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1-50 of 231
- Sutherland Felce was born in 1907 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He died on 6 June 1942 in Cairo, Egypt.
- Roy Ellis was born on 31 July 1916 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He died on 31 August 1943 in Schoonhoven, Netherlands.
- Margaret Emden was born on 30 August 1878 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Man from Morocco (1945), Little Miss Somebody (1937) and Called Back (1933). She died on 13 February 1946 in Westminster, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Writer
Arthur Chesney was born on 21 November 1881 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Fanny Hawthorne (1927), Sorrell and Son (1933) and Colonel Blood (1934). He was married to Estelle Winwood. He died on 27 August 1949 in London, England, UK.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Peter Creswell was born on 6 February 1895 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Showtime (1946), Who Killed Van Loon? (1948) and Bell-Bottom George (1944). He died on 5 January 1952 in Westminster, London, England, UK.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Dorothy Bond was born in 1921 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She is known for The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). She died on 20 November 1952 in Leicester, England, UK.- James Carney was born on 16 January 1911 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Haunted Honeymoon (1940), BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) and Hour of Glory (1949). He died on 25 August 1955 in Hampstead, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
There are very few character actors from the 1930s, '40s or '50s who rose to the rank of stardom. Only a rare man or woman reached the level of renown and admiration, and had enough audience appeal, to be the first name in a cast's billing, a name that got marquee posting. Charles Coburn comes to mind, but there aren't many others. However, one who made it was Edmund Gwenn.
Gwenn was born Edmund Kellaway in Wandsworth, London, on September 26, 1877. He was the oldest boy in the family, which at that time meant he was the only one who really mattered. His father was a British civil servant, and he groomed Edmund to take a position of power in the Empire. However, early on, the boy had a mind of his own. For a while, his inclination was to go to sea, but that ended when one of his forebear's in the Queen's Navy was court-martialed for exceeding his "wine bill". In addition to that, Edmund had poor eyesight and perhaps most importantly, he was his mother's darling, and she kept having visions of shipwrecks and desert island strandings. As for the civil service, to the boy it seemed like a "continent of unexplored boredom".
He attended St. Olaf's College and would attend King's College in London as well. Surprisingly, he excelled at rugby and amateur boxing. Meanwhile, he developed a strong inclination to the stage, partly because of his admiration for the great English actor, Henry Irving. A major roadblock to that ambition, however, was his father, who, at that time, was stationed in Ireland. When Edmund broke the news to his father that he had chosen acting as a career, there followed "a scene without parallel in Victorian melodrama." His father called the theatre "that sink of iniquity." He predicted that, if Edmund went into theatre, he would end up in the gutter, and then literally "showed him the door." Years later his father would admit he had been wrong, but that didn't help the young man during an all-night crossing from Dublin to England during which he had time to reflect. He was penniless. His experience consisted of a few performances in amateur productions, and he knew that if he failed, there was no going back home.
However, in 1895, at the age of eighteen, he made his first appearance on the English stage with a group of amateurs just turned professional, playing two roles, "Dodo Twinkle" and "Damper", in "Rogue and Vagabond". For a long time afterward, he refused to go on stage without a false beard or some other disguise, fearing someone would recognize him and tell his father (it's a bit ironic, by the way, that Edmund's younger brother Arthur would also become an actor using the name of Arthur Chesney). During the next few years, roles were hard to come by but, by 1899, he made his first appearance on the West End in London in "A Jealous Mistake". This was followed by ten years in the hinterlands acting with stock and touring companies, gradually working his way up from small parts to juicier roles. While with Edmund Tearle's Repertory Company, which toured the provinces, he played a different role each night. It was excellent training, in that he acted in everything from William Shakespeare to old melodrama.
About this time, he married Minnie Terry, niece of the more famous actress Ellen Terry, a marriage that evidently was short-lived. Most sources list it as beginning and ending in 1901, perhaps only for a matter of days or even hours. From that point, Gwenn would remain a bachelor for the rest of his life. He seems to have preferred not going into any details about the marriage and divorce, and Minnie Terry, who outlived Gwenn, apparently never mentioned what happened, at least not publicly. That same year, however, he went to Australia and acted there for three years, not returning to London until 1904. There, he took a small part in "In the Hospital", which led to his receiving a postcard from George Bernard Shaw, offering him a leading role as "Straker", the Cockney chauffeur, in "Man and Superman". Gwenn accepted (by this time he was Edmund Gwenn) and the play was a success. Shaw became a sort of professional godfather for him. He appeared in "John Bull's Island", "Major Barbara", "You Never Can Tell", "Captain Brassbound's Conversion" and "The Devil's Disciple", all by Shaw. He spent three years in Shaw's company, years which he called "the happiest I've ever had in the theatre".
