David Pinner, the British actor and novelist best known for Ritual, died on December 22, 2025, aged 85.
Born in Peterborough, England, on October 6, 1940, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and appeared on stage and television in many roles. His screen credits included Emergency Ward 10, Z Cars, The Growing Pains of PC Penrose, Henry V, The Prince Regent and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced.
His 1967 novel Ritual was a major inspiration for Anthony Shaffer’s 1973 film The Wicker Man. In 2014, he published The Wicca Woman, a sequel to Ritual.
David John Pinner (6 October 1940 – 22 December 2025) was a British actor and novelist. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has appeared on stage and television in many roles.