Jayston, Michael, 1935-2024

Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor and voiceover artist. He was best known for his numerous television appearances, which included portraying Peter Guillam in the miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), playing the Valeyard in all 14 episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord (1986). He was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in 1971. Jayston also portrayed Nicholas II of Russia in the epic historical film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). On stage, he was known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and starring roles in West End productions like Noël Coward's Private Lives and Easy Virtue, The Homecoming, Equus, The Sound of Music, Woman in Mind, and Dancing at Lughnasa. He was also a prolific reader of audiobooks, most notably of John le Carré's novels and as James Bond in a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of You Only Live Twice.