Terrence Hardiman Dies: Star Of ‘The Demon Headmaster’ Was 86

Terence Hardiman, who terrified a generation of children with his performance in CBBC‘s The Demon Headmaster, died Monday in . He was 86.

Hardiman’s agent Scott Marshall Partners confirmed his death “with great sadness,” calling him a beloved client and much-loved stage and screen actor.”

He is probably best known for his role as the evil protagonist in CBBC’s The Demon Headmaster, which ran from 1996 to 1998 and was rebooted briefly in 2019. Hardiman terrified a generation of children with his portrayal of the Demon and he became widely recognized for the character’s trademark dark glasses.

Born on April 6, 1937, in London, Hardiman first got into acting at Cambridge University before he toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company, starring in the likes of Doctor Faustus.

He got his big break playing Stephen Harvesty in Granada Television’s Crown Court for a decade from 1972 and went on to appear in the likes of Doctor Who, Gandhi and Prime Suspect. In Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi, he portrayed former Prime Minister Ramsay McDonald.

Hardiman is survived by his wife, Rowena, and his two children.