- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWilliam Leo Beare
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Debonair British actor at home on stage (since the age of 15), screen and TV. Initially, his roles tended to be dramatic but, by his 40s, he was increasingly playing tongue-in-cheek comedy parts. His smooth lounge-lizard voice has frequently been used for voice-overs on television advertisements (most famously a long-running campaign for Schweppes drinks) and TV trailers.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Allen Dace
- SpousesSusanna Carroll(1966 - October 31, 2006) (his death, 2 children)Margo Johns(1952 - 1962) (divorced, 1 child)
- Children
- Replaced the late Peter Jones as the voice of The Book for the new "Tertiary Phase" episodes of "The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy" BBC4 radio series, adapted from the late Douglas Adams' books 3-5 of the "trilogy". At the beginning of the first new episode, Jones' voice begins, then is replaced by Franklyn as Arthur's copy of the Book undergoes an "upgrade". Phase 4 ("Quandary") is slated for 2005, with phase 5 ("Quintessential") to follow.
- Father of Sabina Franklyn.
- Served as a infantryman with the British Parachute Regiment in Palestine 1946.
- Co wrote his own spy series with the actor Ivor Dean but it was never screened as it was regarded a little ahead of it's time.
- Co- wrote his own spy series with the actor Ivor Dean but it was never shown as it was regarded as ahead of it's time but it pre-empted all the big spy stories of the 60's.
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