Valentine Dyall

Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908–24 June 1985) was an English character actor, the son of veteran actor Franklin Dyall, who was especially popular as a voice actor, due to his very distinctive sepulchral voice. He was known for many years as "The Man in Black", narrator of the BBC Radio horror series Appointment With Fear. Dyall also made guest appearances in several episodes of The Goon Show, parodying his familiar radio persona. Dyall also played th... more

Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908–24 June 1985) was an English character actor, the son of veteran actor Franklin Dyall, who was especially popular as a voice actor, due to his very distinctive sepulchral voice. He was known for many years as "The Man in Black", narrator of the BBC Radio horror series Appointment With Fear. Dyall also made guest appearances in several episodes of The Goon Show, parodying his familiar radio persona. Dyall also played the central character Lord Fortnum, who turns into a bed-sitting room following a nuclear war, in Spike Milligan and John Antrobus' stage play The Bed-Sitting Room, which opened at the Mermaid Theatre on 31 January 1963. He played the witch Jethrow Keane in The City of the Dead (1960). He appeared in Robert Wise's 1963 film The Haunting as Mr.Dudley, the sinister caretaker of the haunted Hill House. He voiced the character of evil mastermind Dr. Noah in the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale. He appeared as Lorrimer in the 1984 TV movie Marple:... less