From 1908 until 1915, he performed in new plays by noted playwrights of the time, including John Masefield's "The Campden Wonder", 'John Galsworthy''s "Justice" and "The Skin Game", J.M. Barrie's "What Every Woman Knows" and "The Twelve Pound Look", as well as Henrik Ibsen's "The Wild Duck" and Harley Granville-Barker's "The Voysey Inheritance". By this time, World War I had started and Gwenn, despite his poor eyesight, was conscripted into the British Army. Most of his time during "The Great War" was spent drawing supplies up to the front lines, while under fire. He was so successful at this task that, after a year as a private, he received a steady stream of promotions until eventually becoming a captain.
After the War, he returned to the stage and, in 1921, made his first appearance in the US in "A Voice from the Minaret" and "Fedora". He would return to America in 1928 to replace his friend, Dennis Eadie, who had died while in rehearsal for "The House of Arrows", but for most of this time, he was in England doing more stage roles and two dozen British films.
His first appearance on screen was in a British short, The Real Thing at Last (1916) in 1916, while he was still in the army. His next film roles were in Shaw's How He Lied to Her Husband (1931) and J.B. Priestley's The Good Companions (1933). He was also in Unmarried (1920) in 1920 and a silent version of "The Skin Game" (The Skin Game (1921)) as "Hornblower", a role he would reprise in 1931 for a talking version (The Skin Game (1931)) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. From then on, Gwenn was to work steadily until the end of his life. He appeared in English stage plays and films, eventually doing more and more on Broadway and in Hollywood. For example, he played the amiable counterfeiter in "Laburnum Grove" in 1933 (later to become the film Laburnum Grove (1936) in which he would star) and then with the entire British company brought it to New York. He was also a huge success in "The Wookey" in 1942, playing a Cockney tugboat captain. That same year, he appeared as "Chebutykin" in Anton Chekhov's "The Three Sisters", with Katharine Cornell, Ruth Gordon and Judith Anderson. In such illustrious company, Gwenn was hailed by critics as "magnificent" and "superlatively good".
In 1935, RKO summoned him to Hollywood to portray Katharine Hepburn's father in Sylvia Scarlett (1935). From then on, he was much in demand, appearing in Anthony Adverse (1936), All American Chump (1936), Parnell (1937), and A Yank at Oxford (1938). In 1940, he was the delightful "Mr. Bennet" in Pride and Prejudice (1940), then made a 180-degree turn by playing a folksy assassin in Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940). The year 1941 brought Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941), One Night in Lisbon (1941), The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) and Scotland Yard (1941). Then came Charley's Aunt (1941), in which he romanced Jack Benny, masquerading as a woman. Other important films included A Yank at Eton (1942), The Meanest Man in the World (1943), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) and Between Two Worlds (1944).
In 1945, he played villain "Albert Richard Kingby" in Dangerous Partners (1945). There is a peculiar scene in this film, which makes one wonder what director Edward L. Cahn was thinking. James Craig and Signe Hasso, the hero and heroine, are being held by the villainous Gwenn in a room, when Gwenn comes in to interrogate them. In the midst of this, the 33-year-old, 6'2" Craig punches the 68-year-old, 5'5" Gwenn in the belly and then forces the doubled-over Gwenn to release them. Admittedly, Craig and Hasso must escape, and Gwenn's character is pretty evil, but knocking the wind out of the old man makes Craig seem like a bully and far less sympathetic.
After "Dangerous Partners", Gwenn was in Bewitched (1945), She Went to the Races (1945), Of Human Bondage (1946), Undercurrent (1946), Life with Father (1947), Green Dolphin Street (1947) and Apartment for Peggy (1948). In Thunder in the Valley (1947), he played one of his most unlikable characters, a father who beats his son, smashes his violin and shoots his dog.
