Harold Innocent

Who was Harold Innocent?

Harold Sidney Innocent was a British actor who appeared in many film and television roles.

After attending Broad Street Secondary Modern School in Coventry, Innocent worked for a short time as an office clerk. Realising quickly that he was not suited to this career, he turned instead to acting, studying at the Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. After National Service in the RAF Innocent went into repertory theatre. Later he moved to Hollywood where he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959, as well other television series such as The Barbara Stanwyck Show.

On his return to Britain he appeared at the Nottingham Playhouse, the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, the Young Vic, the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic. In 1984 with the RSC he appeared in Richard III and Love's Labour's Lost. With the same company he appeared in Henry V, playing both the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Duke of Burgundy. He played the latter role in the 1989 film version for Kenneth Branagh. In 1991 he appeared in Alan Bennett's The Madness of George III, again at the National Theatre.