Gareth Daniel Noake Thomas (12 February 1945 – 13 April 2016) was a Welsh actor. He rose to national prominence playing the role of Roj Blake in the BBC science fiction television series Blake's 7 (1978–1981).

Early life

Thomas was born on 12 February 1945 in Brentford, England, and grew up in Aberystwyth, Wales. His third wife was Linda. After many years living in the Scottish Borders, he moved to Surrey in 2009.

Death

Thomas died in Surrey on 13 April 2016 of heart failure, aged 71. His Blake's 7 co-star Stephen Greif paid tribute, saying he was "very sad to hear of the death of my good friend Gareth Thomas. We were at RADA then Blake's 7 and onwards. He was a proud Welshman."

|-

| 1972

| The Ragman's Daughter

| Tom

| Crime–drama romantic film directed by Harold Becker.

|-

| 1973

| Super Bitch

| Trenchcoated Detective

| (, Can anyone be more bastard than Inspector Cliff?) Italian directed by Massimo Dallamano.

|-

| 1974

| Juggernaut

| Liverpool Joiner

| Crime suspense film directed by Richard Lester.

|-

| 1992

| Waterland

| Publican

| American-British drama film directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal

|-

| 1993

| Sparrow

| Corrado

| () Italian drama film directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

|-

|2003

|Hamlet

|King Claudius

|-

| 2008

| Imaginary Summer

| Starring role

| Drama film directed by Rebecca Coley.

|-

| 2010

| Made in Romania

| Gary Devane

| Comedy film directed, produced, and written by Guy J. Louthan.

|-

|}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

| 1965

| Romeo and Juliet

| Benvolio

| Made-for-TV-Movie

|-

| 1967

| The Avengers

| Assassin

| Episode: "Murdersville" (S 5:Ep 23)

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1969

| The Wednesday Play

| Doorman

| Episode: "The Apprentices" (Ep 137)

|-

| Parkin's Patch

| Ron Radley

| Recurring from 1969 to 1970

|-

| rowspan="3" | 1971

| Coronation Street

| Mel Ryan

| Episode: "Wed 2 Jun, 1971"

|-

| Z-Cars

| Tim Ward

| Episode: "The Taker" (S 5:Ep 410)

|-

| Public Eye

| Briggs

| Episode: "The Man Who Didn't Eat Sweets: (S 5:9)

|-

| rowspan="7" |1972

| Play for Today

| Herbert Griffith

| Episode: "Stocker's Copper" (S 2:Ep 12)

|-

| No Exit

| Matthew

| Episode: "A Man's Fair Share Of Days" (S 1:Ep 3)

|-

| Drama Playhouse

| Alec Duthie

| Episode: "Sutherland's Law: Man Overboard" (S 3:Ep 1)

|-

| Z-Cars

| Ken Knowles

| Episode: "Public Relations" (S 7:Ep 83)

|-

| Public Eye

| Tom Lewis

| Episode: "The Bankrupt" (S 6:Ep 1)

|-

| Man at the Top

| Dave Croxley

| Episode: "You Will Never Understand Women" (S 2:Ep 1)

|-

| Harriet's Back in Town

| Chauffeur

|

|-

| 1973

| Sutherland's Law

| Alec Duthie

|

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1974

| David Copperfield

| Mr. Murdstone

| Miniseries

|-

| Special Branch

| Steve Ryman

| Episode: "Alien" (S 4:Ep 11)

|-

| rowspan="3" | 1975

| Play for Today

|

| Episode: "Breath" (S 5:Ep 10)

|-

| Edward the Seventh

| Lord Charles Beresford

| Episodes:

|-

| How Green Was My Valley

| Rev. Mr. Gruffyd

| Recurring from 1975 to 1976

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1976

| Jackanory

| Narrator

|

|-

| Star Maidens

| Shem

|

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1977

| Children of the Stones

| Adam Brake

|

|-

| Who Pays the Ferryman?

