Although he was born in London, he was brought up in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. He used his native Yorkshire accent for the part of Charlie Hungerford in "Bergerac" (1981).
At 18 he joined the Army and was badly wounded after his armored car was hit in an enemy attack. His leg and foot was severely damaged and one eardrum was injured leaving him with a permanent "whistle" in his ear. As late as the mid-1970s, he developed a limp and subsequently had surgery to remove the shrapnel from his leg. He left the Army at the end of the war with a 50 per cent disability pension.
During WW II he served in the British Army as a lieutenant with the 27th Lancers, and was seriously wounded by artillery fire in Italy.
Educated at Ratcliffe College, Leicestershire, and Norwood College, Harrogate, and started acting in the theatre while quite young, age 16.
For over 30 years from the early 1960s onward, he was the voice of numerous UK theatrical trailers and television commercials.
Had talks to play the role of Richard Bellamy (David Langton) in "Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971).
Has two sons, Nicholas and Marcus.
In The Fast Lady (1962), he is seen riding a Triumph 5T Speed Twin, the registration number of which was ERD 562.
In later years, a condition of the retina made him blind in one eye and threatened the sight in the other.
Met his first wife, actress Juno Stevas, while performing in theatre repertory after military service. The sister of politician/barrister Norman St. John-Stevas (later Lord St. John of Fawsley), she is the mother of his two sons Nick and Marcus.
Once contemplated becoming a priest.
Son of a doctor. Now retired from acting and lives in London.
Son of Joseph and Violet Alexander.