Cyril Shaps, who has died aged 79, was one of those character actors instantly recognisable by people who were never really sure of his name. As such, he worked continuously from his mid-20s until a short time before his death.
His stock role was that of the elderly Jewish worthy - a rabbi one moment, a grandfather the next. But he was never better than in an entirely different kind of part - as the doctor who enthused over the royal stools in the movie The Madness Of King George (1994), reviving the role he had performed in the Royal National theatre's production of the play, The Madness Of George III.
In fact, he had a wide repertoire, playing most recently in the new version of The Importance Of Being Earnest (2002), which was followed by a more recognisable character in the Roman Polanski Holocaust movie, The Pianist, which won the Palme D'Or in last year's Cannes film festival.
The son of Polish immigrants, Shaps was born in the ghetto of London's East End. His father was a tailor, but it was plain, early on, that the boy had no intention of following in his footsteps. He was educated at the legendary Cowper Street school, an East End grammar school with a reputation for teaching many poor children of immigrants who went on to great success in the arts, science and business. On leaving, he took an office job with the London Ambulance Service. Military service in the second world war marked him out for more scholarly work, and he joined the Royal Army Education Corps as a warrant officer 2, lecturing on art and literature.
He dreamt of becoming an actor and, at the end of the war, won the Leverhulme scholarship to Rada, where he was awarded the Shakespeare Prize, normally considered an entry ticket to the BBC. Not so in this case. Shaps always said that his lack of either a university education, or an establishment background, prevented his joining the corporation and, for two years, he worked in Holland, producing and presenting programmes for the English language service of Radio Nederland, the Dutch equivalent of the World Service.
When he returned to Britain, he worked in repertory at Guildford, and then found work on the stage, screen, radio and television. One of his favourite parts was the title role in Satie, a BBC television play in the 1970s about the life of the musician Erik Satie.
He did well in those character roles, for which he became famous - playing Rabbi Cohen in the successful series of the same period, Never Mind The Quality, Feel The Width. Ten years later, he was the grandfather in Jack Rosenthal's Bar Mitzvah Boy.
Meanwhile, Shaps's stage roles ranged from Awake And Sing at the Palace theatre, Watford, to a whole series of plays for the Royal National theatre, including Jacobowsky And The Colonel, Mother Courage, Three Men On A Horse (which won the Olivier Award for best comedy production) and The Magistrate. He toured in numerous productions, among them The Beggar's Opera and Hans Andersen, and appeared in The Irish Hebrew Pair for the British Council.
There was always a part for him in films. In the 1960s, he played a number of sinister roles, which he liked to think made people call him "The man we loved to hate". Other films included Sherlock Holmes And The Leading Lady, The End Of The Affair, Simon Magus, and Solomon And Gaenor.
On radio, Shaps was always instantly recognisable, not just in broadcast plays, but particularly reading The Morning Story - especially when it was a tale recalling his own background in the Jewish East End.
His wife, Anita, whom he married in 1950, died in March last year. He is survived by a daughter and two sons.
· Cyril Leonard Shaps, actor, born October 13 1923; died January 1 2003