# Donald Sumpter

Donald Sumpter (born 13 February 1943) is a British actor who has appeared in film and television since the mid-1960s. His credits include three appearances in Doctor Who (1968, 1972 and 2015), The Black Panther (1977), Bleak House (1985), The Queen's Nose (1995–1998), Great Expectations (1999), Nicholas Nickleby (2001), Enigma (2001), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005), Being Human (2009–2010), Ultramarines: The Movie (2010), Black Mirror (2011), Game of Thrones (2011–2012), Endeavour (2018), Les Misérables (2018), and Chernobyl (2019).

## Early life

Sumpter was born on 13 February 1943, in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, England.

## Career

One of Sumpter's early television appearances was the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Wheel in Space with Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. Sumpter appeared in Doctor Who again, in the 1972 serial The Sea Devils with Jon Pertwee. Sumpter also appeared in the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. In 2015, he appeared as the Time Lord President Rassilon in the Doctor Who episode "Hell Bent".
His early film work included a lead role as real life criminal Donald Neilson in the 1977 film The Black Panther. Sumpter also appeared in many television films and serials, including adaptations of Dickens' novels: Nicholas Nickleby in 2001, Great Expectations in 1999, and Bleak House in 1985.
Sumpter played the part of villain Ronnie Day in Big Deal (1985). He took the role of Alexander Bonaparte Cust in the 1992 Agatha Christie's Poirot adaptation of The ABC Murders. He has also appeared in episodes of Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Holby City, Black Mirror, and A Touch of Frost.
From 1995 to 1998, Sumpter had a recurring role as Uncle Ginger in the Children's BBC series The Queen's Nose. He played Harold Chapple in Our Friends in the North, and portrayed the physicist Max Planck in Einstein and Eddington. He has also been seen as Kemp in the horror-drama series Being Human. In seasons 1 and 2, he portrayed Maester Luwin in the HBO series Game of Thrones.
His film appearances include The Constant Gardener (2005), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), Enigma (2001) and Ultramarines: The Movie (2010).
In 2018, he played film star Emil Valdemar in Endeavour, Series 5, Episode 2: "Cartouche. The same year, he appeared as Monsieur Mabeuf in the BBC adaption of Les Misérables.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1968 | The Window Cleaner | David | |
| 1968 | The Lost Continent | Sparks – the radioman | Uncredited |
| 1969 | Night After Night After Night | Pete Laver | |
| 1970 | Groupie Girl | Steve | |
| 1970 | The Walking Stick | Max | |
| 1971 | Bleak Moments | Norman's friend | |
| 1971 | Sunday Bloody Sunday | Party Guest | |
| 1974 | Stardust | TV Producer | |
| 1977 | Hardcore | Mark | |
| 1977 | The Black Panther | Donald Neilson | |
| 1979 | Meetings with Remarkable Men | Pogossian | |
| 1983 | Curse of the Pink Panther | Dave | |
| 1990 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead | Claudius | |
| 1992 | Méchant garçon | Michael, le père | |
| 1993 | Being Human | Salgedo | as Don Sumpter |
| 1995 | Richard III | Brackenbury | |
| 1997 | Tangier Cop | Ahmed Yaasin | |
| 2001 | Enigma | Leveret | |
| 2001 | The Point Men | Benni Baum | |
| 2002 | K-19: The Widowmaker | Gennadi Savran | |
| 2005 | The Constant Gardener | Tim Donohue | |
| 2007 | Eastern Promises | Yuri | |
| 2009 | God & Lucy | God | Short film |
| 2010 | Among Us | Man on bench | |
