre 625 (1965–66) – Beliayev Lipstrob
• The Idiot (1966) – Hypolite
• The Sweeney (1976) – Steven Castle
• Pennies from Heaven (1978) − Tom
• Malice Aforethought (1979) – Dr Edmund Bickleigh
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) – Ricki Tarr
• Shelley (1979 to 1992) – James Shelley
• Artemis 81 (1981) – Gideon Harlax
• The Consultant (1984) – Chris Webb
• A Mind to Kill (1991)[clarification needed] – Dr Gareth Lewis
• The Other Side of Paradise (1992) – Purvis
• Karaoke (1996) – Arthur 'Pig' Mailion
• Neverwhere (1996) – Mr Croup
• The Bill (2000 episode "Catch a Falling Star") – Pete Tyler
• Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2001 episode "Whatever Possessed You?" ) – Roger Whale

2001 Time Gentleman Please

• Last of the Summer Wine (2002 episode "It all began with a Volvo headlamp") - Kevin
• EastEnders (2003) – Jack Dalton