Farewell to Frank, stalwart of the TV beat
FRANK Windsor, best known for his role in Z-Cars, has died aged 92.
The actor died peacefully at his London home on Wednesday with his wife and daughter by his side, his agent said.
Windsor starred as Detective Sergeant John Watt in the hit BBC police drama and in spin-off shows Softly, Softly and Softly, Softly: Taskforce between 1962 and 1976.
A staple on British television for more than 50 years, he also appeared in shows such as Chancer, EastEnders, Doctor Who and Casualty.
In his later years he featured in a number of TV commercials advertising life-assurance policies for the over-50s. However, it was in Z-Cars that he made his name. The pioneering series set in Newtown, a fictional town based on Kirkby in Lancashire, showed a different side to the police force.
It ran for more than 800 episodes and featured stars including Stratford Johns as Detective Inspector Barlow and Brian Blessed as ‘Fancy’ Smith. Born in 1928, Windsor studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama and gained his first screen credit in 1955.
He faced tragedy in his personal life when his 29year-old son David died in 1997 following a road crash. Windsor appeared in ITV drama Anchor Me in 2000 as a man whose family refuses to acknowledge their feelings over the accidental death of a son. The actor said the role had helped him confront his own son’s death.
In 1992, he played Major Charlie Grace in an EastEnders storyline. His final film role came in 2000 in the drama Between Two Women.
He also enjoyed a career in the theatre, starring alongside Prunella Scales in a notable production of What the Butler Saw.