William Franklyn, star of stage, television, cinema and radio, who sadly died in 2006, will also be fondly remembered by a generation of viewers for his voice-over work on the now famous Schweppes television commercials.

William Franklyn, star of stage, television, cinema and radio, who sadly died in 2006 from prostate cancer, will also be fondly remembered by those of a certain generation for his voice-over work on the now famous Schweppes television commercials ("Schh...you know who"). William Franklyn who was 81 lived in Putney, London.

William Leo Franklyn was born in London on September 22 1925, the son of Leo Franklyn and Mary Rigby, both of whom were actors. William spent his early years in Australia. His father had wanted the young William to become a journalist, but following a stint as a paratrooper in the Second World War, William Franklyn returned to civilian life and performed in the comedy Arsenic and Old Lace on the pier at Southend. Leo Franklyn saw his son's performances and changed his mind about the career in journalism and suggested William pursue his acting career

William Franklyn's long career involved work in television, radio, films and theatre. His television credits include the popular 1960s spy series Top Secret, in which he played Peter Dallas, Master Spy, the ITV espionage game show with co-host Jenny Lee-Wright as Miss Moneypacker, and Paradise Island, in which he played an entertainments officer onboard a cruise ship. He also performed in several West End comedies. William Franklyn also worked on radio; as a reader on the BBC Radio 4 panel game Quote, Unquote and in 2004 to 2005 was the voice of The Book in BBC Radio 4's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Mr Franklyn's hobbies included cricket, a sport to which he was devoted. He was twice married; firstly in 1952 to the actor Margo Johns, they had one daughter; the actor Sabina Franklyn. His second wife also in the acting profession was Susanna Carroll, with whom he had two daughters; Melissa Franklyn, also an actor, and Francesca Franklyn a film producer.

Following our initial telephone contact with William, we received a letter from him which mentioned his series Top Secret. However, the letter did not reach us by the conventional route; i.e. a delivery by the friendly regular postman. The aforementioned letter had evidently been delivered to the wrong address, whose occupants had opened and read the contents and seeing the words 'Top Secret', thought it must be a matter of National Security! The letter eventually reached us, delivered by the friendly local constabulary in a police car!

William Franklyn kindly invited us to his London home to record an interview, but he was called upon to do some voice-over work at the last minute and so the meeting was postponed. Before another date could be arranged, Mr Franklyn sadly passed away.