Francis Matthews (actor)

Matthews was born in York. He attended St George's RC Primary School there, then St Michael's Jesuit College in Leeds, and started his acting career in Leeds repertory theatre, before service in the Royal Navy.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Matthews's film roles for Hammer Studios included the Baron's assistant in The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) and the heroes of Dracula: Prince of Darkness and Rasputin, the Mad Monk (both 1966). On television, from 1969 to 1971, he played Francis Durbridge's amateur private detective Paul Temple in the BBC series of the same name.

Matthews starred opposite Morecambe and Wise in the films The Intelligence Men (1965) and That Riviera Touch (1966), leading to a close friendship with Eric Morecambe. He also appeared throughout the 1960s and 1970s in a variety of TV comedy roles, including Eric & Ernie's Christmas Show, 1977. He appeared alongside George Cole in Charles Woods' sitcom Don't Forget To Write! (1977) as a successful writer.

In 1967, Matthews provided the character voice of Captain Scarlet, in imitation of Cary Grant, for Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation TV series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. (He divided his time, during the recording sessions, between his work there and his stage appearances in Noel Coward's play Private Lives.) In the late 1970s, he served as narrator and host for Follow Me!, a BBC educational programme that offered a "crash course" in the English language to foreign viewers.

In 1986 Matthews and his wife, Angela Browne, appeared together in the BBC adaptation of the Josephine Tey novel Brat Farrar. In 2000, they starred in two Ray Cooney plays on the cruise ship MS Marco Polo, while she was sailing to the Antarctic: Run For Your Wife and Funny Money.

Matthews was married to actress Angela Browne from 1963 until her death in 2001, together they have three sons. Two, Damien Matthews and Paul Rattigan, are actors; the other, Dominic, is an artist and musician. Matthews' younger brother, Paul Shelley, is also an actor.

Matthews died on 14 June 2014 at the age of 86 following a short illness. He is survived by his three sons, his five grandchildren, his younger brother Paul Shelley and his sister Maura.