Then in 1947, he struck it rich. Twentieth Century-Fox was planning Miracle on 34th Street (1947). It had offered the role of "Kris Kringle" to Gwenn's cousin, the well-known character actor Cecil Kellaway, but he had turned it down with the observation that "Americans don't like whimsy". Fox then offered it to Gwenn, who pounced on it. His performance was to earn him an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor (at age 71) and, because it is rerun every Christmas season, he would become for many their all-time favorite screen Santa. Accepting the award, Gwenn said, "Now I know there is a Santa Claus". He beat out some stiff competition: Charles Bickford (The Farmer's Daughter (1947)), Thomas Gomez (Ride the Pink Horse (1947)), Robert Ryan (Crossfire (1947)) and Richard Widmark (Kiss of Death (1947)). As soon as he got the part, Gwenn went to work turning himself into Santa Claus. Though rotund, Gwenn didn't feel he was rotund enough to look like the jolly old elf most people expected after having read Clement Moore's "The Night before Christmas", in which Santa "had a broad face and a little round belly / That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly." He could of course wear padding, but he resisted that as too artificial. So he put on almost 30 pounds for the role, a fair amount for a man of his short stature, and added nearly five inches to his waistline. The problem was that after the film was finished, Gwenn found it hard to lose the extra weight. "I've been stocky all my adult life," he said, "but now I must accept the fact that I'm fat." As was his nature, he didn't get upset, and instead was able to laugh about it. Six years later, when playing an elderly professor in The Student Prince (1954), he had a scene in which he entered the Prince's chamber, struggling with the buttons of a ceremonial uniform. The line he was given was, "I'm too old to wear a uniform," but Gwenn suggested a change which stayed in the finished film, "I'm too old and fat to wear a uniform."
Gwenn had lost his hair early on, and had no more concern about it than he did about his portliness. In a fair number of films, such as Pride and Prejudice (1940), he appears bald, but he also played many roles with a toupee if he felt that worked better for the character. He would select a hairpiece that helped achieve the look he was after for the role. As regards the rest of his appearance, Gwenn is commonly listed as 5'6" tall, which may have been accurate when he was a younger man, but by the time he was a Hollywood regular he appears to be at least two inches shorter. Plagued by weak eyesight since his youth, Gwenn wore a pince-nez for a while, and then glasses, off-screen and sometimes on. Though he enjoyed fine clothes, he does not seem to have been in the least bit vain about any physical shortcomings he may have had. He looked a bit like a benign clergyman, perhaps of the Anglican faith, an image enhanced by his soft, almost soothing voice. He once said he was "always short and stocky, and not a particularly handsome thing. I could never play romantic leads." After "Miracle on 34th Street," however, Gwenn was a star and constantly in demand, especially when the role called for a kindly eccentric.
Gwenn remained a British subject all his life. When he first moved to Hollywood, he lived at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. His home in London had been reduced to rubble during the bombings by the Luftwaffe in World War II. Only the fireplace survived. What Gwenn regretted most was the loss of the memorabilia he had collected of the famous actor Henry Irving. Eventually Gwenn bought a house at 617 North Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills, which he was to share with his secretary and "confidential man", Ernest C. Bach, and later with former Olympic athlete Rodney Soher.
The year 1950 brought a pair of interesting films. In Louisa (1950) he and Charles Coburn were romantic rivals for the hand of Spring Byington. In one scene Gwenn socks Coburn in the jaw, though Coburn later bests him in arm wrestling. Gwenn wins Byington's hand in the end. He was also delightful in Mister 880 (1950) as a kindly counterfeiter. Gwenn received his second Oscar nomination for his performance, though this time he lost out to George Sanders in All About Eve (1950) He did, however, win the Golden Globe Award.
In 1952 he appeared in Sally and Saint Anne (1952) as Grandpa Patrick Ryan, affecting an Irish brogue for the role. He played football coach Pop Doyle, teamed up with a chimpanzee, in Bonzo Goes to College (1952). "The Student Prince" followed in 1954, as did the science-fiction classic Them! (1954). This film raises an interesting observation. The year before, Cecil Kellaway had appeared in another sci-fi classic, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953). Watch the two films together and you'll see that the two cousins are playing essentially the same role, that of an elderly scientist with a lovely daughter who is able to provide the hero, and the audience, with some scholarly background on the dangers they face. The two actors could easily have switched roles. "Them!" is noteworthy, too, in that it was a particularly physically painful part for Gwenn. By this time he was 77 and suffering from advanced arthritis. Several scenes in the movie were filmed in the desert, where the temperature often reached 110 degrees. The costumer had outfitted him in a wool suit for some of the early scenes. Joan Weldon, who played his daughter, has noted that Gwenn was in great discomfort and almost certainly could not have continued without the help of his valet, Ernest.
