# Roy Kinnear
**Roy Kinnear** (Roy Mitchell Kinnear, 8 January 1934 – 20 September 1988) was an English character actor and comedian who became a household name in Britain as an original cast member of the BBC satire series *That Was the Week That Was* (1962) and worked steadily in film and television comedy for more than 25 years[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/) • [2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2-1st-Edition.pdf). He is remembered for film roles including Mr. Salt in *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory* (1971), Algernon in the Beatles' *Help!* (1965), and Planchet in [Richard Lester](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-lester)'s *The Three Musketeers* (1973) and its sequels; he died after an accident during filming of the last of these[3](https://nerdspin.com/db/people/3463/roy-kinnear).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, dates | Roy Mitchell Kinnear, born 8 January 1934 in Wigan, Lancashire; died 20 September 1988 in Madrid, Spain, aged 54[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/) |
| Training | Enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at 17; studies interrupted by two years of national service with the Royal Artillery; graduated in 1955[4](https://www.bigredbook.info/roy_kinnear.html) |
| Television breakthrough | Original member of *That Was the Week That Was* (1962), cast as the ordinary working-class man baffled by government and media[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/) • [5](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-9-1/kinnear-roy) |
| Signature film roles | Mr. Salt in *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory* (1971); Algernon in *Help!* (1965); Planchet in *The Three Musketeers* (1973), *The Four Musketeers* (1974), and *The Return of the Musketeers* (1989)[3](https://nerdspin.com/db/people/3463/roy-kinnear) |
| Output | Supporting roles in more than 50 movies and regular television work over more than 25 years[2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2-1st-Edition.pdf) |
| Family | Married Carmel Cryan in 1970; children Karina, Kirsty, and Rory[6](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/roy-kinnear-44253.php) |
| Death | Fell from a horse while on location for *The Return of the Musketeers* (1989); IMDb lists the cause of death as a heart attack[2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2-1st-Edition.pdf) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/) |
## Early life and training
Kinnear was born in Wigan, Lancashire, on 8 January 1934. His father, Roy Muir Kinnear, was a Scottish dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer; he died in 1942 while playing a rugby union game with the RAF, after which the family returned to Edinburgh, where Roy was enrolled at [George Heriot's School](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-heriots-school)[6](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/roy-kinnear-44253.php). He began performing with a local dramatic society before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London at 17[4](https://www.bigredbook.info/roy_kinnear.html). His studies were interrupted by two years of national service with the [Royal Artillery](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-artillery), and he graduated from RADA in 1955[4](https://www.bigredbook.info/roy_kinnear.html).
**Repertory and Theatre Workshop.** After completing his national service he made his stage debut in repertory in Newquay in 1955, appeared in repertory at [Nottingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/nottingham), Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Perth, and in 1959 joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in the [East End of London](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-end-of-london), appearing in some of the company's biggest successes[5](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-9-1/kinnear-roy). He later appeared in pantomime and with the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company) and the National Theatre Company, among others[2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2-1st-Edition.pdf).
## Television breakthrough and sitcoms
Television made Kinnear a household name. His big break was *That Was the Week That Was*, the controversial and highly popular BBC topical satire series first broadcast in 1962, whose team attacked the hypocrisies of the establishment[5](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-9-1/kinnear-roy). A common criticism of the show was that its presenters came across as smug; Kinnear was spared that accusation because his role was that of the common man, usually cast as a normal working-class chap baffled by the complexities of government and the media, a character viewers could identify with[5](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-9-1/kinnear-roy).
**Sitcom leads.** Through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s he starred in a series of sitcoms built around his persona: daydreamer Stanley Blake in *A World of His Own* (BBC, 1964), compulsive worrier George Webley in *Inside George Webley* (Yorkshire [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television), 1970), greengrocer and ladies' hairdresser Alf Butler in *No Appointment Necessary* (BBC, 1977), building-firm manager Joe Jones in *Cowboys* ([Thames Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/thames-television), 1980–81), Sidney Pratt in *The Incredible Mr. Tanner* ([London Weekend Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-weekend-television), 1981), used-car dealer and psychic Arnold Bristow in *The Clairvoyant* (BBC, 1986), and finally the tipsy headmaster R. G. Wickham in *Hardwicke House* (Central, 1987), which was pulled from the schedules halfway through its run following accusations of bad taste[5](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-9-1/kinnear-roy). He was also a semi-regular as Jerry in *George and Mildred*, a guest star on series such as *The Avengers* and *Minder*, a foil to Dick Emery, and a familiar face in television commercials[5](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-9-1/kinnear-roy). The Encyclopedia of Television records that much of his success came from the warmth the public felt toward him and the esteem of his fellow professionals[2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2-1st-Edition.pdf).
