Stuart Organ the actor known for bringing iconic characters to life on shows such as Grange Hill, Brookside and Doctor Who has sadly passed away at the age of 72. A representative has confirmed the actor’s passing on 23 February, but did not touch on specifics. They said that he:
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died peacefully at home after a short illness.
This comes after the tragic news that Ewen MacIntosh passed away aged 50.
Stuart Organ’s iconic roles
Organ began his acting career at the Leeds Playhouse in 1975, he joined a performance of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead. He also portrayed the role of Judge Turpin in Queens Theatre Hornchurch’s Sweeney Todd at the time.
Organ took the skills he honed on stage plays and moved over to television and film. Organ portrayed Kevin Cross on the soap opera Brookside, he appeared in Casualty and Holby City and several films including 1990’s Those Glory Glory Days, 1994’s festive film Present Spirits and 1997’s Fork In The Road.
While his resume has no lack of credits, his best role came in the form of Peter Robson; the longest-serving staff member of the school in Grange Hill.
The character was a PE and geography teacher who eventually got promoted to Head Teacher of a London comprehensive school. The show is one of the UK’s grittiest and realistic look at issues such as drug abuse, mental illness, racism, teen pregnancy and much more.
The actor decided to leave the show in 2003 after it was decided to move production to Liverpool.
However, in 2022, the show's creator, Sir Phil Redmond, discussed the possibility of bringing the show back as a movie. He said:
You just go out as honestly as you can and try to reflect society as it is, try to be as truthful as you can within the bounds of fiction and do the research properly.
One of the things I've always done is work with great young teams to actually deliver the vision. So we'll just take a look at the way Britain is now, and not the way policymakers would like us to think it is. We will take a realistic view of what education is like now and what that means to kids going through it.
The diverse facets of Organ’s career
Furthermore, Organ also did voiceover work, his voice can be heard in popular games like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dante’s Inferno and Assassin’s Creed. He also lent his voice to iconic cartoons like The Adventures of Tintin and Rat-man.
Organ was also the voice of the London Underground informing people about arrivals, and delays and always telling them to mind the gap.
Following the announcement of Organ’s death fans poured tributes into social media for an actor who had an enormous presence in some of their childhoods:
Can’t believe it, that fella helped shape my childhood. Legend
RIP Mr Robson
Part of my 90s childhood gone
Stuart's last acting credit was in 2023, taking on the voice role of David in The Gnomes Great Adventure. In 2020, he appeared in an episode of Bridgerton as a doctor.
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Sources:
The Sun: Stuart Organ dead: Grange Hill star known for playing Peter Robson dies aged 72 as tributes pour in
Entertainment Daily: Grange Hill star Stuart Organ – best known for playing Mr Robson – dies aged 72: ‘That fella helped shape my childhood’