The next year Gwenn was in It's a Dog's Life (1955) and The Trouble with Harry (1955). His film work has some interesting patterns. "Dog's Life" was at least the third time Gwenn made a film centered on a dog. He had already co-starred with Pal as Lassie in Lassie Come Home (1943) and Challenge to Lassie (1949). "Harry" was Gwenn's fourth picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the others being "The Skin Game", Strauss' Great Waltz (1934) and "Foreign Correspondent". Gwenn's last feature film was The Rocket from Calabuch (1956), shot in Spain and released in 1958, when he was 81. As for TV, his most memorable role may have been as a snowman that comes to life in a Christmas night telecast on The Ford Television Theatre (1952) from a story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Heart of Gold".
Gwenn's final days were spent at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. Having endured terrible arthritis for many years, he had suffered a stroke, and then contracted pneumonia, from which he died at age 81 on September 6, 1959. His body was cremated, and his ashes were originally stored in a private vault at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles. In March 2023, Gwenn's misplaced urn was found in the vault by Hollywood Graveyard creator Arthur Dark and researcher Jessical Wahl. Dark and Wahl created a GoFundMe campaign to fund moving Gwenn's urn to a publicly accessible location and, on December 3, 2023, Gwenn's urn was reinurned in the Cathedral Mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Gwenn had appointed Rodney Soher as the executor of his will, in which he had left Minnie Terry one-third of his estate, his sister Elsie Kellaway a third, and Ernest Bach a third, in addition to his clothes, shoes, linens, ties and luggage. However, for some reason, while he was spending his last days at the Motion Picture Home, Gwenn signed a codicil to his will, in which he said he had given Bach the lump sum of $5000, and that was all he was to receive. After Gwenn's death, Bach challenged the codicil, claiming that Gwenn was not of sound mind while in the Home and that some unnamed person--possibly referring to Soher--had unduly influenced Gwenn to change his will. The outcome is not known. There is a story that has been around for years that shortly before he died a visitor observed, "It must be hard [to die]", to which Gwenn replied, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard". The story and the wording vary somewhat from teller to teller. Gwenn may indeed have said it, but he may have been repeating someone else. The quotation has also been ascribed to several earlier wits, including his mentor George Bernard Shaw and the famous actor Edward Keane. Gwenn's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame can be found at 1751 Vine Street.- Vincent Holman was born on 22 September 1886 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), The Show Goes On (1936) and The Feathered Serpent (1934). He died on 7 April 1962 in London, England, UK.
- Ossie Waller was born on 16 August 1888 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Dynamiters (1956), Old Mother Riley, Headmistress (1950) and Drake's Progress (1957). He died on 22 May 1962 in Maidstone, Kent, England, UK.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Kenneth Hyde was born on 21 March 1907 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Web of Evidence (1959), The Spaniard's Curse (1958) and The Rossiter Case (1951). He died on 18 September 1964 in Belsize Park, London, England, UK.- Sid Plummer was born on 23 April 1901 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Amigos del martes (1961), Rooftop Rendezvous (1948) and Club Night (1964). He died on 6 June 1967 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK.
- Clement Attlee was one of Britain's most significant political figures. He was the leader of Britain's Labour Party from 1935-1955 and Deputy Prime Minister of the UK during the wartime coalition against Nazi Germany (1940-45). He won a landslide victory in the 1945 general election, defeating Churchill, and while Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1945-1951) he established the National Health Service and India gained Independence from the British empire.
- Barbara Everest was born on 9 June 1883 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Gaslight (1944), The Phantom Fiend (1932) and The Uninvited (1944). She died on 9 February 1968 in Wimbledon, Surrey, England, UK.
- Edward Percy was born on 5 January 1891 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Design for Murder (1939), Ladies in Retirement (1941) and Kraft Theatre (1947). He was married to Lilian Oldland. He died on 28 May 1968 in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, UK.
