William Arthur Squire was born in Neath, Glamorgan, on 29th April 1917. He built a long and versatile career across stage, film, television and radio, becoming one of the most instantly recognisable Welsh character actors of his generation, chiefly through his voice.
On stage Squire performed at Stratford-upon-Avon with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the Old Vic. In one notable piece of casting, he replaced his fellow Welshman Richard Burton as King Arthur in 'Camelot' at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. He was equally at home on radio, where he played Captain Cat in the original BBC production of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
On television, Squire is best remembered as the spy chief codenamed Hunter in the long-running ITV series 'Callan', a role he took over from Derek Bond. He also made guest appearances in 'Blake's 7' and 'Doctor Who', playing the Shadow in the 1979 serial 'The Armageddon Factor', as well as roles in 'All Creatures Great and Small'. His resonant voice found a further home in animation: he voiced Gandalf in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film of 'The Lord of the Rings'.
Squire married actress Juliet Harmer in 1967. He died in London on 3rd May 1989, aged 72.