Biography
David Ryall (5 January 1935 – 25 December 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. Born in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after winning a scholarship in 1962. He began his career in repertory theatre and joined Laurence Olivier’s company at the National Theatre in 1965, remaining for eight years and appearing in premieres of works by playwrights including Tom Stoppard and Peter Shaffer.
On television he played Mr Hall in Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective (1986) and had leading roles in Lytton’s Diary and Goodnight Sweetheart. He portrayed Billy Buzzle in the sitcom Bless Me, Father and Grandad Frank in Outnumbered. Film appearances include George in Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), the Man with Whores in The Elephant Man (1980) and Elphias Doge in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010). He continued working in theatre into the 2000s.
