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Ray Smith

Actor • Born 1936

Ray Smith

Open Cinema

About

Ray Smith (1 May 1936 – 15 December 1991) was a Welsh actor who played the tough-talking police chief, Detective Superintendent Gordon Spikings, in the television series Dempsey and Makepeace. He was the first actor to play Brother Cadfael for BBC radio, and played a memorable Dai Bando in the BBC's 1975 adaptation of How Green Was My Valley - a touching performance given that Smith;s own father was a miner killed in a pit accident when Smith was just three years old. His final role work was in the TV adaptation of Kingsley Amis' novel, The Old Devils. He died just before filming concluded at the age of 55 from a massive heart attack and won the posthumous BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actor in 1992.

Known for

Crown Court posterCrown CourtSeries • 1972New Scotland Yard posterNew Scotland YardSeries • 1972ITV Playhouse posterITV PlayhouseSeries • 1967No Hiding Place posterNo Hiding PlaceSeries • 1959Thriller posterThrillerSeries • 1973Dempsey and Makepeace posterDempsey and MakepeaceSeries • 1985Public Eye posterPublic EyeSeries • 1965The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes posterThe Rivals of Sherlock HolmesSeries • 1971Target posterTargetSeries • 1977Country Matters posterCountry MattersSeries • 1972The Main Chance posterThe Main ChanceSeries • 1969Enemy at the Door posterEnemy at the DoorSeries • 1978Callan posterCallanSeries • 1967Colditz posterColditzSeries • 1972Masada posterMasadaSeries • 1981Operation: Daybreak posterOperation: DaybreakMovie • 1975Rogue Male posterRogue MaleMovie • 1976Under Milk Wood posterUnder Milk WoodMovie • 1972