Denis Quilley

Acting

Denis Quilley

Born — Died

1927-12-26 — 2003-10-05

Place of birth

Islington, London, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

58 titles

Denis Clifford Quilley was an English actor. From a family with no theatrical connections, Quilley was determined from an early age to become an actor and was taken on by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in his teens. After a break for compulsory military service he began a West End career in 1950, succeeding Richard Burton in "The Lady's Not For Burning". In the 1950s he appeared in revue, musicals, operetta and on television as well as in classic and modern drama in the theatre.

Known for

The Avengers poster
7.8

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

The Avengers

1961

Tales of the Unexpected poster
6.8

A British television anthology of stories, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, and a twist at the end. With early episodes written and presented by Roald Dahl, the series featured a plethora of big name guest stars.

Tales of the Unexpected

1979

Sherlock Holmes poster
8.2

Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes

1984

No Hiding Place poster
4.8

No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series Murder Bag and Crime Sheet, all starring Raymond Francis as Detective Superintendent, later Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart.

No Hiding Place

1959

ITV Saturday Night Theatre poster
7.0

Anthology series of dramatic works.

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

1969

ScreenPlay poster
6.0

Screenplay was a drama anthology television series, broadcast on BBC between 1986 and 1993. Numerous episodes were produced including one named "Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Islands" starring Robbie Coltrane as English writer Samuel Johnson who in the autumn of 1773, visits the Hebrides off the north-west coast of Scotland. That episode was directed by John Byrne and co-starred John Sessions and Celia Imrie.

ScreenPlay

1986

Film credits

1990s · 3 titles

1980s · 13 titles

Evil Under the Sun poster
6.9

An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.

Evil Under the Sun

1982

King David poster
5.7

This is a movie about the life of Israel's king David.

King David

1985

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Scenes from the Making of a Musical poster
9.0

Opening with the first day of rehearsals of the London production of "Sweeney Todd", this ninety-minute documentary focuses on the rehearsal process with the musical's director, composer and actors.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Scenes from the Making of a Musical

1980

The Interrogation of John poster
NR

A suspect is brought to a London police station charged with gross indecency. Police at the station believe he is connected with a murder in the area earlier that night, but the suspect refuses to speak.

The Interrogation of John

1987

Memed My Hawk poster
6.0

In 1920s Turkey, a young peasant is smitten with a beautiful young girl, who has been promised in marriage to the fat, dullard cousin of the province's powerful and corrupt governor. When an assassination attempt is made against the official, the young man flees his village and joins up with a group of outlaws fighting against the wealthy and powerful landowners who control the lives of the locals and make life miserable for them. The outlaws' successes prompt the governor to call in the Turkish army to capture or kill them.

Memed My Hawk

1984

The Making of Agatha Christie's 'Evil Under the Sun' poster
8.3

Director Guy Hamilton and several of the stars of Agatha Christie's "Evil Under The Sun" walk you through the making of the film.

The Making of Agatha Christie's 'Evil Under the Sun'

1982

The Shell Seekers poster
6.5

After a mild heart attack at 63, Penelope Keeling is not ready to be an invalid yet...despite her children's attempts to take control of her life. She's given them everything she could over the years, but now they want Penelope to sell her most prized possession. Torn between the selfish demands of her children and her desire to hold onto cherished mementos of the past, Penelope must learn what is really important to her. She returns to the seashore, the only place she was ever truly free, in an unforgettable odyssey that will take her back to her home, her heart and another chance for happiness.

The Shell Seekers

1989

Magasinet Special: Chess 1984 poster
NR

A documentary about the recording of the CHESS concept album by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

Magasinet Special: Chess 1984

1984

Foreign Body poster
4.6

Banerjee stars as Ram Das, a jobless Indian man who, tired of life in Calcutta, steals money from his father in order to afford a passage to Britain and while there, falls in love with a white woman.

Foreign Body

1986

Privates on Parade poster
4.9

It is 1947, the year of the communist rebellion in Malaya and the British army's SADUSEA (Song And Dance Unit South East Asia) are called to the Malayan Jungle to entertain the troops. The eccentric, bible-bashing Major Giles Flack (John Cleese) is in command of the unit. Flack is accompanied by an ageing, theatrical drama queen, Terri Dennis (Denis Quilley) who hopes to entertain the troops with his flamboyant impressions, but the bored troops find other ways to enjoy themselves.

Privates on Parade

1983

No artwork available
3.7

An adaptation of Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, concerning the Salem witch trials.

The Crucible

1981

Orpheus in the Underworld poster
8.0

Offenbach's popular comic opera poking fun at Greek mythology in english translation, staged for television by Christopher Renshaw.

Orpheus in the Underworld

1983

No artwork available
NR

A blind man is tormented by a mysterious visitor who moves into his house and kills his dog but seems only interested in playing vicious mind games.

