Born:
May 23, 1951
in
Trinidad
Best Known For:
Playing Philip Smith in ITV sitcom Rising Damp.
Early-life:
Born Don Williams in Trinidad on May 23, 1951. He has an older brother. His father, Basil Kydd, died suddenly in Trinidad at the age of 48 in 1958 when Don was six. His mother, Shirley, decided to make a new life for herself in England while Don and his brother were looked after back in Trinidad by his grandmother. Shirley settled in Newcastle with a job at a metal factory and returned to Trinidad to collect her two sons. When Don was 12, his mother left for America to retrain as a nurse. Don and his brother were then looked after in England by his Auntie Lena. Don was 17 when he landed his first job as an assistant stage manager at Newcastle's Flora Robson Playhouse. He moved to London to train at the Drama Centre and then landed the role that made him famous.
Career:
Warrington began playing Philip Smith in ITV sitcom Rising Damp in 1974 alongside Leonard Rossiter and Richard Beckinsale. The hugely popular series ran until 1978 and led to a spin-off film. Decades later, Warrington directed the first UK stage tour of Rising Damp in 2013. He has also starred in Triangle, Crown Court, CATS Eyes, To Play the King, Grange Hill, Manchild, Holby City and The Crouches. More recently, he has appeared in Doctor Who, New Street Law, Casualty, Waking the Dead, Lewis and Death in Paradise. He has also performed with the National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, and the Bristol Old Vic. He competed in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing with professional dancer Lilia Kopylova. They were eliminated in week five.
Quote:
"My brother and I were the only black kids in our school. The way you survive in those circumstances is to become like the locals, so I became a Geordie who was good at football."
Trivia:
Warrington was awarded an MBE in 2008.