Dotrice was the son of Neva (née Wilton) and Louis Dotrice. He served with the RAF from 1940 to 1945 during World War II, and was imprisoned in a German POW camp from 1942 to 1945.

He was married to Kay Newman from 1947 until her death in 2007, and they had three children together: Michele, Yvette and Karen, all of whom are actresses. He is also the father-in-law to Edward Woodward, a contemporary of his and husband to his daughter Michele.

Dotrice is arguably best known to North American audiences for playing the role of "Father" in the 1980s hit TV series, Beauty and the Beast, though his acting career dates back to 1945, in a revue called Back Home, performed by ex-prisoners of war, in aid of the Red Cross, after which he played in a number of repertory theatres.

He appeared on BBC television between 1971 as Albert Haddock, in the televised version of A.P. Herbert's "Misleading Cases", a satire on the British legal system, also staring Alistair Sym as the Judge.

He is also known to fans of the Buffyverse as the portrayer of Roger Wyndam-Pryce, the infamous father of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. Another Sci-Fi role was Commissioner Simmons in two episodes of season 1 of Space 1999.

He played Father Gary Barrett in the TV series Picket Fences from 1993-1996. In 1998, Dotrice appeared in three episodes of the cult television show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as Zeus, King of the Greek gods and father of Hercules, played by Kevin Sorbo.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.