A Walk in the Dark

1982

1970s · 4 titles

1960s · 5 titles

Series credits

The Avengers poster
7.8

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

The Avengers

1961

Tales of the Unexpected poster
6.8

A British television anthology of stories, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, and a twist at the end. With early episodes written and presented by Roald Dahl, the series featured a plethora of big name guest stars.

Tales of the Unexpected

1979

Sherlock Holmes poster
8.2

Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes

1984

No Hiding Place poster
4.8

No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series Murder Bag and Crime Sheet, all starring Raymond Francis as Detective Superintendent, later Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart.

No Hiding Place

1959

ITV Saturday Night Theatre poster
7.0

Anthology series of dramatic works.

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

1969

ScreenPlay poster
6.0

Screenplay was a drama anthology television series, broadcast on BBC between 1986 and 1993. Numerous episodes were produced including one named "Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Islands" starring Robbie Coltrane as English writer Samuel Johnson who in the autumn of 1773, visits the Hebrides off the north-west coast of Scotland. That episode was directed by John Byrne and co-starred John Sessions and Celia Imrie.

ScreenPlay

1986

Dixon of Dock Green poster
6.0

Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities of police officers at a fictional Metropolitan Police station in the East End of London from 1955 to 1976. Some episodes were later remade as a BBC radio series in 2005 and 2006.

Dixon of Dock Green

1955

No artwork available
8.0

Story Parade specialized in adaptations of modern novels. It was broadcast on June 5, 1964 and repeated on August 28, 1964. The teleplay was by Terry Nation (who invented "Blake's 7" and the Daleks in Dr. Who), and Elijah Baley was played by the late Peter Cushing. It also starred John Carson John Carson as R. Daneel Olivaw and Kenneth J. Warren. The master tapes of the program were erased, however a few clips from the production have turned up in various documentaries about Isaac Asimov's work.

Story Parade

1964

Churchill's People poster
5.0

Churchill's People is a British anthology series based on A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Winston Churchill's four-volume history of Britain and its former colonies. 26 episodes were produced by the BBC and initially broadcast from 30 December 1974 to 23 June 1975.

Churchill's People

1974

No artwork available
8.0

An anthology of single plays offering up adaptations of either of prominent stage plays or novels.

Festival

1963

The Man in Room 17 poster
6.2

The Man in Room 17 is a British television series which ran for two seasons in the mid-1960s, produced by the Northern ITV franchise, Granada Television. Key to the series' success was the involvement of writer/producer Robin Chapman. The show was set in Room 17 of the Department of Social Research, where former wartime agent-turned-criminologist Edwin Oldenshaw solved difficult police cases through theory and discussions with his assistants. The novelty of the series was that Oldenshaw and his colleagues never needed to leave their office in order to resolve cases, preferring to spend their time playing the Japanese board game of Go. They simply provided their prognosis and left the police to do the cleaning up. Different directors were often appointed to film the Room 17 and outside-world scenes independently, to maintain a sense of distance between the two worlds.

The Man in Room 17

1965

The Return of Sherlock Holmes poster
7.9

In the second series of the widely celebrated ITV detective programme, Dr John Watson finds a mystery in an empty house, while Holmes and he later solve the mysteries of an abbey grange, the Musgrave ritual, a second stain, a man with a twisted lip, the priory school, and a half-dozen plaster busts of Bonaparte.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

1986

Hallmark Hall of Fame poster
8.8

Long-running anthology program sponsored by Hallmark Cards. Beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2019, the series received 80 Emmy Awards, 24 Christopher Awards, 11 Peabody Awards, 9 Golden Globes, and 4 Humanitas Prizes. Early seasons were a weekly live drama, eventually transitioning to videotaped and then filmed productions broadcast as occasional specials.

Hallmark Hall of Fame

1951

A.D. poster
5.4

A.D. is a 1985 television drama miniseries created and written by Vincenzo Labella and Anthony Burgess, based on Burgess' historical novel The Kingdom of the Wicked. The five-part serial is considered the third and final part of a trilogy, preceded by Moses the Lawgiver (1974) and Jesus of Nazareth (1977). Set just after Jesus' Crucifixion, the lives and adventures of His disciples are explored, and events in Rome during the reigns of Emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.

A.D.

1985

Masada poster
7.1

Masada is a 1981 American historical drama television miniseries aired on ABC under the tentpole ABC Novel for Television. The screenplay by Joel Oliansky is based on Ernest Gann's 1971 novel The Antagonists. A dramatization of the historical siege of the Masada citadel in Roman Palestine by legions of the Roman Empire in AD 73. A siege that ended when the Roman armies entered the fortress, only to discover the mass suicide by the Jewish defenders when defeat became imminent.

Masada

1981

Clayhanger poster
6.0

Clayhanger is a British television drama based on Arnold Bennett's novel series of the same name, published between 1910 and 1918, dramatised by Douglas Livingstone for ITV. Produced by Associated Television, the 26-episode programme is a coming-of-age story set in 19th century England. Edwin Clayhanger aspires to be an architect but is expected to join his father's printing business. His personal growth, eventual acceptance of the family business, and his romantic entanglement with Hilda Lessways are explored. Clayhanger was ITV's longest-ever drama at the time. While some found the pacing slow, it was nonetheless praised for its faithful adaptation, excellent acting, and atmospheric sets.

