Basil Henson

Basil Henson (31 July 1918 – 19 December 1990) was an English actor born in London who worked across stage, film, and television over a career spanning more than four decades. He was educated at Malvern College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and before entering the acting profession he served in the British Indian Army during World War II, reaching the rank of major with the Garhwal Rifles.

Henson began his professional acting career in 1946 following his return to Britain, making his stage debut in a production of The Dancing Years at the London Casino. His theatrical work came to encompass a wide range of productions, including the original West End staging of Terence Rattigan's Separate Tables at the St. James' Theatre in 1954. He became closely associated with the National Theatre, where his credits included a role in the world premiere of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus. Along with fellow actors Denis Quilley and Michael Bryant, Henson was honored with a dressing room named after him at the National Theatre. His final appearance there came in a production of Piano, performed the week before his death.

Among his Shakespeare credits, Henson appeared in a production of The Merchant of Venice opposite Dustin Hoffman, a staging that transferred from London's West End to Broadway in 1989. That Broadway engagement represents his sole credited appearance on the New York stage.

His film work included Dr. Crippen (1962), Darling (1965), The Frozen Dead (1966), Arthur? Arthur! (1969), The Walking Stick (1970), Cromwell (1970), The Final Programme (1973), and Galileo (1975), as well as appearances in the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series of second features.

On British television, Henson appeared in Emergency Ward 10, The Power Game, Sexton Blake, Casting the Runes, The Champions, Follyfoot, War and Peace, Fall of Eagles, and Crown Court, where he played the Judge. He portrayed Sir Horatio Manners in When the Boat Comes In and appeared as Dr. Abbott in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Psychiatrist" in 1979.

Henson was married three times. His first marriage lasted eighteen months, ending with his wife's death in 1941. His second marriage, to actress Eleanor Drew, produced two sons before ending in divorce. His third marriage was to Patricia Raine, with whom he had a daughter. Henson died at his home in Sevenoaks, Kent, on 19 December 1990, at the age of 72.