| Tony Viglis

| Miniseries

|-

| 1978–1981

| Blake's 7

| Roj Blake

|

|-

| 1980

| Hammer House of Horror

| Constable

| Episode: "Visitor from the Grave" (S 1:Ep 11)

|-

| 1981

| Peter and Paul

| Julius

| Miniseries directed by Robert Day.

|-

| 1982

| The Bell

| James Tayper Pace

|

|-

| rowspan=3" | 1983

| Bergerac

| Towers

| Episode: "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie" (S 2:Ep 3)

|-

| The Citadel

| Philip Denny

| Miniseries directed by Peter Jefferies and Mike Vardy.

|-

| Shades of Darkness

| Owen Bosworth

| Episode: "Bewitched" (S 1:Ep 7)

|-

| rowspan="4" | 1984

| Love and Marriage

| Stephen

| Episode: "Dearly Beloved" (S 1:Ep 2)

|-

| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

| Joseph Harrison

| Episode: "The Naval Treaty" (S 1:Ep 3)

|-

| Strangers and Brothers

| Arthur Mounteney

| Episodes:

|-

| Morgan's Boy

| Morgan Thomas

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| 1985

| By the Sword Divided

| Major General Horton

|

|-

| Dramarama

| Long John Silver

| Episode: Silver" (S 3:Ep 11)

|-

| Duel with An Teallach

| Charles Handley

| Made-for-TV-Movie

|-

| 1987

| Knights of God

| Owen Edwards

|

|-

| 1988

| Tales of the Unexpected

| Telfer

| Episode: "The Colonel's Lady" (S 9:Ep 2)

|-

| rowspan="4" | 1989

| Boon

| Bill Stone

| Episode: "Walking off Air" (S 5:Ep 1)

|-

| London's Burning

| ACO William Bulstrode

| Recurring from 1989 to 1994

|-

| After the War

| Guy Falcon

| Miniseries

|-

| Chelworth

| Peter Thornton

| Miniseries

|-

| 1990

| Emlyn's Moon

| Mr. Llewelyn

|

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1991

| We Are Seven

| Big Bill Caradog

|

|-

| The Chestnut Soldier

| Idris Llewelyn

|

|-

| 1992

| Maigret

| Gautier

| Episode: "Maigret on Home Ground" (S 1:Ep 5)

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1994

| Medics

|

| Episode: "Going West" (S 4:Ep 10)

|-

| rowspan="2" | Crown Prosecutor

| rowspan="2" | Harry Thomsen

| Episode: "Episode 3" (S 1:Ep 3)

|-

| rowspan="3" | 1995

| Episode: "Episode 4" (S 1:Ep 4)

|-

| Casualty

| Tom Arnold

| Episode: "Bringing It All Back Home" (S 10:Ep 12)

|-

| Wales Playhouse

| Flann

| Episode: "Archangel Night Out" S(#:Ep 5)

|-

| 1996

| The Witch's Daughter

| Dan Mackay

| Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Alan Macmillan.

|-

| rowspan="4" | 1998

| Merlin: The Quest Begins

| Blaze

| Made-for-TV-Movie directed by David Winning.

|-

| The Creatives

| Policeman

| Episode: "Pocy Pola" (S 1:Ep 3)

|-

| Animal Ark

| Mr. Matthews

| Episode: "Calf in the Cottage" (S 2:Ep 5)

|-

| Heartbeat

| Nathaniel Clegghorn

| Recurring from 1998 to 2004

|-

| rowspan="2" | 2000

| The Strangerers

| Police Sergeant

| Episode: "Space Cadets" (S 1:Ep 1–Pilot)

|-

| Randall and Hopkirk

| Dickie Bechard

| Episode: (S 1:Ep 6)

|-

| rowspan="3" | 2001

| rowspan="2" | Baddiel's Syndrome

| David's Dad

| Episode: "Dream Home" (S 1:Ep 10)

|-

| Colin

| Episodes:

|-

| Doctors

| Les Simms

| Episode: "Chip Off The Old Block" (S 4:Ep 18)

|-

| rowspan="2" | 2002

| Shipman

| Rev Denis Thomas

| Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Roger Bamford.

