Born in London, England, 4 June 1927 Geoffrey Palmer began his career as an unpaid trainee assistant stage manager at the Q Theatre, London.
After serving his apprenticeship as an actor in the theatre, Palmer emerged as an accomplished and individual performer in TV sitcoms through his casting as the absent-minded eccentric Jimmy, brother-in-law to Leonard Rossiter's Perrin in The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin.
He then played Wendy Craig's other half in Carla Lane's hit series Butterflies. As manic-depressive dentist Ben Parkinson, Palmer provided extremely sturdy support to Craig, alternately bewildered at his wife's outbursts and endearingly patient and clumsy in his efforts to understand her frustrations--though he could also be stubborn, tactless and impervious to suggestion when he chose.
He also played Major Harry Kitchener Wellington Truscott, the central character in Fairly Secret Army. His subsequently took starring roles in Executive Stress and As Time Goes By,
Palmer has occasionally ventured out of the sitcom territory with which he is usually associated. Notable examples of experiments in other fields of comedy have included guest appearances in such acclaimed shows as Fawlty Towers and Blackadder Goes Forth, in which he played Field Marshall Haig.
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