Biography
Thomas Richard Chadbon, a Rada-trained English character actor, was the son of banker Thomas William Chadbon and his wife Josie Yvonne (née Cook). He made his theatrical debut at the Phoenix Theatre in Leicester in 1967. Known for his strong, resonant voice, Chadbon performed in numerous classical plays, notably at the Bristol Old Vic, the National Theatre, and London’s West End. He regarded his role as the jealous king Leontes in Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale as his personal favorite.
A familiar figure on British television, Chadbon is perhaps best recognized as the trench coat-wearing, temperamental Inspector Thomas Duggan in the classic Doctor Who (1963) serial City of Death. He later returned in a smaller role as Merdeen, leader of the guard in an underground realm, assisting the sixth Doctor in defeating an evil robot in The Trial of a Time Lord. As a voice actor, Chadbon also appeared in several Big Finish audio plays alongside Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor) and Paul McGann (the eighth Doctor).
Chadbon starred as part of an ensemble in BBC1's legal drama Crown Prosecutor (1995) as Lenny Monk. His recurring TV roles included veterinarian Derek Paynton in the sitcom The Liver Birds (1969), Assistant Chief Constable John Brandon in Wire in the Blood (2002), Dr. Kenworthy in the medical drama Where the Heart Is (1997), and Henry Williams in Casualty (1986). He also made guest appearances in Softly Softly: Task Force (1969), Rumpole of the Bailey (1978), Blake's 7 (1978), The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994), Silent Witness (1996), A Touch of Frost (1992), Heartbeat (1992), The Bill (1984), and Poirot (1989). Frequently cast in authoritative roles—such as police officers, military personnel, aristocrats, physicians, or Q.C.s—he was last seen as the High Septon Maynard in the epic series Game of Thrones (2011).
Chadbon’s first marriage, from 1966 to 1970, was to Deborah Elspeth Leathers, daughter of Frederick Alan Leathers, the 2nd Viscount Leathers (1908–1996). His second wife, from 1977 until his death in July 2026, was designer Jane Hennessy.
