Z-Cars been running for seven years but which some considered 'cosy'. The one character present throughout the entire run (though not in every episode) was Bert Lynch, played by James Ellis (though John Phillips as Det. Chief Supt. Robins would reappear sporadically during the show's run – by the end of the series he had become Chief Constable). Other characters in the early days were Stratford Johns (Inspector Barlow), Frank Windsor (Det. Sgt Watt), Robert Keegan (Sgt Blackitt), Joseph Brady (PC "Jock" Weir) and Brian Blessed ("Fancy" Smith). Also in 1960s episodes as David Graham was Colin Welland, later a screenwriter.
Art Smith (actor) Art Smith (actor) Arthur Gordon Smith (March 23, 1899 – February 24, 1973) was an American film, stage and television actor, best known for playing supporting roles in Hollywood films of the 1940s. Born in Chicago, he was a member of the Group Theatre and performed in many of their productions, including "Rocket to the Moon", "Awake and Sing!", "Golden Boy" and "Waiting for Lefty", all by Clifford Odets; "House of Connelly" by Paul Green; and Sidney Kingsley's "Men in White." The gray-haired actor usually played studious and dignified types in films, such as doctors or butlers. Smith appeared in