Career: Shepherd worked at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1965 to 1969, and during the 1970s, he was a regular on TV, appearing in Budgie, The Adventures of Black Beauty, Bill Brand, Crown Court, and Ready When You Are, Mr McGill. From 1977 to 1985, he was a member of Bill Bryden's Cottesloe Theatre Company at the National Theatre. He continued to work on TV, appearing in the likes of Blind Justice, Shoot to Kill, Between the Lines, Lovejoy, High Stakes, The Jury, Silent Witness, All About George, The Nativity, and The Politician's Husband. The peak of his TV popularity came when he played the title role in ITV detective drama Wycliffe from 1993 to 1998. He has also written and directed a number of stage plays.