Né le 29 août 1928 à Bournemouth (Dorset, Angleterre), Charles Gray fît parti du Regent Park Open Air Theatre avant de rejoindre la troupe du Old Vic Theatre de Londres.
C'est à cette époque, en 1956, qu'il jouera pour la première fois au côté de Brett, notamment dans Troilus and Cressida (1956) - Charles Gray jouait le rôle d'Achille et Brett celui de Patrocle (Ce dernier remplaça John Neville dans le rôle de Troilus lors d’une tournée du Old Vic en Amérique, en 1957). Il fut également Lennox dans Macbeth (1956) - au côté de Brett en Malcom - et Escalus dans Roméo et Juliette (1956) - Brett interprétait alors Paris et John Neville un très séduisant Roméo.
Mais on connaît surtout Charles Gray pour sa formidable interprétation du plus célèbre ennemie de James Bond, Ernst Blofeld - le chef du SPECTRE (Les Diamants sont éternels - 1971) ainsi que pour sa prestation dans The Rocky horror Picture Show (1975) et dans La Nuit des Généraux de A. Livtak (1967) aux côtés de Omar Sharif et de Peter O'Toole. Les Holmésiens se rappelle également qu’il interpréta le rôle de Mycroft Holmes dans le film La solution à sept pour cent (1976) – aux côtés de Nicol Williamson en Holmes, de Robert Duvall en Watson, et Sir Laurence Olivier… en Moriarty ! - avant de reprendre le rôle, et de retrouver, Jeremy Brett sur le tournage de la série de la Granada Sherlock Holmes.
Charles Gray est mort à Londres, le 7 mars 2000, à l'âge de 71 ans mais nous laissant une filmographie qui nous montre une carrière plus que florissante
1.
Longitude (2000) .... Admiral Balchen
2. Tichborne Claimant, The (1998) ....
Arundell
3. Ellen Foster (1997) (TV)
4. "Madson" (1996) TV Series
.... Sir Ranald Hearnley
5. "Scarlett" (1994) (mini)
TV Series .... The Judge
6. "Tale of the
poop" (1991) TV Series"Tales from the Poop Deck" (1991) TV Series
7. "Paper
Man, The" (1990) (mini) TV Series .... Prime Minister
8. Frau namens Harry, Eine (1990) .... Satan
9. "Blackeyes" (1989) (mini) TV Series ....
Sebastian
10 "Return of Sherlock Holmes II, The" (1988)
TV Series .... Mycroft Holmes
11. "Hannay" (1988) TV Series .... Commander
Nevil
12. Dreams Lost, Dreams Found (1987)
(TV) .... Jason
13. "Porterhouse Blue" (1987) (mini) TV Series
.... Sir Cathcart D'Eath
14. Cariani and the Courtesans (1987) (TV) .... Narrator
15. "Return of Sherlock Holmes,
The" (1986) TV Series .... Mycroft Holmes
16. "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II, The"
(1985) TV Series .... Mycroft Holmes
17. "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The" (1984)
TV Series .... Mycroft Holmes
18. Comedy of Errors, The (1983) (TV) .... Solinus, Duke
of Ephesus
... aka BBC Television Shakespeare: The Comedy of Errors (1983) (TV)
19. Englishman Abroad, An (1983) (TV) .... Claudius
20.
Jigsaw Man, The (1983) .... Sir James Charley
21. Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982) (TV)
.... Earl Spencer
22. Troilus & Cressida (1981) (TV) .... Pandarus
...aka BBC Television Shakespeare: Troilus & Cressida (1981) (TV)
23.
Shock Treatment (1981) .... Judge Oliver Wright
24. "Marie" (1980) TV Series .... Various Roles
(1980-1981)
25. Mirror Crack'd, The (1980) .... Bates, The Butler
26. "Ike" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... General
'Freddie' DeGuingand
27. Julius Caesar (1979/I) (TV) .... Caesar
... aka BBC Television Shakespeare: Julius Caesar (1979) (TV)
28. House on Garibaldi Street, The (1979) (TV) .... Gen.
Lischke
29. Legacy, The (1979) .... Karl
... aka Legacy of Maggie Walsh, The (1979)
30. King Richard the Second (1978) (TV) .... Duke of York
... aka BBC Television Shakespeare: King Richard the Second (1978) (TV)
... aka Richard II (1978) (TV)
31. Silver Bears (1977) .... Charles Cook
32. Seven Nights in Japan (1976) .... Hollander
33. Seven-Per-Cent Solution, The (1976) .... Mycroft Holmes
34. Philanthropist, The (1975) (TV)
35. Rocky Horror Picture Show, The
(1975) .... Criminologist (Narrator)
36. Night Is the Time for Killing (1975) (TV)
... aka Murder on the Midnight Express (1975) (TV) (USA)
... aka Thriller: Night Is the Time for Killing (1975) (TV) (UK: series
title)
37. Mutiny (1975) (TV)
38. Beast Must Die, The (1974) .... Arthur Bennington
... aka Black Werewolf (1974) (video title)
39. Twelfth Night (1974) (TV)
40. Room with a View, A (1973) (TV)
... aka Play of the Month: A Room with a View (1973) (TV) (UK)
41. "Upper Crusts, The" (1973) TV Series ....
Lord Seacroft/Lord Seacroft Snr.