Clayhanger

1976

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher poster
6.3

Dennis and Gnasher is an animated British TV series based on characters from The Beano comic, It features the daily adventures of the rebellious schoolboy Dennis the Menace and his dog Gnasher.

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher

1996

No artwork available
NR

Celebrity quiz where Noel Edmonds asks questions about news and affairs (often wacky!) from a particular year.

Noel's Telly Years

1996

Number 10 poster
7.0

Follows the private lives of seven British PMs who lived at Number 10 Downing Street between the 1780s and the 1920s: William Pitt the Younger, the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley), Benjamin Disraeli, William Ewart Gladstone, David Lloyd-George, Herbert Henry Asquith and James Ramsay MacDonald.

Number 10

1983

Undermind poster
7.5

Undermind is a science fiction television drama produced by ABC Weekend Television in 1965. It ran for eleven episodes of sixty minutes each. It starred Rosemary Nicols, Jeremy Wilkin and Denis Quilley. The series was devised by Shoestring and Bergerac creator Robert Banks Stewart, who also went on to write for Doctor Who. Several other writers known for their work on Who also contributed scripts: David Whitaker, Bill Strutton and Robert Holmes.

Undermind

1965

Armchair Theatre poster
6.0

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.

Armchair Theatre

1956

Armchair Theatre poster
6.0

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.

Armchair Theatre

1956

Timeslip poster
7.7

Simon Randall and Liz Skinner discover the existence of a strange anomaly, known as the “Time Barrier”, that enables them to travel in time to different historical periods in alternate pasts and futures.

Timeslip

1970

Tonight at 8.30 poster
7.0

Dame Joan Collins takes on all of Gertrude Lawrence's lead roles in rare and entertaining television productions of eight out of the nine thirty-minute playlets by Noël Coward which he and Lawrence performed on-stage in sets of three from 1935 as "Tonight at 8.30".

Tonight at 8.30

1991

No artwork available
6.0

Divorced single mother Julia Merrygrove works as a local councillor whilst also holding down a job in a biscuit factory. She begins an affair with George Rudge, her opposite number on the council.

Rich Tea and Sympathy

1991

Sir Bernard's Stately Homes poster
7.2

Bernard Chumley and Anthony Rogers investigate a number of country estates while searching for the Golden Potato, an advertising stunt which would win them a year's supply of Allen's Crisps.

Sir Bernard's Stately Homes

1999

No artwork available
NR

Denis Quilley is John Ryder a former senior police officer who resigned from the force under a cloud due to conflict with his senior officer. Setting up as a consultant operating out of Kathy's nightclub whose owner is also his lover, Ryder takes on cases from protecting visiting businessmen to retrieving stolen paintings whilst remaining within the boundaries of the law. Always in need of money due to his divorce, Ryder finds himself on the receiving end of some violent assaults in the course of his endeavours.

You're On Your Own

1975

The Desperate People poster
7.5

Famous photographer Larry Martin receives a visit from his brother Philip, on leave from military service in West Germany. Philip is trying to find the wife of a deceased friend and his search takes him to Dublin. Sometime later, Larry learns that Philip never went to Dublin, but instead has disappeared.

The Desperate People

1963

A Wanted Man poster
7.0

A Wanted Man is a groundbreaking three‐part British miniseries first shown on BBC2 in September 1989. Directed by Nicholas Renton and written by Malcolm McKay, it evolved from his earlier one‐off play “The Interrogation of John” into a daring trilogy. The series follows the capture, trial, and psychological unravelling of a serial killer, offering an in‐depth exploration of criminal behavior and the ethical dilemmas faced by the justice system. With deliberate pacing, stark realism, and an unflinching look at human darkness, it challenges conventional crime dramas and compels viewers to confront unsettling questions about responsibility, morality, and the nature of evil. Critically acclaimed and award‐winning, A Wanted Man remains essential viewing for anyone seeking a thought‐provoking, intense, and unforgettable drama experience that not only entertains but also forces a deep reflection on the fragility of human nature and the complexities of justice.

A Wanted Man

1989

No artwork available
NR

An anthology series of psychological thriller stories covering such subjects as obsession, paranoia, incest, adultery, guilt, and morality.

Saturday Night Thriller

1982

The Marriage of Figaro poster
NR

A madcap three-part miniseries about a sex-mad Eurocrat trying to sleep with his servant, his frustrated aristocratic wife and her toy-boy, and a love-child who's forced into marriage with his own mother, not to mention cross-dressing, blackmail and a death-defying leap from a second-floor window.

The Marriage of Figaro

1994

No artwork available
NR

Contrabandits is a 1967 Australian TV series about the work of the customs department.

Contrabandits

1967

No artwork available
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Murder of a Moderate Man

1985