Walter Tenniel Evans was a British actor and, latterly, clergyman.
Family
Walter Tenniel Evans was born in Nairobi, Kenya. His middle name derived from the illustrator Sir John Tenniel, a distant relation. His daughter, Serena Evans, is an actress, and his son, Matthew, is a television director. Tenniel Evans was a direct descendant of Isaac Evans, brother of George Eliot.
Career
Educated at Christ's Hospital, the University of St Andrews and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Evans is best known for his long-running role as Leading Seaman "Taffy" Goldstein on The Navy Lark, a popular BBCcomedy radio series of the 1950s, which starred Jon Pertwee, with Ronnie Barker, Richard Caldicot, Heather Chasen, and Leslie Phillips. Pertwee became one of Evans' best friends – he encouraged Pertwee to audition for Doctor Who, although both were unaware that Pertwee was already being considered for the role; Pertwee subsequently helped Evans get cast in the Doctor Who story Carnival of Monsters. Frequently cast as a policeman, doctor or priest, Tenniel Evans appeared in many of the most popular and successful British TV series of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as well as many one-off programmes, over a period of 44 years. His TV debut was in the series ITV Television Playhouse in 1960; shortly after this he played Jonathan Kail in Tess, the 1960 ITV adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, which also featured Geraldine McEwan and Jeremy Brett. Among Evans' most notable TV credits are The Forsyte Saga, The Saint, four appearances in The Avengers between 1961 and 1968, episode five of Undermind in 1965, Softly Softly,, Randall and Hopkirk, A Family at War, Paul Temple, multiple appearances in Z-Cars between 1963 and 1972, a regular role in Big Breadwinner Hog, The Liver Birds, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Yes Minister, Coronation Street, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Citadel and "The Dancing Men", an episode of the Granada series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that reunited him with Jeremy Brett. In 1985 Evans was ordained as a non-stipendiary priest of the Church of England and he retired from stage acting, although he continued to perform in TV programmes until shortly before his death and during that year he had a recurring role in the comedy Shine on Harvey Moon. In 1987 he had a recurring role in the children's sci-fi series Knights of God, which is notable as the last screen credit for Patrick Troughton. Coincidentally, Evans then took over the role of Perce, the grandfather, in the comedy series The Two of Us following Troughton's sudden death in March 1987. Evans' TV credits from the late 1980s to 2004 include Inspector Morse, Lovejoy, September Song, Peak Practice, The Bill, Pie in the Sky, Heartbeat, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Casualty and Dalziel and Pascoe. His final screen appearance was in an episode of the romantic comedy series William and Mary, directed by his son Matthew, which also co-starred Martin Clunes. Evans made few appearances in films. His most prominent parts were as a murderous teacher in Walk a Crooked Path, and as a detective in the thriller 10 Rillington Place, the film about the infamous British serial killerJohn Christie starring Richard Attenborough. In the 1990s, Evans was also featured in Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre programs, playing the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and a supporting role as Bishop George Bell in Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost Of Freedom.