42. "Fall of Eagles, A" (1973) (mini) TV Series
43. Millionairess, The (1972) (TV)
... aka Play of the Month: The Millionairess (1972) (TV) (UK)
44. Lady Windermere's Fan (1972) (TV)
... aka Play of the Month: Lady Windermere's Fan (1972) (TV) (UK)
45. Merchant of Venice, The (1972) (TV) .... Antonio
... aka Play of the Month: The Merchant of Venice (1972) (TV) (UK)
46. Cherry Orchard, The (1971) (TV)
... aka Play of the Month: The Cherry Orchard (1971) (TV) (UK)
47. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) .... Ernst Blofeld
48. Jenkins (1971) (TV)
... aka Thirty-Minute Theatre: Jenkins (1971) (TV) (UK: series title)
49. Wild Rovers (1971) .... Savage
50. Michael Regan (1971) (TV)
... aka Play for Today: Michael Regan (1971) (TV) (UK: series title)
51. Asquith in Orbit (1971) (TV)
... aka Thirty-Minute Theatre: Asquith in Orbit (1971) (TV) (UK: series
title)
52. Ross (1970) (TV)
... aka Play of the Month: Ross (1970) (TV) (UK)
53. Closed Shop, The (1970) (TV)
... aka W. Somerset Maugham: The Closed Shop (1970) (TV) (UK: series title)
54. Executioner, The (1970) .... Vaughan Jones
55. Cromwell (1970) .... The Earl of Essex
56. Mosquito Squadron (1969) .... Hufford
57. File of the Golden Goose, The (1969) .... Harrison,
'The Owl'
58. Nine Ages of Nakedness, The (1969) .... Narrator
59. Hay Fever (1968) (TV) .... Richard Greatham
... aka Play of the Month: Hay Fever (1968) (TV) (UK)
60. Devil Rides Out, The (1968) .... Mocata
... aka Devil's Bride, The (1968)
61. Secret War of Harry Frigg, The (1968) .... General
Cox-Roberts
62. "Something to Hide" (1968)
TV Series
63. Moon and Sixpence, The (1967) (TV)
... aka Play of the Month: The Moon and Sixpence (1967) (TV) (UK)
64. You Only Live Twice (1967) .... Henderson
65. Night of the Generals, The (1967) .... General von
Seidlitz-Gabler
... aka Nuit des généraux, La (1967) (France)
66. Man Outside, The (1967)
67. Masquerade (1965) .... Benson
... aka Operation Masquerade (1965)
... aka Shabby Tiger, A (1965)
68. Entertainer, The (1960) .... Columnist
69. Man in the Moon (1960) .... Leo
70. Desperate Man, The (1959) .... Lawson
71. Follow a Star (1959) (uncredited)
.... Taciturn Man at Party
72. Tommy the Toreador (1959) .... Gomez
73. Heart of a Child (1958) .... Fritz Heiss
74. I Accuse! (1958) .... Captain Brossard
75. God Is My Partner (1957) .... Man
76. Ride a Violent Mile (1957)
77. Unknown Terror, The (1957) .... Jim Wheatley
78. Black Whip, The (1956) .... Chick Hainline
... aka Man with a Whip, The (1956) (USA)
79. One Desire (1955) (uncredited) .... Vernon's son
Apparition
en guest star :
1. "Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The" (1994) playing "Mycroft Holmes" in episode: "Mazarin Stone, The" 1994
2. "Katts and Dog" (1988) in episode: "Number
One With A Bullet" (episode # 3.16) 1990
3. "New Statesman, The" (1988) playing "Roland
Gidleigh-Park" in episode: "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (episode
# 1.7) 10/25/1987
4. "New Statesman, The" (1988) playing "Roland
Gidleigh-Park" in episode: "Waste Not, Want Not" (episode
# 1.4) 10/4/1987
5. "CATS Eyes" (1985) playing "Sir Jack
Fenn" in episode: "Fit" 1986
6. "Bergerac" (1981) in episode: "What
Dreams May Come True" (episode # 4.3) 10/25/1985
7. "Hazell" (1978) playing "Brownhill"
in episode: "Hazell & the Deptford"
8. "Iron Horse, The" (1966) in episode: "High
Devil" (episode # 1.3) 9/26/1966
9. "Perry Mason" (1957) playing "Jack Baker"
in episode: "Case of the Bullied Bowler, The" (episode # 8.7)
11/5/1964
10. "Out of This World" (1962)
playing "Abel Jones" in episode: "Tycoons, The" 1962
11. "Danger Man" (1960) playing "Zameda"
in episode: "Coyannis Story, The"
12. "Danger Man" (1960) playing "Alex"
in episode: "Key, The" (episode # 1.11) 1960
13. "Black Saddle" (1959) in episode: "Client:
McQueen" (episode # 1.3) 1/24/1959
14. "Invisible Man, The" (1958) playing "Peter Thal" in episode: "Vanishing Evidence, The" 1959
Théâtre
:
Macbeth
(1956-1957), Old Vic Theatre, London,
UK ; Winter Garden, New York, USA ; National Theatre, Washington, DC, USA…Lennox.
Richard
II (1956-1957),
Old Vic Theatre, London, UK ; Winter Garden, New York,
USA ; National Theatre, Washington, DC,
USA…Henry Bolingbroke, duke of Hereford.
Romeo
and Juliet (1956-1957), Old Vic Theatre, London, UK ;
Winter Garden, New York ; National Theatre, Washington,
DC, USA…Escalus.
Troilus and
Cressida (1956-1957) Old Vic Theatre, London,
UK ; Winter Garden, New York ; National Theatre, Washington, DC...Achilles
Kean (1964), Broadway… Prince of Wales
Several seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company portraying
a variety of roles including Malvolio in Twelfth
Night, John Of Gaunt in Richard II and Ceasar in Julius Ceasar.