Osmund Haddan Watson Bullock (born 25 July 1951) is an English stage, screen and
musical theatre actor.
He is also the current head of the historic Bullock family about which he wrote a history in 2005.[
]
Early life
Bullock was born in Kensington, the son of Richard Bullock CB (1920–1998) and his wife Beryl Haddan Markes, and the grandson of Sir Christopher Bullock and Lupton family. He had an older sister, Susan Amaryllis Watson (1945 - 2015).["BULLOCK, Richard Henry Watson" in Jonathan Parker, ed., Debrett's People of Today (1995), p. 284 (which names both children)]["BULLOCK – Richard Henry Watson Bullock, CB, on 14th June peacefully in hospital. Darling husband of Bee (Beryl) for 51 years, beloved father of Susan and Osmond, devoted grandfather of Amy and
Jack, and dear brother of Tony." The Times, 16 June 1998] From 1965, his father was head of the Ministry of Technology's machine tools, manufacturing machinery, and automation division.["BULLOCK Richard Henry Watson" in Who's who in Science in Europe, Vol. 1 (1967), p. 240] His great-grandfather, Llewellyn Christopher Watson Bullock (1866–1936) was born at Faulkbourne Hall near Witham, the family seat since 1637. His earliest known ancestor is an Osmund Bullock who was recorded in 1166 at Arborfield, in the Pipe rolls for Berkshire.[Elaine Barker, "Reverend Llewellyn Christopher Watson Bullock", Mersea Museum, accessed 18 July 2025]
At the age of fourteen, while at Rugby School, Bullock played Clara Zachanassian, a millionaire ex-prostitute, in the play The Visit. He went on appearing in school plays.["Female part was no drag" (interview), Crewe Chronicle, Thursday 3 October 1974, p. 8] After leaving Rugby, he trained as a mechanical engineer, but for three years spent his summer holidays working with the National Youth Theatre. He then trained for a career in the theatre at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. By 1974 he had definitely given up engineering for the life of an actor, which he found had an "irresistible call".[
]
An early screen role came in 1975 in Upstairs, Downstairs, playing Robin Eliot, the "tiresome suitor" of Georgina Worsley (Lesley-Anne Down).[ Daily Mirror, Saturday 20 September 1975, p. 13]
Stage
In July 1973, The Stage gave a good review to the performance of Bullock and Julian Fellowes as the Larrabee brothers in Sabrina Fair, a Webber Douglas Academy student play.["Webber Douglas", The Stage, Thursday 5 July 1973, p. 23] His first professional work was in pantomime at Swindon, then for nine months he toured in six plays with the Cambridge Theatre Company. This was followed by rep at the Royal Theatre, Northampton.[ In 1974, he was playing Jack Worthing (Ernest) in The Importance of Being Earnest.][
]
In April 1976, Bullock opened as Nigel Danvers in a revival of the musical Salad Days at the Duke of York's Theatre, which ran for months.[ "Salad Days London Revival (1976)", ovrtur.com, accessed 19 July 2025]
In December 1977, he was playing Jack Chesney in Charley's Aunt, with
Eric Sykes and Jimmy Edwards.["Eric Sykes and Jimmy Edwards lead a distinguished cast in Charley's remarkable aunt", Coventry Evening Telegraph, Thursday 29 December 1977, p. 15] A few months later, he was playing the lead in a Wyvern Theatre touring production of Terence Rattigan's French Without Tears.["On the way", The Stage, Thursday 20 April 1978, p. 1] One review said of his performance "Osmund Bullock, looking and behaving like a 1930s version of John Cleese, is hilarious as the Hon. Alan Howard".["Attack on a plastic culture", Coventry Evening Telegraph, Tuesday 2 May 1978, p. 20] He was in Charley's Aunt again at Chichester from December 1979 to January 1980.["Regional Theatre", The Stage, Thursday 20 December 1979, p. 22]
In 1984, Bullock sang in a Sadler's Wells Theatre revival of the operetta Countess Maritza, playing the parts of Penizek and Baron Liebenberg (bass).["OPERA: Countess Maritza", The Stage, Thursday 9 February 1984, p. 21]
In 1987, Bullock appeared at the Plymouth on Broadway theatre in Pygmalion with Amanda Plummer and Peter O'Toole, playing Freddy Eynsford Hill.[Frank Rich, "THEATER: O'TOOLE AND PLUMMER IN 'PYGMALION'", The New York Times, 27 April 1987,
]
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> archived at archive.ph From June to August 1991, he was Humphrey in Julian Slade's musical Nutmeg and Ginger at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond.[ "Nutmeg and Ginger", theatricalia.com, accessed 19 July 2025]["PRODUCTION NEWS", The Stage, Thursday 30 May 1991, p. 10]
In 1996, he played Melville in Schiller's Mary Stuart on the National Theatre's Lyttelton stage, in a new translation by Jeremy Sams.["THEATRE WEEK", The Stage, Thursday 21 March 1996, p. 43] In 1998, he was back at the Orange Tree starring in David Lewis's Bad Faith opposite Patricia Garwood.["Theatre Reviews: Bad Faith", The Stage, Thursday 29 January 1998, p. 13]
In June 2006, Bullock played Boustead and other parts in a revival of John Mortimer's A Voyage Round My Father at the Donmar Warehouse, with Derek Jacobi.[John Mortimer, A Voyage Round My Father (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007), p. 8]
Screen
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(1974) as Martin
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Upstairs, Downstairs (1975) as Robin Eliott
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(1975) as Viscount Crowley
["Hornung hero minus vital spark", The Stage, Thursday 18 September 1975, p. 15: "Michael Barrington, Osmund Bullock and Margot Lister upheld the pathetic dignity of the upper classes..."]
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Nicholas Nickleby (1977) as Snobb
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The Lost Boys (1978) as Jack Llewelyn Davies
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Danger UXB (1979), seven episodes as Alan Pringle
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Minder (1979) as Brian
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The Brylcreem Boys (1979) as Bredding
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Pride and Prejudice (1980) as Mr Bingley
["What's on this weekend",
]
Reading Evening Post, Saturday 9 May 1981, p. 8
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If You Go Down in the Woods Today (1981) as PC Turner
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Convoy PQ 17 as Lieutenant Colin Beale RN
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The Agatha Christie Hour (1982) as George Rowland
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(1982)
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Duty Free (1984), as Peter
["Couples, tonight's “Duty Free” story", Gloucestershire Echo , Tuesday 20 May 1986, p. 13]
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The Bill: A Dangerous Breed (1984) as Lord Barstow-Smythe
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C.A.T.S. Eyes (1985), as Sam
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The Twilight Zone (1985) as Andrew
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Gentlemen and Players (1988) as Alex Castle (13 episodes)
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So You Think You've Got Troubles (1991) as Army Officer
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The Cinder Path (1994) as Major Smith
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The Trial of Lord Lucan (1994) as Bill Shand-Kydd
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Treasure Island (1995) as Captain Smollett
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A Dance to the Music of Time (1997) as Erridge (4 episodes)
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A Touch of Frost (1999) as Peter Davidson
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Bertie and Elizabeth (2002) as Radio newscaster
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Heartbeat (2004) as Colin Taylor
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The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) as Newscaster
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Dunkirk (2004) as Colonel Whitfield
Selected publications
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Osmund Bullock, Faulkbourne and the Bullocks (2005)
Notes
External links
