‘Gliding On’ actor, theatre legend dies at 82
New Zealand actor Ray Henwood has died.
Circa Theatre in Wellington confirmed yesterday that Henwood had died aged 82.
The actor spent a lifetime inhabiting the lives of others in a world of make-believe.
He had played Albert Einstein, Joseph Stalin, Dylan Thomas and Winston Churchill, to name but a few.
Henwood was the father of comedian Dai Henwood.
Born Charles Raymond Henwood in Swansea, Wales, in 1937, Henwood got the acting bug at a young age when he performed in plays at his church and school. Speaking to Stuff in 2016, Henwood said that acting was ‘‘a real communication for me. The best feeling is when you can hear people listening. That real silence of listening is a heady feeling.’’
After graduating from university with a degree in chemistry, Henwood emigrated to Wellington where he started out teaching maths and science at Mana College in Porirua while performing in amateur productions.
By the end of the 1960s he was appearing in commercials, becoming a household face as the ‘‘Moro Man’’.
But he made his name as Hugh in the home-grown sitcom Gliding On, which was written by playwright Roger Hall and aired for five seasons in the 1980s.
Henwood was also a renowned theatre actor and was instrumental in establishing Circa Theatre in 1976.
He was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2006.
Henwood is survived by his wife, Carolyn, a retired district court judge and arts patron, son Dai, and his grandchildren.