A much-loved actor known best for appearing in the likes of sci-fi series “Doctor Who” and soap opera “Coronation Street” has sadly passed away at the age of 90.
David Daker died on Thursday, April 30. However, his family chose to hold back the news until Sunday, June 21, when they released it to the press. The Guardian were among the first to report Daker’s passing, with an obituary describing him as “a character actor.”
Daker was born on September 29, 1935, in Bilston, Staffordshire, England. He attended Etheridge Secondary Modern School, now called Moseley Park School, in the West Midlands. His acting career began as an ensemble member of the Salisbury Playhouse in 1960.
He went on to appear prolifically on television, as well as in a handful of notable movies, before retiring to live out his final years in France.
Daker is survived by his second wife, Hilary (nee Voisey), their daughter, Rebecca, his son, Timothy, and sister, Hazel. No cause of death has been disclosed.
David Daker’s Filmography Was Vast
GettyActor David Daker is known to fans of the iconic BBC sci-fi series “Doctor Who” for playing two memorable characters. He played Irongron in “The Time Warrior” and Rigg in “Nightmare of Eden” between 1973 and 1979.
He also starred as two characters — Gordon Lewis and Basil Griffin — in 31 episodes of the long-running ITV soap opera “Coronation Street” between 1968 and 1985.
However, Daker was perhaps most famous in the United Kingdom for his role as Harry Crawford in the ITV drama series “Boon.” He played that role for 93 episodes of the show from 1986 until the final episode in 1995.
Other notable television shows he appeared in include the police procedural series “Z Cars,” “Heartbeat,” and “The Bill,” medical drama series “Casualty,” the medical soap operas “General Hospital” and “Doctors,” and the sitcoms “Porridge,” “Rising Damp,” and “Only Fools and Horses.”
Movie-wise, Daker’s credits included 1973’s surrealist fantast comedy-drama “O Lucky Man!,” 1974’s musical drama “Stardust,” 1976’s war film “Aces High” and drama “Voyage of the Damned,” 1981’s fantasy adventure “Time Bandits,” and 1990’s comedy horror “I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle.”
As news of Daker’s death began to circulate, tributes to him were posted online.
Fans React to ‘Very Sad’ Passing of David Daker
Tributes to David Daker began appearing online as soon as the news of his passing broke.
An Instagram account posted a tribute to him that described him as having “a long career in British television, appearing in series including Z Cars, Porridge, Only Fools and Horses, Rising Damp, Dick Turpin, Doctor Who, Coronation Street, Hallelujah and as Harry Crawford in Boon.”
Comments on the post included many from people remembering him fondly.
One Instagram user commented, “Very sad! Was only watching him recently on ITV4, in Boon. RIP.”
Another individual wrote, “Rest in Heaven David. Keep the beer cold for us 🫡🙏❤️.”
Someone else noted, “He’s been in Minder , Professionals , Dempsey & Makepeace as well as others also Boon , which is on ITVx now the full series , He’s gone to look for Michael Elphick x.”
Finally, a fan simply said, “Rest in peace.”
We’d like to send our heartfelt condolences to David Daker’s family and friends at this sad time. May he rest in eternal peace.
David Daker’s filmography and some personal information was courtesy of IMDb.
