Born in Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland, Thomas Patrick 'T. P.' McKenna was a distinguished character actor of film and TV and a prolific stage actor. He made his stage debut in "Summer and Smoke" by Tennessee Williams at the Pike Theatre in Dublin in 1954 and his film debut in the 1960 film The Night Fighters. Film credits included Straw Dogs, Ulysses, Perfect Friday, Villain, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Red Scorpion and Valmont, whilst his TV credits included Bleak House, Inspector Morse, Doctor Who, Casualty, Ballykissangel and Lovejoy.

Filmography

• 2004The Libertine — Black Rod
• 2003The Boys & Girl from County Clare — The Announcer
• Rockface — Liam
• Waking the Dead — Phil Brown
• 2000Longitude — Edmund Burke
• Longitude — Edmund Burke
• 2000Monarch — Henry VIII
• Kings in Grass Castles — Lord Dunraven
• Testament: The Bible in Animation — God (voice)
• Liberation — Lloyd George, P.M. of England
• Scarlet and Black — Marquis de la Mole
• Heartbeat — Michael O'Leary
• 1992The Law Lord — Judge Selwyn
• 1991Events at Drimaghleen — Father Sallins
• 1990Shoot to Kill — Chief Constable Sir John Harmon
• Shoot to Kill — Chief Constable Sir John Hermon
• The Chief — Colin Fowler
• 1989Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery — Dr. Grahame
• 1989Valmont — Baron
• 1988Doctor Who: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy — Captain Cook
• Jack the Ripper — O'Connor
• 1988Pascali's Island — Dr. Hogan
• 1988Red Scorpion — General Vortek
• The Modern World: Ten Great Writers — Citizen
• The Play on One — Michael Flynn
• 1988Unreported Incident — Michael
• Casualty — Arthur Jackson, Dr. Archie Whitlock
• Lovejoy — Bertram Montserrat
• ScreenPlay — Father Sallins
• 1986Strong Medicine — Dr. Sweeting
• 1986The Christmas Tree — Bill
• Bleak House — Harold Skimpole
• My Brother Jonathan — Lloyd Moore
• 1985The Doctor and the Devils — O'Connor
• 1984Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle — Dennis Naylor
• 1984Memed My Hawk — Dursun
• 1984Moving on the Edge — Liam
• Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime — Randolph Wilmot
• 1983The Scarlet and the Black — Himmler
• 1983To the Lighthouse — Augustus Carmichael
• 1982Britannia Hospital — Theatre Surgeon
• 1982Crimes — Melvyn
• Play for Tomorrow — Melvyn
• Levkas Man — Holroyd
• 1981Random Moments in a May Garden — Digby
• The Manions of America — Harry Clement
• Lady Killers — Sir Hardinge Giffard Q.C.
• 1980Pasmore — Helen's husband
• 1980Silver Dream Racer — Bank Manager
• 1979Deasey (Desperate) — FG
• Minder — J.J.Mooney
• 1979The Outsider — John Russell
• 1978A Child's Voice — Ainsley Rupert Macreadie
• Blake's 7 — Sarkoff
• 1978Exposure — Dan
• Holocaust — Blobel
• Strangers — Chief Constable
• 1977A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man — Simon Dedalus
• 1977Love Lies Bleeding — Geoffrey
• Target — Ruby Daniels
• Beasts — Dick Pummery
• 1976Beasts: Baby — Dick Pummery
• 1976Stones — Harvey Fenton-Jones
• The Duchess of Duke Street — Sir Martin Mallory
• 1975All Creatures Great and Small — Soames
• Looking for Clancy — Marcus Selby
• Quiller — Buchanan
• Rumpole of the Bailey — Jean Pierre O'Higgins
• 1975The Next Victim — Frampton
• The Sweeney — Det. Supt. Grant
• Churchill's People — Dr Layton
• Fall of Eagles — Count Conrad von Hotzendorf
• Father Brown — DI Boyne
• Napoleon and Love — Paul Barras
• 1974Percy's Progress — London News Editor
• Playhouse — Harvey Fenton-Jones, Digby
• 1974The Changeling — Tomazo de Piracquo
• 1973A Warm December — Man (uncredited)
• 1973Lady Killer — Jack Hardisty
• Thriller — Jack Hardisty, Frampton
• Crown Court — Henry Burnett
• Jason King
• Justice — Supt. George Lester
• 1971Percy — Meet The People Compere
• 1971Straw Dogs — Maj. John Scott
• 1971The Beast in the Cellar — Det. Chief Sup. Paddick
• 1971Villain — Frank Fletcher
• Manhunt — Louis Sampere
• 1970Perfect Friday — Smith
• 1970The Fifth Day of Peace — Nick
• 1970The Rivals — Sir Lucius O'Trigger
• 1969Anne of the Thousand Days — Norris
• 1969Blood of the Lamb — Joe Katz
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre — Sontee
• 1968The Charge of the Light Brigade — William Russel
• Callan
• ITV Playhouse — Dr. Murphy
• Man in a Suitcase
• Sam and Janet — Fingers Magee
• 1967Ulysses — Buck Mulligan
• BBC Play of the Month — Sir Lucius O'Trigger, Kommissarov, Tomazo de Piracquo
• 1965Deirdre
• 1965Ferry Cross the Mersey — Jack Hanson
• Knock on Any Door — Mr Sands
• The Troubleshooters — Geoffrey Arles
• 1965Young Cassidy — Tom
• Detective — Detective Wilks
• 1964Downfall — Martin Somers
• 1964Girl with Green Eyes — The Priest
• Story Parade — Matthew Finch
• The Wednesday Play — John Joe Moran, Joe Katz
• Theatre 625 — Jerry
• Doctor Who — The Captain
• Espionage — Tom Gorman
• Dr. Finlay's Casebook
• 1962The Quare Fellow — Walsh
• The Saint — Tony
• 1961Freedom to Die — Mike
• 1961Johnny Nobody — Garda
• The Avengers — Grant
• 1960The Siege of Sidney Street — Lapidos
• No Hiding Place
• Armchair Theatre — Mena Donelli
• Hallmark Hall of Fame — Soames

Appearances as themselves (2)

• 2003Mantrap – Straw Dogs: The Final Cut — Self - Actor / Major John Scott
• 1982The World of James Joyce: His Life & Work — Self - Narrator