## Film career
Kinnear specialized in jovial, sometimes slightly sinister characters, such as Moriarty's henchman Finney in *The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother* (1975)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/). His non-comedy work included [Sidney Lumet](https://www.edgepedia.org/sidney-lumet)'s military prison drama *The Hill* (1965) with [Sean Connery](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-connery), and the Hammer horror film *Taste the Blood of Dracula*, dated 1969 by TV Insider and 1970 by other filmographies[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/roy-kinnear/) • [8](https://www.cinnamondb.com/person/roy-kinnear).
American expatriate director Richard Lester, who cast him in eight features, responded to a performing style that some reviewers found tiresome[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/roy-kinnear/). The Lester films included *Help!* (1965), in which Kinnear played Algernon, assistant to the mad scientist played by Victor Spinetti; *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum* (1966); *How I Won the War* (1967); and the [Musketeer](https://www.edgepedia.org/musketeer) films[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/roy-kinnear/). As Planchet in *The Three Musketeers* (1973) he appeared alongside a cast led by [Michael York](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-york) and [Oliver Reed](https://www.edgepedia.org/oliver-reed), and he reprised the role in *The Four Musketeers* (1974) and *The Return of the Musketeers* (1989)[3](https://nerdspin.com/db/people/3463/roy-kinnear).
Children of a certain generation knew him as Mr. Salt, the pompous, indulgent father of the bratty [Veruca Salt](https://www.edgepedia.org/veruca-salt), in *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory* (1971)[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/roy-kinnear/). He also did voice work, notably as Pipkin in the animated *Watership Down* (1978), and appeared in Disney's *Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo* (1977) as Quincey and *One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing* (1975) as Superintendent Grubbs[9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/roy-kinnear/) • [10](https://d23.com/a-to-z/kinnear-roy/).
## Death
While on location in Spain for *The Return of the Musketeers* (1989), Kinnear suffered a fatal fall from his horse[2](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2-1st-Edition.pdf). He died in Madrid on 20 September 1988, aged 54[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/). IMDb lists the cause of death as a heart attack, while the Encyclopedia of Television, TV Insider, and TVmaze attribute his death to the riding accident during filming[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/roy-kinnear/) • [11](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/76918/roy-kinnear).
His son Rory Kinnear became an actor known for stage and screen work, including the role of Bolingbroke in *Richard II*[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/roy-kinnear/) • [12](https://pure.qub.ac.uk/files/100154713/WrayShakespeareBulletin.pdf).
## References
1. [Roy Kinnear Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455702/bio/)
2. [Kinnear, Roy, Encyclopedia of Television (Museum of Broadcast Communications), via WorldRadioHistory](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Encyclopedias/Archive-Encyclopedia-of-Television/Encyclopedia-of-Television-Vol-2-1st-Edition.pdf)
3. [Roy Kinnear, Nerdspin Database](https://nerdspin.com/db/people/3463/roy-kinnear)
4. [This Is Your Life: Roy Kinnear, Big Red Book](https://www.bigredbook.info/roy_kinnear.html)
5. [Kinnear, Roy, Encyclopedia of TV & Radio](https://www.tvencyclopedia.org/tv-encyclopedia-9-1/kinnear-roy)
6. [Roy Kinnear Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/roy-kinnear-44253.php)
7. [Roy Kinnear, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/roy-kinnear/)
8. [Roy Kinnear filmography, Cinnamon DB](https://www.cinnamondb.com/person/roy-kinnear)
9. [Roy Kinnear, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/roy-kinnear/)
10. [Kinnear, Roy, D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/kinnear-roy/)
11. [Roy Kinnear, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/76918/roy-kinnear)
12. [The Shakespearean Auteur and the Televisual Medium, Shakespeare Bulletin](https://pure.qub.ac.uk/files/100154713/WrayShakespeareBulletin.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames H to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license