Don Warrington MBE (born Don Williams, 23 May 1951) is a Trinidadian-born British actor. He is best known for playing Philip Smith in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp (1974–78), and Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in the BBC detective series Death in Paradise (2011–present)<!--It has not been confirmed that he has left Death in Paradise-->. His son, Jake Fairbrother, is also an actor.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.
Early life
Warrington was born in Trinidad but moved to Newcastle upon Tyne with his mother and brother at the age of five, whilst his sister stayed in Trinidad. His father, Basil Kydd, was a Trinidadian politician who died in 1958.
Warrington attended Harris College (now the University of Lancashire) and trained as an actor at the Drama Centre London. As there was already an actor called Don Williams when he joined Equity, he took the stage surname Warrington after Warrington Road, the street he grew up in. He started acting in repertory theatre at the age of 17.
Career
Television and film
Warrington originally became well known for playing Philip Smith in Rising Damp, from 1974 to 1978, alongside Leonard Rossiter, Richard Beckinsale, and Frances de la Tour. Warrington also appeared as series regular in the crime drama C.A.T.S. Eyes, as government contact Nigel Beaumont (1985–1987); as General Harris in Impact Earth (2007),
He also appeared as jazz musician Frederick J. Louden in a BBC radio production of The Devil's Music, written by Alan Plater. In 2011, Warrington played the father of a suspected terrorist in the last series of the BBC drama Waking the Dead. In 2012, he played master of the college Marcus Harding in “Generation of Vipers”, S6:E2 of Lewis. the Royal Shakespeare Company, Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Exchange, Manchester.
In 2012–13, he toured with Gwen Taylor in a new stage version of Driving Miss Daisy.
In 2013, Warrington played the lead role of Joe Keller, in Talawa Theatre Company's all-black revival of Arthur Miller's tragedy All My Sons at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, directed by Michael Buffong – a production that The Guardian reviewer called "flawless", giving it a five-star rating.
Warrington performed in the lead role of King Lear in a 2016 Talawa Theatre Company and Royal Exchange, Manchester production. Mark Shenton wrote in The Stage that "Warrington seizes and owns it with magnetic, majestic power" as "one of many virtues in this outstanding production." Claire Allfree in The Telegraph wrote: "Lear is the Everest of roles, and Don Warrington ... ascends the cliff face with magnificent authority. He rages around his daughters like a hulking thunder cloud in human form, not just the incarnation of absolute rule but of something more ancient and of the earth."
Warrington appeared as George in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross between October 2017 and February 2018 at the Playhouse Theatre alongside Christian Slater, Robert Glenister, Kris Marshall and Daniel Ryan.
He appeared as the central protagonist Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the Royal Exchange Theatre from October to November 2018.
Strictly Come Dancing
In 2008, Warrington competed in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with the 2005 and 2006 British National Champion in Latin American dance, Lilia Kopylova. After Week 4, Warrington was joint seventh out of the remaining 12 contestants with an average of 24.5 points. In Week 5, he was eliminated, having lost the dance-off against Heather Small, with the first three judges all voting for Small over Warrington.
He joined the show to step out of his comfort zone, and he appreciated the opportunity to learn to dance.
{|class="wikitable" align="left".
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Week #
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Dance/Song
|colspan="5" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Judges' score
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Result
|-
|-
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Horwood
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Phillips
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Goodman
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Tonioli
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Total
|-
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|1
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Cha-Cha-Cha / "Let's Groove Tonight"
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|3
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|5
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|6
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|5
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|19
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Dance Off
|-
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|3
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Tango / "Whatever Lola Wants"
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|7
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|7
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|30
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Safe
|-
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|5
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|American Smooth / "Can't Smile Without You"
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|6
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|6
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|7
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|6
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|25
|align="center" bgcolor="FAF6F6"|Eliminated
|}
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1976
| Meetings, Bloody Meetings
