Thorley Walters was a British film and TV character actor. He was born on 12 May 1913 in Teingrace, Devon, England and died in London on 6 July 1991.

He is probably best remembered for his comedy films including Blue Murder at St Trinian's (as the Army Major), The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (as Butters), Two-Way Stretch , Carlton-Browne of the FO and The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (as Dr. Watson, a character he had previously played in 1962's Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace). He also appeared in the acclaimed TV drama Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

In the 1960s he also appeared in several Hammer horror films, including Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969).

In the DVD commentary to The Man Who Haunted Himself, Roger Moore mentioned that co-star Walters lived in Dolphin Square, the prestigious apartment block in Pimlico, London in which some scenes of that film were shot. Thorley and Richard Hope-Hawkins visited the ailing Terry-Thomas in Barnes,London in 1989 Thorley had starred with Terry in the Boulting Brother's film Carlton Brown at the FO,shocked at his appearance ( he was ill with Parkinson's Disease ) that visit resulted in the Terry-Thomas Gala held in the Theatre Royal,Drury Lane in the same year which raised funds to help Terry live the rest of his life in comfort.Richard was with Thorley alongside actress Siobhan Redmond was he died in a London nursing home.Actor Ian Bannen gave the main address at his funeral held at Golders Green

Son of a clergyman, the British character actor Thorley Walters was born in 1913 in Teingrace, Devonshire, England. After stage experience, in which he played Shakespearean and light leading roles, he made his film debut in Love Test, The (1935) and continued his early film career with numerous quota quickies. Walters quickly found his acting niche in comic parts and became a featured player in films. During the 1950s and 1960s, he made his name in the comedies of the Boulting Brothers (e.g., Private's Progress (1956), Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959), Rotten to the Core (1965), et al.) and the Launder-Gilliat team [e.g., _Ring of Spies (1963)_, Joey Boy (1965), and the St. Trinian's films). He also became well-known to horror fans through his numerous appearances for Hammer (Phantom of the Opera, The (1962), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), and Vampire Circus (1972)), Amicus (Psychopath, The (1966) and People That Time Forgot, The (1977)). With his beefy build, square mustache, and befuddled manner, Walters was a natural to play Dr. Watson, which he did in several films, including Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes (1962), Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, The (1975), and Silver Blaze (1977) (TV). In the latter part of his career, he became a familiar figure on television in such popular series as "Duchess of Duke Street, The" (1976) and _"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (1979)(mini)_ . Walters was active in film and television until his death in 1991, appearing mostly in cameo roles as incompetent officers, bumbling authority figures, and muddle-headed assistants.