- Glennis Lorimer (birth name: Glennis Dorothy Browne) was born on April 27, 1913 in Wandsworth, England. Married twice (Thomas Henry Ennis 1939, John Cowles Evans 1948). She was an actress, known for Ask a Policeman (1939), Crown v. Stevens (1936) and Old Faithful (1935). She died of Esophagus cancer on November 17, 1968 in London, England.
- C.E. Webber was born on 9 April 1909 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1960), Thorndyke (1964) and The Silver Sword (1957). He died on 26 June 1969 in Midhurst, Sussex, England, UK.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Ted Heath was born on 30 March 1900 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was a composer, known for Entrapment (1999), Call Me Mister (1951) and Jazz Boat (1960). He was married to Moira Heath and Audrey Keymour. He died on 18 November 1969 in Surrey, England, UK.- Charles Sefton was born on 22 August 1884 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for King John (1899). He was married to Doris Russell and Daisy Marks. He died on 17 December 1971 in Raigmore, Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, UK.
- Director
- Producer
Royal Gornold was born on 10 October 1905 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. Royal was a director and producer, known for It Came to Pass (1953), A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (1958) and Messiah (1960). Royal died on 15 January 1972 in Poole, Dorset, England, UK.- Carl Bernard was born on 8 October 1905 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Reluctant Bandit (1965), New Ramps for Old (1956) and The Snow Queen (1955). He died on 4 May 1972 in Brighton, Sussex, England, UK.
- Rosemary Johnson was born on 18 January 1913 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Doctor Who (1963), The Common Room (1958) and Starr and Company (1958). She was married to William Sherwood. She died on 10 November 1972 in Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass, Cumbria, England, UK.
- Hilary Vernon was born on 30 August 1920 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Festival (1960), Startime (1959) and Playdate (1961). She was married to Leslie Yeo and Tim Hudson. She died on 5 March 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Bruce Walker was born on 4 September 1905 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949), The Slasher (1953) and Third Time Lucky (1949). He died on 7 March 1973 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Jasper Maskelyne was born on 29 September 1892 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Lady in Distress (1940), The Dizzy Limit (1930) and Terror on Tiptoe (1936). He died on 15 March 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya.- Richard Burnett was born on 26 January 1913 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for No Hiding Place (1959), The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) and Home Tonight (1961). He was married to Peggy Paige and Lala Lloyd. He died on 18 May 1978 in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England, UK.
- Max Mallowan was born on 6 May 1904 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was married to Barbara Hastings Parker and Agatha Christie. He died on 19 August 1978 in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England, UK.
- Actress
Erica O'Foyle was born on 16 December 1893 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress. She died on 5 September 1978 in Christchurch, Dorset, England, UK.- Douglas Malcolm was born on 2 October 1918 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Murder Bag (1957), Drama 61-67 (1961) and It Happened Like This (1962). He died on 28 September 1978 in Wallington, Surrey, England, UK.
- Script and Continuity Department
Natalie Barkas was born on 13 August 1899 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. Natalie was married to Geoffrey Barkas. Natalie died on 27 September 1979 in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Production Manager
Dennis Durack was born on 14 May 1923 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. Dennis was a producer and production manager, known for 1,000 Convicts and a Woman (1971), Love Is a Splendid Illusion (1970) and Virgin Witch (1971). Dennis died on 17 July 1980 in Hounslow, London, England, UK.- Yootha was a student at RADA where all ,her tutors said that she had no talent and suggested that she try a different career. Despite this she started in repertory theatres where she swept the stage , made tea and took what small roles she could get, In 1960 she was with Theatre Workshop Co in ;'Fings Ain't What They Used to be', Eventually she was cast in the comedy television series Man About the House which led to the break away series George and Mildred, both with Brian Murphy as her husband,
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
This droll, urbane, dry-witted gent was born Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman in London on May 2, 1912. Coming from a family of actors, his parents were actors Charles Wemyss and Dorothy Turner.
Nigel made his stage debut in the 1932 play "The Life Machine" and continued on the stock and repertory stage with "Night of the Garter" (1933), "Daddy Long Legs" (1933), "Half a Crown" (1934), "Ringmaster" (1935), "Roulette (1935), "The Lady of La Paz" (1936), Mademoiselle (1936), "Tony Draws a Horse" (1939) and "Children to Bless You." (1939). During that period, he had a strong hit with the play "George and Margaret" (1937) at the Wyndham's Theatre. These plays established his reputation in stylish plays.
