David Swift

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Swift (born April 3 1931, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England) is a British actor. He was educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he studied law.

He made his television debut in 1961, and since then has rarely been off the screen. In 1979 he appeared as Dingley alongside Richard Beckinsale in the BBC situation comedy Bloomers. But it was the rôle of irascible newsreader Henry Davenport in the topical comedy Drop the Dead Donkey, written by Andy Hamilton, for which Swift has become most famous. He has also made occasional appearances as God in the Radio 4 comedy Old Harry's Game, also written by Hamilton.

Swift is the brother of another popular British actor, Clive Swift of Keeping Up Appearances fame, with whom he has sometimes performed. He is also the father of actress Julia Swift and father-in-law of David Bamber.