|
| Short film
|-
| 1979
| The Last Giraffe
| Peter Mwenga
| Television film
|-
| 1980
| Rising Damp
| Philip Smith
|
|-
| 1984
| Bloodbath at the House of Death
| Stephen Wilson
|
|-
| 1987
| The Lion of Africa
| Henry Piggot
| Television film
|-
| 1990
| Camping
| Afrikansk Ambassadør
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1994
| Red Dwarf: Smeg Ups
| Commander Binks
| Direct-to-video
|-
| The Anatomist's Notebook
| Anatomist
| Short film
|-
| 1996
| Hamlet
| Voltimand
|
|-
| 1997
| The Trick
| The Magic Man
| Short film
|-
| 1998
| Babymother
| Luther - The Don
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="4"|1999
| 8½ Women
| Simon
|
|-
| Tube Tales
| Preacher
| Segment: "Steal Away"
|-
| Lighthouse
| Prison Officer Ian Goslet
|
|-
| Black XXX-Mas
| Black Santa
| Short film
|-
| 2000
| Trick of the Light
| Columbine
| Short film
|-
| rowspan="2"|2004
| Monkey Trousers
| Various roles
| Television film
|-
| Fat Slags
| General Secretary
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2006
| Land of the Blind
| First Sergeant
|
|-
| The Battersea Ripper
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2007
| Expresso
| Mr. Jones (Autopilot)
| Short film
|-
| Impact Earth
| General Harris
| Television film
|-
| 2008
| God, Smell and Her
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2010
| It's a Wonderful Afterlife
| Chief Superintendent
|
|-
| Interval
| Sir Jeffries
| Short film
|-
| Terry Pratchett's Going Postal
| Priest
| Television film
|-
| 2011
| The Glass Man
| Anton
|
|-
| 2013
| Voodoo Magic
| Lucky
|
|-
| 2014
| Night Shift
| Well-Mannered Don
| Short film
|-
| 2015
| The Ark
| Paul
| Television film
|-
| 2017
| You, Me and Him
| Charles
|
|-
| 2020
| Spanish Pigeon
| DI Patrick Greene
| Short film
|-
| 2021
| Rhythm of Life
|
| Short film
|-
| 2022
| Still We Thrive
|
| Short film
|-
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1974
| Crown Court
| Emmanuel Nyopa
| 3 episodes: "The Probationer: Parts 1, 2 & 3"
|-
| 1974–1978
| Rising Damp
| Philip Smith
| Series regular; 28 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3"|1975
| Six Days of Justice
| Henry Vaughan
| Episode: "The Good Samaritan"
|-
| Against the Crowd
| Albert Sharpe II
| Episode: "Carbon Copy"
|-
| Second City Firsts
| Dave
| Episode: "Club Havana"
|-
| 1976
| The XYY Man
| Jomo Ibbon
| Recurring role; 2 episodes
|-
| 1978
| Crown Court
| Delroy Conway
| Episode: "Black and Blue: Part 1"
|-
| 1979
| Play for Today
| Jonathan Foot
| Episode: "Billy"
|-
| 1981
| Triangle
| Alan Lansing
| Recurring role; 8 episodes
|-
| 1982
| Holding the Fort
| Lieutenant Augustus Mrwebi
| Episode: "All Boys Together"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1983
| Live from Pebble Mill
| Leroy
| Episode: "Night Kids"
|-
| rowspan="2"|Crown Court
| rowspan="2"|Charles Benjamin
| Episode: "A Black and White Case: Part 1"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1984
| Episode: "Oddball: Part 1"
|-
| Fairly Secret Army
| Johnson
| Episode: "When the Talking Had to Stop"
|-
| 1985–1986
| The Mysteries
| Angel Gabriel
| Miniseries; 3 episodes
|-
| 1985–1987
| C.A.T.S. Eyes
| Nigel Beaumont
| Series regular; 28 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3"|1992
| Red Dwarf
| Commander Binks
| Episode: "Holoship"
|-
| Bookmark
| Macbeth
| Episode: "The Poet, the President and the Travelling Players"
|-
| Trainer
| DI Raffe
| Recurring role; 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|1993
| Lovejoy
| Felix
| Episode: "Dainty Dish"
|-
| To Play the King
| Graham Gaunt
| Miniseries; 3 episodes
|-
| 1994
| The 10%ers
| Fraser
| Episode: "Awards"
|-
| 1995
| Chiller
| John Meyburne
| Episode: "Number Six"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1997
| Grange Hill
| Mr. Phillips
| Recurring role; 8 episodes
|-
| Backup
| Youden
| Episode: "Touched"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1999
| The Seventh Scroll
| Colonel Nogo
| Miniseries; 3 episodes
|-
| CI5: The New Professionals
| Ndaka
| Episode: "Tusk Force"
|-
| rowspan="2"|2000
| Arabian Nights
| Hari Ben Karim
| Miniseries; 2 episodes
|-
| Trial & Retribution
| Willard Pembroke
| Episode: "Trial and Retribution IV (Part 2)"
|-
| 2001
| The Armando Iannucci Shows
| Ivy Diner
| Episode: "Mortality" (uncredited role)
|-
| 2002
| Believe Nothing
| Chairman
| Recurring role; 4 episodes
|-
| 2002–2003
| Manchild
| Patrick
| Recurring role; 4 episodes
|-
| 2003
| Holby City
| Ethan Hope
| Recurring role; 4 episodes
|-
| 2003–2005
| The Crouches
| Bailey
| Series regular; 12 episodes
|-
| 2006
| Doctor Who
| The President
| Episode: "Rise of the Cybermen"
|-
| 2006–2007
| New Street Law
| Judge Ken Winyard
| Series regular; 13 episodes
|-
| 2007
| Diamond Geezer
| Hector
| Miniseries; 1 episode: "Old School Lies"
|-
| 2009, 2014
| Law & Order: UK
| Police Commissioner Eamonn Callaghan
| Recurring role; 2 episodes
|-
| 2009–2010
| Casualty
| Trevor
| Recurring role; 7 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3"|2011
| M.I. High
| Bodleian / Crime
| Episode: "Ghosts"
|-
| Waking the Dead
| Gideon Barclay
| 2 episodes: "Conviction: Parts 1 & 2"
|-
| This is Jinsy
| Chief Thinker
| Episode: "Vel"
|-
| 2011–Present
| Death in Paradise
| Commissioner Selwyn Patterson
| Series regular; 77 episodes
|-
| 2012
| Lewis
| Marcus Harding
| Episode: "Generation of Vipers"
|-
| 2014
| Chasing Shadows
| CS Harley Drayton
| Miniseries; 4 episodes
|-
| 2015
| BBC Comedy Feeds: Sunny D
| Lawrence
| Miniseries; 4 episodes
|-
| 2016
| The Five
| Ray Kenwood
| Miniseries; 7 episodes
|-
| 2017
| Henry IX
| Gilbert
| Miniseries; 3 episodes
|-
| 2020–2022
| The World According to Grandpa
| Grandpa
| Series regular; 29 episodes
|-
| 2023, 2025
| Beyond Paradise
| Commissioner Selwyn Patterson
| 2 episodes
|-
|}