Donald Sumpter (born 13 February 1943) is an English actor. He has appeared in film and television since the mid-1960s. One of his early television appearances was the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Wheel in Space with Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. He appeared in Doctor Who again in the 1972 serial The Sea Devils with Jon Pertwee. He also appeared in the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. His early film work included a lead role as real life British criminal Donald Neilson in the 1977 film, The Black Panther. He also appeared in many television films and serials, including adaptations of Dickens' novels: Nicholas Nickleby in 2001, Great Expectations in 1999 and Bleak House in 1985. Also in 1985, he was remembered for the part of villain Ronnie Day in Big Deal. He played the part of suspected serial killer Alexander Bonaparte Cust in the (1992) Agatha Christie's Poirot episode, The ABC Murders. He has also appeared in episodes of Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Holby City, and A Touch of Frost. He also had a recurring role as Uncle Ginger in the Children's BBC series The Queen's Nose. He played Harold Chapple in Our Friends in the North, and portrayed the physicist Max Planck in Einstein and Eddington. He has also been seen as Kemp in the horror-drama series Being Human. In 2011 he portrayed Maester Luwin in the HBO series Game of Thrones. His film appearances include The Constant Gardener (2005), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), Enigma (2001) and Ultramarines: The Movie (2010).

Filmography

• 2025The Phoenician Scheme — Chairman
• 2024Limonov: The Ballad — Eddie's Father
• Entitled — Quincy
• The Cleaner — Sir James
• Exposed: The Church's Darkest Secret — Bishop Peter Ball
• Chernobyl — Zharkov
• Les Misérables — Mabeuf
• 2017The Man Who Invented Christmas — Haddock / Ghost of Marley
• 12 Monkeys — Seer
• 2015Coalition — Paddy Ashdown
• 2015In the Heart of the Sea — Paul Macy
• Jekyll and Hyde — Garson
• 2014Bypass — Grandfather
• New Worlds — Sidney
• One Child — Jim Arthurton
• Quirke — Josh Crawford
• Atlantis — Tiresius
• Endeavour — Emil Valdemar
• Peaky Blinders — Arthur Bigge
• The Mill — Samuel Greg
• The Secret of Crickley Hall — Gordon Pyke
• Black Mirror — Julian Hereford
• Game of Thrones — Maester Luwin
• 2011The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell
• 2011The Murder at Road Hill House — Peter Edlin QC
• 2011Way of the Morris — Voice of Creation
• 2010Among Us — Man on bench
• 2010London Boulevard — Pentonville Governor
• 2010Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie — Pythol (voice)
• Being Human — Kemp
• 2009Into the Storm — Lord Halifax
• 2008Einstein and Eddington — Max Planck
• 2008Heist — King Edward
• 2008Hello Sailor!
• Merlin — The Fisher King
• Tess of the D'Urbervilles — Parson Tringham
• 2007Eastern Promises — Yuri
• Fallen Angel — Simon Martlesham
• Heroes and Villains
• The Sarah Jane Adventures — Erasmus Darkening
• 2006Dracula — Alfred Singleton
• Eleventh Hour
• 2006The Chatterley Affair — Mr. Gerald Gardiner
• Doctor Who — The President
• 2005The Constant Gardener — Tim Donohue
• New Tricks — Bobby 'Tar' Mcadam
• The Eagle: A Crime Odyssey — Indenrigsminister Nacuk
• 2004The Long Bank Holiday — Alfie Clemens
• Serious & Organised — Jimmy Fisk
• Seven Wonders of the Industrial World — Farrington
• The Last Detective
• 2002K-19: The Widowmaker — Dr. Savran
• Rose and Maloney — Ronnie Johnson
• Spooks — Stephen Kirby
• Ultimate Force
• 2001Enigma — Leveret
• In Deep — Keith Sullivan
• 2001The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby — Mr. Brooker
• The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby — Mr. Brooker
• 2001The Point Men — Benni Baum
• 1999Great Expectations — Compeyson
• Great Expectations — Compeyson
• Bombay Blue — Supt. John Mayberry
• Midsomer Murders — Tim Settingfield
• 1997Tangier Cop — Ahmed Yaasin
• Our Friends in the North — Commander Harold Chapple
• 1995Richard III — Brackenbury
• The Queen's Nose — Uncle Ginger
• 1994Being Human — Salgado
• Crocodile Shoes
• 1994Grushko — Kartashov
• A Touch of Frost — Maynard
• 1992Bad Ronald — Michael, le père
• Between the Lines
• 1991Aimée — Frank
• 1991Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead — Claudius
• Drop the Dead Donkey
• The Chief — CS Derek Gillman
• Agatha Christie's Poirot — Cust
• The Ruth Rendell Mysteries — Edward Peveril
• Bleak House — 'Nemo'
• Screen Two — Frank
• 1985Time Trouble — Makov
• Big Deal — Ronnie Day
• The Bill
• 1983Curse of the Pink Panther — Dave
• No Excuses — Trev
• Taggart
• The Brack Report — Paul Brack
• 1981Antony & Cleopatra — Pompeius
• Bergerac — Roscoe
• The Rose Medallion — Harry
• 1980The Tom Machine — Tom
• 1979A Light That Shines — Brother Martin Jerome
• 1979Meetings with Remarkable Men — Pogossian
• Minder — Sudbury
• Shoestring — Stanley Reeves
• 1978Les Misérables — Agent
• BBC2 Play of the Week — Brother Martin Jerome
• 1977Catchpenny Twist — Spalding
• 1977Hardcore — Mark
• Jesus of Nazareth — Aram
• Target — Heslop
• 1977The Black Panther — Donald Neilson
• The Children of the New Forest — Ned Corbould
• Quiller — Brenman
• 1975The Saliva Milkshake — Johnny
• 1974Mr. Axelford's Angel — David
• 1974Stardust — TV Concert Producer
• Centre Play — Johnny
• 1972Bleak Moments — Norman's Friend
• 1972Doctor Who: The Sea Devils — Commander Ridgeway
• 1972The Breaking of Colonel Keyser — Dellow
• Justice — Villiers
• 1971Sunday Bloody Sunday — Party Guest
• 1970I Am a Groupie — Steve
• 1970Mad Jack
• Play for Today
• The Adventures of Don Quick — Gezool
• 1970The Walking Stick — Max
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre — Leary
• 1969Night After Night After Night — Pete Laver
• 1968Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space — Enrico Casali
• 1968The Lost Continent — Sparks, the Radioman
• 1968The Window Cleaner — David
• Mickey Dunne — Pat Newman
• Doctor Who — Enrico Casali, Commander Ridgeway

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 2006Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener — Self