Stephen Whittaker

Birthday: 1947-06-28
Deathday: 2003-02-07
Birthplace: London, England, UK
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

Stephen Whittaker (28 June 1947 – 7 February 2003) was a British actor and director. He worked largely in British film and television, and attended Henley-in-Arden School in Warwickshire before further training as an actor at London's Corona Academy. He began his career aged 17, as a "bad boy" in the film To Sir With Love (1966), and in the classic BBC Doctor Who adventure The Web of Fear, as a soldier battling Yeti in the London Underground.

In 1985, Whittaker took a director's training course and directed a short training film, which he sent to John Schlesinger (who had directed him in Yanks). Schlesinger suggested him to producer Mark Shivas as director for Channel 4's drama trilogy What If It's Raining?, written by Anthony Minghella. This was the beginning of a directing career of prestigious TV and film work. Shortly before Whittaker's death, writer Julian Fellowes spoke of him as "the most exciting director in the industry."

In 2001, he filmed his final project, The Rocket Post, a romantic drama set on a remote Scottish island. The film had severe funding problems and was eventually released in 2006, three years after his death. The credits bear a dedication to his memory. Whittaker died following complications from a routine surgery.

Credits

	Year	Title	Character
	1983-12-16	The Keep	S.S. Kommando
	1981-03-24	Only a Game	Dave Rawlings
	1979-09-19	Yanks	Merchant Seaman
	1978-11-01	The One and Only Phyllis Dixey	Reporter
	1976-04-05	The Paradise Run	Terrorist
	1973-09-01	I Escaped from Devil's Island	Leper Count
	1971-04-01	Bury Me an Angel	The Killer
	1968-07-22	Countercrime	George West
	1968-03-09	Doctor Who: The Web of Fear	Craftsman Weams
	1967-06-14	To Sir, with Love	Schoolboy
	1966-11-17	The World in Silence	Harold