|-

| Casualty

| Jim Bailey

| Episode: "Up To Your Neck In It" (S 17:Ep 11)

|-

| 2003–2010

| Raven

| Voice of Wisdom Tree

|

|-

| 2004

| Taggart

| Lord Falkland

| Episode: "Saints and Sinners" (S 20:Ep 4)

|-

| 2005

| Distant Shores

| Charles McCallister

| Recurring from 2005 to 2008

|-

| 2006

| Torchwood

| Ed Morgan

| Episode: "Ghost Machine" (S 1:Ep 3)

|-

| 2007

| Midsomer Murders

| Huw Mostyn

| Episode: "Death and Dust" (S 10:Ep 5)

|-

| 2008

| M.I. High

| Patrick Houston

| Episode: "Moontaker" (S 3:Ep 13)

|-

| 2009

| Personal Affairs

| Leo Hartmann

| Episode: (S 1:Ep 5)

|-

| 2011

| Holby City

| Gareth Harper

| Episode: "Shame" (S 14:Ep 3)

|-

|}

Theatre

{| class="wikitable"

|+

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

|-

| rowspan="5" |1968

|King Lear

|Messenger 1

| rowspan="6" |Royal Shakespeare Theatre

|-

|As You Like It

|

|-

|Doctor Faustus

|Scholar 2 / Vintner

|-

|Troilus and Cressida

|Margarelon / Prologue (alt)

|-

| rowspan="2" |Much Ado About Nothing

|

|-

| rowspan="2" |1968-9

|

|-

|King Lear

|

|Royal Shakespeare Company

|-

| rowspan="2" |1969

|Much Ado About Nothing

|

| rowspan="2" |Tour – Royal Shakespeare Company

|-

|Doctor Faustus

|Scholar 2 / Vintner

|-

| rowspan="3" |1979

|Twelfth Night

|Orsino

| rowspan="2" |Royal Shakespeare Theatre

|-

|Othello

|Montano

|-

| rowspan="2" |Anna Christie

| rowspan="2" |Mat Burke

|The Other Place

|-

|1979–80

|Royal Shakespeare Company

|-

| rowspan="6" |1980

|Othello

|Cassio

|Theatre Royal

|-

|Anna Christie

|Mat Burke

|Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

|-

| rowspan="2" |Twelfth Night

| rowspan="2" |Orsino

|Theatre Royal

|-

|Aldwych Theatre

|-

|Anna Christie

|Mat Burke

|Warehouse Theatre

|-

|Othello

|Cassio

|Aldwych Theatre

|-

|1983

|Educating Rita

|Frank

| rowspan="2" |Theatre Royal

|-

|1985

|Beside the Sea

|Arnold

|-

|1985-6

| rowspan="2" |Benefactors

| rowspan="2" |Colin

|Theatre Royal

|-

|1986

|Redgrave Theatre

|-

| rowspan="3" |1986-7

|Henry IV

|

|Theatre Royal

|-

|Henry V

|Lord Chief Justice/Fluellen

| rowspan="2" |Tour – UK & Europe, The Old Vic and other locations

|-

|Henry IV, Parts I & II

|Owen Glendower/Lord Chief Justice

|-

|1988

|Dangerous Corner

|Charles Stanton

|Theatre Royal

|-

|1989

|Inside Job

|Alex

|Theatre Royal

|-

|1991-2

|Dij`vu

|

|Comedy Theatre

|-

|1998

|The Crucible

|Deputy Governor Danforth

|Festival Theatre, Marlowe Theatre and other locations

|-

|2002

|Three Sisters

|Doctor Chebutykin

|Nuffield Theatre

|-

|2008

|Of Mice and Men

|Curly

|Perth Theatre

|}

References

Sources

  • Official Site
  • Hermit.org: Biography and role listing
  • Obituary – BBC