Esteemed British voice actor David Graham has died at the age of 99. To a generation of greying SciFi fans, Graham was the voice of Parker on The Thunderbirds and the voice of the Daleks on Dr. Who. To a younger generation, he was the voice of Grandpa Pig on the popular children’s show Pepa Pig. He also provided the voice of The Wise Old Elf in Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom.
David Michael Graham was born July 11, 1925 in London, England. He died September 20, 2024. At this time a cause of death has not been revealed, but given he was just short of the century mark and survived a stroke in 2021, natural causes seems likely, with age as a contributing factor.
Like many voices actors, Graham often portayed more than one character on a show. On Thunderbirds, he voiced engineer Brains, Kyrano, and Gordon Tracy as well as Parker. On Pepa Pig, he was Mr. Zebra the postman as well as Pepa’s beloved grandfather. On Stingray, not the show with the car and the guy who did favors in the eighties, but the Supermarionation one about the submarine in the ’60s, Graham voiced Marineville Tracking Station, Admiral Jack Denver, Oink, Aquaphibian, Doc, El Hudat, Gate Sergeant, Noctus, Nucella, WSP Commander, 1st Rigger, 1st WSP Commander, 2nd WSP Commander, Admiral Frendor, Admiral Henry Carson, Africa 28, Ali Khali, Alien, Andrews, Aquaphibian 1, Aquaphibian 2, Aquaphibians, Captain Jacques Jordan, Carter, Caveman 1, Caveman 2, Check Point 1 Officer, Cromer, Cronson, Engineer Preston, Epayus, Frank, Frank Lincoln, Gerit, Hassan El-Hamrah, Idotee, Jet Squadron Spearhead Leader, Lieutenant Lawrence Gray, Lieutenant Misen, Lorif, nand Marin.
Whew. I ran out of breath there for a moment.
Graham was on Stingray for 40 episodes, portraying a multitude of characters He starred in Supercar as Horatio Beaker. Mitch the Monkey, Colonel Humberto, and others.
Diring World War II, serving in the RAF as a radar mechanic. After the war, he emigrated to the USA, where he studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City. Returning to England, he began his theatrical career. His first major role on stage was as Givola in Berthold Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. His first television role was in Private Investigator.
Graham’s first voice role was in the western Four Feather Falls, where he voiced Ebenezer Twink, Fernando the Bandit, Big Ben the Bandit, and others.
Now for your viewing pleasure, enjoy this episode of Thunderbirds. “Trapped in the Sky.” Please turn down your Sci.Fi.Radio audio stream for just a moment so you can hear the video properly.
And this episode of Dr, Who: “The Evolution of the Daleks.”
Graham and fellow voice actor Peter Hawkins (1924-2006) voiced the Daleks on Dr. Who. Graham voiced the Daleks in all four of their major First Doctor era appearances, as well as two 1960s feature films: Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. In the Sixties, Graham voiced the Mechanoids on Dr. Who. He appeared in The Saint and Danger Man, and co-starred as Johnny in the live-action film Crossroads to Crime (1960).
Graham’s in front of the camera roles included Charlie in the Dr. Who episode “The Gunfighters,” and Albert Einstein in Horizon. In the Dr. Who 4-part episode “City of Death,” Graham played Professor Kerensky.
In Thunderbirds are Go, the CGI remake of Thunderbirds, Graham reprised the role of Parker, Lady Penelope’s loyal manservant. He was the only actor from the original cast to reprise his role in the new show. In both versions of the TV show, Aloysius “Nosey” Parker was an ex-criminal who worked as Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward’s butler, chauffeur, and bodyguard. During an interview on Good Morning, Britain, Graham announced that Parker was the favorite of his voice characters.
Goodbye, Mr. Graham, thank you for improving our childhoods. You’ll be missed and remembered .
Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
