The actor and writer Gawn Grainger, who has died aged 87, had an extraordinary career that spanned more than 70 years. Even if rarely the star, he had the resilience and versatility of the born character actor and was the product of a now vanished regional repertory system. Above all, he was an indispensable team player and a pillar, along with Michael Bryant, of the National Theatre.
He began his career there under Laurence Olivier in 1972 when the company was situated at the Old Vic and worked under successive directors before making his final appearance in 2017 during the tenure of Rufus Norris. He worked regularly in the West End and in TV, and in the 1980s sidelined his acting career to focus on writing scripts for the small screen. He soon returned to the stage, however, which was his natural habitat.
