Donald Hewlett, English actor died he was , 90.

Donald Marland Hewlett was an English actor, born in Northenden, Manchester, and best known for his sitcom roles al Colonel Charles Reynolds in It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Lord Meldrum in You Rang, M'Lord?, both written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft died he was , 90. He also had a number of parts in British film and television productions.


(30 August 1920 – 4 June 2011)

Early life

Hewlett was born into a wealthy family, his father Thomas Hewlett owned the Anchor Chemical Company which is based in Clayton, Manchester and is now a subsidiary of Air Products.
Hewlett was educated at Clifton College followed by St John's College, Cambridge where he was part of the Footlights Revue.^[5] During World War II he served in the Royal Navy as a meteorologist^[3] and was stationed for several years in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands where he was a founder member of the Kirkwall Arts Club.^[6][7] He was later posted to Singapore.^[5]

Career

Following his demobilization, Hewlett trained at RADA and gained his first professional acting job in repertory theatre at the Oxford Playhouse where he worked alongside Ronnie Barker.^[5] His first television acting role was the part of Lincoln Green in 1954's Orders are Orders.
His television appearances included The Ronnie Corbett Show, The Ronnie Barker Playhouse, The Saint, The Avengers, The Dick Emery Show and the 1971 Doctor Who story The Claws of Axos. However, he gained his most prominent role in the Croft and Perry sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974–81) as Colonel Charles Reynolds. He was reunited with fellow actor Michael Knowles in another David Croft sitcom, the sci-fi spoof Come Back Mrs. Noah (1977–78), and later with the successful You Rang, M'Lord? (1988–93) as Lord George Meldrum. Other roles included 'Winkworth' in Morris Minor's Marvellous Motors in 1989 and The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull. His last TV appearance was in The Upper Hand in 1995.^[8]
Hewlett made a number of film appearances including Spike Milligan's Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall, A Touch of Class, Carry On Behind and The First Great Train Robbery.^[8]
Hewlett's previous marriages, to Christine Pollon and Diana Greenwood, ended in divorce.^[1] He had two sons and a daughter by Greenwood.^[1] Having previously lived for several years in Whitstable, Kent, he lived in Fulham, SW London,^{[citation needed]} with his third wife Therese McMurray-Hewlett, by whom he had a son and daughter.^{[citation needed]} He died from pneumonia, aged 90.^{[citation needed]} He is survived by his wife and his five children.^[1]
His daughter, Siobhan Hewlett, is an actress, best known for her role in Irina Palm.

Selected television roles

Year	Title	Role
1959	The Adventures of Brigadier Wellington-Bull	Captain Sooty Pikington
1974–1981	It Ain't Half Hot Mum	Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Reynolds
1977–1978	Come Back Mrs. Noah	Carstairs
1988–1993	You Rang, M'Lord?	George, Lord Meldrum

Filmography

• Orders Are Orders (1954)
• Bottoms Up (1960)
• Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall (1972)
• A Touch of Class (1973)
• Moments (1974)
• Carry On Behind (1975)
• Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976)
• The First Great Train Robbery (1979)
• Saving Grace (1986)

 

To see more of who died in 2010 click here