# Norman Eshley

Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945) is an English actor best known for his television roles.

## Biography

Eshley attended Bristol Grammar School and worked in a bank, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He played many Shakespearean roles on stage. His first screen role was in the 1968 film The Immortal Story, directed by Orson Welles. He played a lead character, Steve, in Blind Terror (1971) and appeared in the Pete Walker horror film House of Mortal Sin in 1975.
In 1969, Eshley appeared alongside Dudley Sutton in two very similar villainous roles: in the Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "Could You Recognise the Man Again?", and in the Department S episode, "Handicap Dead". However, he is possibly best known for his role in the sitcom George and Mildred (1976–79) as the snobbish, right-wing estate agent Jeffrey Fourmile, the foil to George. In the show's direct predecessor, Man About the House, (1973–76) he had previously featured in several episodes as Robin Tripp's brother Norman, who married Chrissy (Paula Wilcox), and Jeffrey was mentioned in the spin-off show, Robin's Nest in the episode "Love and Marriage" as Robin's best man, who never turned up to the wedding due to having mumps. In an earlier Man About the House episode, "In Praise of Older Men" (1974), Eshley played a sleazy married executive named Ian Cross who tried to seduce Chrissy.
In 1985, Eshley played the Reverend Redwood, a benevolent vicar who runs a social club with a view to rehabilitating ex-convicts in the Minder episode "Give Us This Day Arthur Daley's Bread".
Eshley's other TV credits include: Thriller ("The Colour of Blood"/US title: "The Carnation Killer", 1973) as an escaped serial killer, Warship (1973–74), The Duchess of Duke Street, I, Claudius, The Sweeney (all 1976), Return of the Saint (1978), a former SAS colleague of Bodie in The Professionals' episode "Kickback" (1980), a vicar in Minder (1985), Taggart (1990), Cadfael (1994), One Foot in the Grave (1997), Dangerfield (1998), and The Bill (1999–2000).
In 1988 he appeared in a public information film about road safety called Accident in Park Road. His character is seen driving a Ford Escort, before running over a child who dashes out between cars in front of him. He is questioned by Graham Cole who plays a policeman, a role Cole played as PC Tony Stamp in The Bill.
Along with Douglas Fielding, Eshley provided the narration for the Blind Guardian album Nightfall in Middle-Earth. He had roles in the BBC TV series New Tricks (2007) and A Christmas Campaign (short, 2011). In 2019, he appeared in the documentary The Immortal Orson Welles, directed by Chris Wade.

## Personal life

In 1993, Eshley was a passenger in a car which was involved in a crash in the Dordogne in France. He sustained multiple injuries, including head trauma. Eshley now lives with his wife in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England.

## Filmography
### Film

* The Immortal Story (1968) – Paul, the sailor
* The Lost Continent (1968) – Jonathan, the Prisoner
* Crossplot (1969) – Athol
* See No Evil (1971) – Steve Reding
* House of Mortal Sin (1976) – Father Bernard Cutler
* The Disappearance (1977) – Young Husband
* George and Mildred (1980) – Jeffrey Fourmile
* Empty Mirror (2000) – Oz Riley
* A Christmas Campaign (2011) - Creative Director
* The Immortal Orson Welles (2019) - Himself
* Cold Sun (2021) - Head of Counter Terrorism Commander

### Television

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1968 | A Most Unfortunate Accident | Roger |
| 1968 | A Man of Our Times | Simon |
| 1968 | Mystery and Imagination | Jean Lemaistre |
| 1968 | City '68 | Jeremy |
| 1969 | Department S | Red |
| 1969 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Rab |
| 1969 | Canterbury Tales | Lover |
| 1970 | Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) | Mike Hales |
| 1970 | Parkin's Patch | Vickory |
| 1972 | The Regiment | Simon Howarth |
| 1972 | A Splinter of Ice | Jude |
| 1972 | Play for Today | Dave Osmond |
| 1973 | Justice | Nick Adams |
| 1973 | Thriller | Arthur Page |
| 1973 | Between the Wars | Vincent |
| 1973 | Vienna 1900 | Alfred Beratoner |
| 1973 | Warship | Lieutenant Bob Last |
| 1974 | Man About the House | Ian Cross |
| 1974 | The Onedin Line | Hon. Hugh Kernan |
| 1974 | Zodiac | Paul Deening |
| 1974 | The Skin Game | Charles Hornblower |
| 1974 | And Mother Makes Five | Mr. Witherspoon |
| 1975 | Whodunnit? | Roy Sharp |
| 1976 | House of Mortal Sin | Father Bernard Cutler |
| 1976 | Man About the House | Norman Tripp |
| 1976 | Orde Wingate | Cpl. Thomas |
| 1976–1980 | George and Mildred | Jeffrey Fourmile |
| 1976 | The Sweeney | Det. Sgt. Robert Hargreaves |
| 1976 | The Duchess of Duke Street | Wilson |
| 1976 | I, Claudius | Marcus Vinicius |
| 1976 | Centre Play | William Wilson |
| 1977 | Supernatural | Edward |
| 1977 | Yanks Go Home | Lt. Beamish Cooke-Cooke |
| 1977 | Secret Army | Sgt. Clifford Howson |
| 1978 | 1990 | Tony Borden |
| 1978 | Out | Turpitt |
| 1978 | Return of the Saint | Detective Caufield |
| 1978 | Return of the Saint | Inspector George |
| 1980 | The Professionals | Jimmy Keller |
| 1983 | Maybury | Larry Chalmers |
| 1983 | The Outsider | Donald Harper |
| 1985 | Hilary | Dr. Fenwick |
| 1985 | Minder | Reverend Redwood |
| 1985 | The Black Tower | Victor Holroyd |
| 1985–1986 | Brookside | Alun Jones |
| 1986 | Executive Stress | Gascoigne |
| 1987 | Late Expectations | Harry |
| 1989 | William Tell | Woodsman |
| 1989 | After Henry | Philip |
| 1990 | Taggart | Commander Gunner |
| 1991 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Jon Walsh |
| 1994 | Cadfael | Baron Huon de Domville |
| 1994 | All Night Long | Roy Morris |
| 1997 | The New Adventures of Robin Hood | Baron Royston |
| 1997 | Thief Takers | CI Samson |
| 1997 | One Foot in the Grave | Detective Inspector Rickles |
| 1998 | The Broker's Man | Leigh Dunwell |
| 1998 | Get Real | Martin |
| 1998 | Dangerfield | Superintendent Studley |
| 1999 | Murder Most Horrid | DCI Reed |
| 1999 | The Bill | Terry Riley |
| 1999 | Harbour Lights | Mayor |
| 1999 | Goodnight Sweetheart | Priestley |
| 2000 | The Bill | Mr. Gibbs |
| 2007 | New Tricks | Billy Pierce |
| 2017 | The White Princess | The Abbot |