Biography
Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He was the son of actors Franklin Dyall and Concordia Merrel. Educated at Harrow and Oxford, he began his career on the stage in the 1930s, appearing in Shakespeare productions and later working regularly with his father.
Dyall was noted for his deep, resonant voice. He was known for many years as "The Man in Black", narrator of the BBC Radio horror series Appointment with Fear. His film roles included The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) as Mr. Robinson, Brief Encounter (1945), The Haunting (1963) as Mr. Dudley and Casino Royale (1967). On television he played the Black Guardian in Doctor Who and appeared in Blackadder (1983) as Angus, a Lord, and Secret Army.
