We were desperately sad last week to learn that actor David Graham had passed away at the age of 99. David was responsible for portraying many of the most beloved characters across several of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Supermarionation TV and film productions during the 1960s. During this time, his close association with the Andersons’ worlds spanned Four Feather Falls (1960), Crossroads to Crime (1960), Supercar (1961), Fireball XL5 (1962), Stingray (1964), Thunderbirds (1965), Thunderbirds Are Go (1966), Thunderbird 6 (1968), and The Secret Service (1969). All of these works showcased David’s remarkably diverse vocal talents. From heroic space-age international rescuers to evil alien warmongers and pet chimpanzees, David could regularly be relied upon to deliver hugely distinct vocalisations of characters, often turning them into celebrated heroes.
David’s debut performance in an Anderson production was in the charming puppet Western Four Feather Falls, the first Gerry Anderson production to utilise the sophisticated puppetry techniques that would go on to be dubbed Supermarionation. David’s main roles were the kindly Grandpa Twink, one of Four Feather Falls’ founding residents, and the villainous Mexican bandit Fernando, who was the cowardly foil to the more deviously intelligent Pedro, voiced by Kenneth O’Connor. David voiced other and more minor residents of Four Feather Falls and each successive series he was involved in allowed him to showcase his vocal talents to flourish to new heights.
Gerry and Sylvia’s first science fiction production, Supercar, presented new challenges for all of the young AP Films’ crew, including the series’ cast. David Graham was the only cast member of Four Feather Falls to return for AP Films’ new cutting-edge TV series, which abandoned the fantasy Western stylings and embraced a more supersonic flavour of technologically-enhanced adventure. David’s major role in Supercar was that of Professor Horatio Beaker, the quirkily absent-minded scientist who’s forever engrossed in his experiments at Black Rock Lab. Professor Beaker remains one of David’s most creatively successful roles, performed with all the bright enthusiasm that’s such a hallmark of David’s vocal prowess, but now tackling the scientifically-heavy dialogue of Supercar whilst maintaining an odd yet comical and likeable personality.
Despite his scientific pursuits, Beaker could also be relied upon as a man of action, often joining in with Mike Mercury aboard Supercar for the group’s latest heroic adventure. Supercar began life as two separate productions; one being an embryonic version of Supercar itself, and the other being a sort of espionage-detective series named Beaker’s Bureau. The eventual Supercar weaved the two concepts together, perhaps explaining why Beaker comes to have such a dominant and popular role in the series. David’s other memorable roles in Supercar were the snivelling Zarin, colleague of series villain Masterspy, and the exuberant Mitch the monkey.
David would replicate two of his Supercar-era roles for 1962’s Fireball XL5 in the form of Professor Matt Mattic and Zoonie the Lazoon. With Fireball XL5, we left the Earth-bound scenarios of Supercar for the farthest reaches of space, allowing David’s vocal abilities to shine even brighter. Throughout Fireball XL5, David portrayed an unpredictable array of imaginative alien characters, a highlight being Kudos, the last surviving member of his race from Last of the Zanadus. David delivers a hauntingly mesmerising performance of an unhinged alien leader surrounded by their fallen kingdom, driven to preserving his people through tape recordings and communicating with them as if they’re still there.
Other acting work kept David away from maintaining another regular role in Stingray, yet he still found time to voice another batch of memorable guest characters, this time transplanting the stars for the oceans. From the traitorous Lieutenant Misen in Marineville Traitor, the menacing Idotee of The Ghost Ship, and the dual comical bombast of El Hudat and Ali Khali from the two-parter Star of the East and Eastern Eclipse, Stingray proved that David didn’t need to be part of the main cast to deliver exceptional performances.
Even if David’s association with Gerry and Sylvia ended there, we’d still regard him as a substantial contributor to the success of these series. However, David’s most popular roles were yet to come. Even where past shows had cemented his vocal skills, Thunderbirds afforded David the chance to perform as no less than four of the series’ main cast, including his most everlasting role. In Thunderbirds, David brings an eclectic selection of characters to life – the upbeat, jocular Thunderbird 4 aquanaut, Gordon Tracy, the modest and faithful Tracy family manservant, Kyrano, the engineering genius, Brains, and the reformed cockney safecracker, Aloysius ‘Nosey’ Parker.
The story of Parker’s genesis is an oft-told one but benefits from repeating here. Parker’s memorable cockney accent and persona came from a real-life waiter at the King’s Arms, a pub frequented by AP Films’ crew members. Hugely taken with the waiter’s quirk of dropping his aitches and adding them in the wrong spots, Gerry insisted that he and David visit the pub for David to absorb the waiter’s mannerisms for the role of Parker. One also wonders if the remarkably similar Judd from Supercar, another criminal character with safecracking abilities, helped to serve as additional inspiration for the more refined Parker. Lady Penelope and Parker themselves became hugely iconic characters, transcending their roles in Thunderbirds and occupying a permanent spot in pop culture. Parker himself is often the source of many of Thunderbirds‘ more comedic elements, from the ever-present undertones of class commentary between himself and Lady Penelope to his shady criminal past either luring him back (The Man from MI.5) or proving useful in rescue operations (The Cham-Cham). So much of Parker’s success has to come down to David’s performance, gifting Parker with a nasally tone and characteristic aitch-dropping that always carried a hint of knowing comical wickedness that reminds us of Parker’s criminal background.
Aside from guest roles in The Secret Service and Space Precinct, journeying into the 21st century, David would revisit his most popular Anderson characters for new adventures. He brought Professor Matt Mattic and Zoonie back for Network’s DVD release of Fireball XL5. He also brought Gordon, Brains, and Parker back with the first series of our Century 21 Tech Talk videos in 2019. David had also entered the world of Captain Scarlet in 2017 by performing as the narrator for the Spectrum Files audiobook readings of John Theydon’s 1960s Captain Scarlet spin-off novels. David’s illustrious late-career highlights didn’t stop there, as he also carved unique spots in the third series of Terrahawks audio revival in 2017, playing the stubborn inventor Professor Otto Maddox in Set Sail for Mis-Adventure and washed-out galactic adventurer Elias Crick in Living Legend. 2015 also saw David return to the role of Parker for Thunderbirds Are Go, ITV’s and Weta Workshop’s semi-CGI remake of the original series, revitalising the character for a new generation of young Thunderbirds fans.
David officially retired from his role as Parker in 2021, marking the event with the release of Thunderbirds: Terror from the Stars, in which Parker’s role was taken up by Jon Culshaw. However, David would voice the faithful butler one last time for Scalextric’s promotional video for their FAB 1 remote controlled car in January 2024. A bittersweet falling of the curtain to David’s far-reaching and diverse career.
One of the practical limitations of the Supermarionation puppets was their comparative inability to sufficiently display emotion, resulting in their voices being the most tangible and immediate source of characterisation. It therefore became a necessity for the actors of Supermarionation to be of the highest calibre in bringing these heroes and villains to life as convincingly and endearingly as possible. There’s no doubt that David consistently met that standard, always matching the scripts placed before him, whether it be dangerous rescue scenarios, underwater comedies, or intergalactic fantasies, with passionate performances that made his characters feel engrossing and believable.
David leaves behind an incredible legacy of performances across the worlds of Gerry Anderson as well as further memorable performances in theatre, film, and television. His intimate and long-lasting contributions to Anderson productions have yielded a wonderfully varied body of characters who brings such memorable personalities to these classic works.
Satisfactory, David. Most satisfactory.
To be the first to hear about the latest news, exclusive releases and show announcements, sign up to the Anderson Entertainment newsletter!
Leave a comment