| 2010 | Ultramarines: The Movie | Pythol | Voice role |
| 2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell | |
| 2014 | Bypass | Grandfather | |
| 2015 | In the Heart of the Sea | Paul Macy | |
| 2016 | The Knackerman | Ron | Short film |
| 2017 | The Man Who Invented Christmas | Jacob Marley | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1966 | The Wednesday Play | Soldier | 1 episode: "A Hero of Our Time" |
| 1967 | Softly Softly | Ted Reece | 1 episode: "Ted Reece" |
| 1967 | Love Story | | 1 episode: "Cinéma Vérité" |
| 1967 | Z-Cars | Dave Caller | 2 episodes: "It's Easy Once You Know How" |
| 1968 | Doctor Who | Enrico Casali | 6 episodes: "The Wheel in Space" |
| 1968 | Sanctuary | Lee | 1 episode: "The Girl with the Blue Guitar" |
| 1969 | ITV Saturday Night Theatre | Leary | 1 episode: "Pig in a Poke" |
| 1969 | The First Churchills | Lord Cutts | 1 episode: "A Famous Victory" |
| 1970 | Mad Jack | Wilmot | |
| 1970 | The Adventures of Don Quick | Gezool | 1 episode: "The Benefits of Earth" |
| 1972 | Doctor Who | Commander Ridgeway | 3 episodes: "The Sea Devils" |
| 1972 | Armchair Theatre | Dellow | 1 episode: "The Breaking of Colonel Keyser" |
| 1973 | Barlow at Large | Jim Page | 1 episode: "Strays" |
| 1973 | Hadleigh | Tony | |
| 1975 | Centre Play | Johnny | 1 episode: "The Saliva Milkshake" |
| 1975 | Sadie, It's Cold Outside | Plumber | 1 episode |
| 1975 | Quiller | Hudson | 1 episode: "Assault on the Ritz" |
| 1975 | Softly, Softly: Taskforce | George Hartley | 1 episode: "Choirboy" |
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | Aram | |
| 1977 | Seven Faces of Woman | Joe Belladona | 1 episode: "She: Anxious Anne" |
| 1977 | Play for Today | Spalding | 1 episode: "Catchpenny Twist" |
| 1977 | The Children of the New Forest | Ned Corbould | |
| 1978 | Crown Court | | 1 episode: "To Catch a Thief" |
| 1978 | Target | Heslop | 1 episode: "Promises" |
| 1978 | Les Misérables | Agent | |
| 1979 | The Other Side | | 1 episode: "Contact" |
| 1980 | Shoestring | Stanley Reeves | 1 episode: "The Teddy Bears’ Nightmare" |
| 1981 | BBC Television Shakespeare | Sextus Pompeius | "Antony & Cleopatra" |
| 1981 | The Rose Medallion | Harry | |
| 1982 | The Brack Report | Paul Brack | |
| 1983 | Bergerac | Roscoe | 1 episode: "Fall of a Birdman" |
| 1984 | Minder | Sudbury | 1 episode: "Hypnotising Rita" |
| 1985 | Time Trouble | | |
| 1985 | Oscar | Clibborn | 1 episode: "Gilded Youth" |
| 1985 | Bleak House | Nemo | 2 episodes |
| 1985–1986 | Big Deal | Ronnie Day | Recurring |
| 1986 | Boon | Jack Evans, Doreen's ex-husband | 2 episodes: "Grand Expectations" & "For Whom the Chimes Toll" |
| 1989 | Bergerac | Harry Tilson | 1 episode: "Second Time Around" |
| 1990 | Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Edward Peveril | 3 episodes: "Some Lie and Some Die" |
| 1991 | Aimée | Frank | |
| 1992 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Alexander Bonaparte Cust | 1 episode: "The A.B.C. Murders" |
| 1992 | The Blackheath Poisonings | Insp. Titmarsh | |
| 1993 | The Buddha of Suburbia | Matthew Pyke | |
| 1993 | The Bill | DCI Grant | 1 episode: "Nothing Ventured" |
| 1994 | Grushko | Kartashov | 3 part series |
| 1994 | Drop the Dead Donkey | Inspector | 1 episode: "The Strike" |
| 1994 | Between the Lines | Milan | 2 episodes: "The End User" |
| 1995–2000 | The Queen's Nose | Uncle Ginger | Recurring |
| 1996 | Our Friends in the North | Commander Harold Chapple | Recurring |
| 1996 | Cold Lazarus | Dr Rawl | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Bombay Blue | Supt. John Mayberry | |
