Attended St. Edward's Christian Brothers school in Liverpool.Father, with Judi Dench , of daughter Finty WilliamsWas chairman of the Catholic Stage Guild for several yearsAwarded the Papal knighthood, one of the highest honours given by the Catholic Church, in November 2000, and was presented to him days before his death.Before he embarked on a career in the theatre, he worked in insurance and shared an office with another future actor, Leonard Rossiter , at the Commercial Union.He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "The Forest" at the Royal National Theatre, Lyttelton Stage.Brother-in-law of Jeffery Dench .He (as Dr. John H. Watson) and Clive Merrison (as Sherlock Holmes) are the only acting duo to complete the entire Conan Doyle canon of "Sherlock Holmes" stories.