Biography
Hywel Thomas Bennett (8 April 1944 – 25 July 2017) was a Welsh actor. Born in Garnant, Carmarthenshire, he moved to London as a child and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after early work with the National Youth Theatre. He made his screen debut in the mid-1960s and appeared in several films opposite Hayley Mills, including The Family Way (1966).
Bennett played Ricki Tarr in the BBC serial Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and appeared in Play for Today. He became best known for the title role of the philosophical layabout James Shelley in the ITV sitcom Shelley (1979–1992). Other television credits include Mr Croup in Neverwhere (1996) and roles in Doctor Who, The Twilight Zone and Casualty. He retired from acting in 2007.