| 1999 | Great Expectations | Compeyson | |
| 2000 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Gus Mullavey | 1 episode: "A Sweeter Lazarus" |
| 2001 | In Deep | Keith Sullivan | 1 episode: "Romeo Trap" |
| 2001 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Mr Brooker | |
| 2002 | The Estate Agents | Mr Love | 1 episode: "Gangsters" |
| 2003 | Serious and Organised | Jimmy Fisk | 1 episode: "Deal with the Devil" |
| 2003 | A Touch of Frost | Maynard | 1 episode: "Hidden Truth" |
| 2003 | Ultimate Force | General Harkin | 1 episode: "Mad Dogs" |
| 2003 | The Bill | Archie Foster | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Seven Wonders of the Industrial World | Farrington | 1 episode: "Brooklyn Bridge" |
| 2003 | Holby City | Jay Miller | 1 episode: "Façade" |
| 2004 | Midsomer Murders | Tim Settingfield | 1 episode: "Sins of Commission" |
| 2004 | The Last Detective | Alfie Clemens | 1 episode: "The Long Bank Holiday" |
| 2005 | Rose and Maloney | Ronnie Johnson | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Eleventh Hour | Richard Adams | 1 episode: "Kryptos" |
| 2006 | The Chatterley Affair | Gerald Gardiner | |
| 2006 | The Eagle: A Crime Odyssey Ørnen: En krimi-odyssé | Aca Popov / Milan Nacuk | 2 episodes: "Kodenavn: Minos"' & "Kodenavn: Ithaka – Del 24" |
| 2006 | The Bill | Alfie Sutton | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Dracula | Alfred Singleton | |
| 2007 | Fallen Angel | Simon Martlesham | |
| 2007 | Holby City | William Chase | 1 episode: "Past Imperfect" |
| 2008 | Heist | King Edward | |
| 2008 | Heroes and Villains | Garnier | 1 episode: "Richard the Lionheart" |
| 2008 | Taggart | Alex Sternwood | 1 episode: "Point of Light" |
| 2008 | New Tricks | Bobby 'Tar' Mcadam | 1 episode: "Couldn't Organise One" |
| 2008 | Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Parson Tringham | |
| 2008 | Einstein and Eddington | Max Planck | |
| 2009 | Into the Storm | Lord Halifax | |
| 2009 | The Sarah Jane Adventures | Erasmus Darkening | 2 episodes: "The Eternity Trap" |
| 2009–2010 | Being Human | Kemp | Recurring; 9 episodes |
| 2010 | Spooks | Stephen Kirby | 1 episode Series 9 Ep 3 |
| 2010 | Merlin | The Fisher King | 1 episode: "The Eye of the Phoenix" |
| 2011 | The Suspicions of Mr Whicher | Peter Edlin QC | |
| 2011 | Black Mirror | Julian Hereford | 1 episode: "The National Anthem" |
| 2011–2012 | Game of Thrones | Maester Luwin | Series 1–2, 14 episodes |
| 2012 | Wallander | Fredrik Thorson | 1 episode: "An Event in Autumn" |
| 2012 | The Secret of Crickley Hall | Gordon Pyke | Episodes 2 & 3 |
| 2013 | The Mill | Samuel Greg | Series 1 |
| 2013 | Atlantis | Tiresias | 1 episode: "Twist of Fate" |
| 2014 | New Worlds | Sidney | Episodes 3 & 4 |
| 2014 | One Child | Jim Ashley | 3 part series |
| 2014 | Quirke | Josh Crawford | Episode 1 Christine Falls |
| 2015 | Coalition | Paddy Ashdown | TV film |
| 2015 | Jekyll and Hyde | Garson | 10 part series |
| 2015 | Doctor Who | The President | Episode: "Hell Bent" |
| 2017 | Peaky Blinders | Arthur Bigge | Episodes 1 & 6 |
| 2018 | Endeavour | Emil Valdemar | Episode 2: "Cartouche" |
| 2018 | 12 Monkeys | Seer | 3 Episodes: "The End" (uncredited), "Legacy" & "Demons" |
| 2018 | Les Misérables | Monsieur Mabeuf | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Chernobyl | Zharkov | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Temple | George | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Exposed: The Church's Darkest Secret | Bishop Peter Ball | Docu-drama, 2 episodes |
| 2021 | The Cleaner | Sir James | 1 episode: "The Aristocrat" |