Harry Towb

Harry Towb was a Northern Ireland-born character actor on stage and in films and television. He was born in Larne, County Antrim, to Jewish parents. His father was a Russian emigrant. Harry Towb once claimed he was the only Jew ever born in Larne. He grew up in Belfast, making his stage debut at the Guildhall Theatre in Londonderry in 1946. Towb began acting in England in the 1950s. Over the years he was affiliated with the National Theatre, the Abbey and Gate Theatres in Dublin, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). He was also a prolific performer on British television in a wide variety of roles. He appeared twice in Doctor Who (1963). His second appearance, in Terror of the Autons: Episode Two (1971), features one of the cult series' scariest scenes in which his character is suffocated by a plastic chair. In films, he often appeared as priests or law enforcement officers. Towb died of cancer three days before his 84th birthday. He was survived by his wife, actress Diana Hoddinott, children Emily, Daniel and Joshua, and three granddaughters.