The actor turned to films with an appearance in the crime whodunnit Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard (1940) starring veteran Mary Clare as the famed female detective. WWII interrupted his career, however, and he entered military duty, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel in the infantry. He revived his career on the stage following his war service with a number of productions including "Tomorrow's Child" (1946), "Fools Rush In" (1947), "These Mortals" (as Zeus) (1948) and "Champagne for Delilah" (1949).
Nigel also regained his footing in post-war films with featured roles in Spring in Park Lane (1948) and Uneasy Terms (1948). He then moved into top supports as doubting debonairs and high ranking officials while bolstering such stars as Carole Landis in the crime drama The Silk Noose (1948); John Mills in the war film Operation Disaster (1950); James Mason and Ava Gardner in the drama Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951); Michael Redgrave in The Browning Version (1951) and Ralph Richardson in The Sound Barrier (1952). He also played several leads in such films as The Jack of Diamonds (1949), Young Wives' Tale (1951), The Passionate Sentry (1952), Forbidden Cargo (1954), How to Murder a Rich Uncle (1957) (also directed), All for Mary (1955), Sapphire (1959) and Johnny Nobody (1961).
Never abandoning the theatre, Nigel played the title role in "The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1955) and starred in "The Egg" (1957). He also directed the plays "Not in the Book" (1958), Settled Out of Court" (1960), The Geese Are Getting Fat" (1960) and "Past Imperfect" (1964). Of special interest, he directed and starred in well-received productions of "The Pleasure of His Company" (1959) and "Present Laughter" (1965).
On TV, Nigel starred in the British series Zero One (1962), which was briefly syndicated in the U.S. He occasionally found some support movie roles in the 1960's and 1970's with The League of Gentlemen (1960), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), Battle of Britain (1969), The Virgin Soldiers (1969), The Executioner (1970), The Great Waltz (1972) and The MacKintosh Man (1973). In later years he would be spotted in the plays "Blithe Spirit," "A Suite in Two Keys," "Night Must Fall" and "Avanti!"
Long married (from 1951) to Irish-born actress Beatrice Campbell, who appeared with him in the film dramas Silent Dust (1949) and Wicked Wife (1953). She passed away in 1979 and Nigel joined her a couple of years later in London of lung cancer on September 21, 1981 .- Actress
Anna Churcher was born on 4 September 1912 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for R3 (1964), Hancock's Half Hour (1956) and The History of Mr. Polly (1959). She died on 21 December 1981 in Kensington, London, England, UK.- Special Effects
Norman Kerss was born on 5 July 1928 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He is known for Superman (1978), Krull (1983) and Dragonslayer (1981). He was married to Daphne Leach. He died on 13 March 1982 in Godstone, Surrey, England, UK.- Daisy Burrell was born on 16 June 1892 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Little Women (1917), The Last Rose of Summer (1920) and The Bridal Chair (1919). She died on 10 June 1982 in Kensington, London, England, UK.
- Varley Thomas was born on 29 November 1901 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Goldfinger (1964), Jack the Ripper (1973) and Our Mister Ambler (1961). She died on 29 January 1983 in Ewell, Surrey, England, UK.
- Brian Hayes was born on 25 April 1912 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Persuaders! (1971), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and The Railway Children (1968). He died on 11 March 1983 in Dorking, Surrey, England, UK.
- Bobby Beaumont was born on 30 April 1919 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Up and Down, in and Out, Round About Man (1973) and Face the Music (1953). He was married to Sally Barnes. He died on 12 July 1983 in Brighton, Sussex, England, UK.
- Actress
- Writer
Dorothy Lane was born on 26 December 1891 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Happy End (1967). She died on 13 January 1984 in Denville Hall, Northwood, London, England, UK.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Robert Richards was born on 25 November 1918 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was a composer and actor, known for Gonks Go Beat (1964), Saturday Night Out (1964) and The Stick Up (1977). He was married to Doreen Fox. He died on 11 September 1984 in Sutton, Greater London, England, UK.- Hayden Jones was born on 15 August 1924 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Avengers (1961), Freelance (1970) and Smuggler's Bay (1964). He was married to Anne Prime. He died on 6 November 1984 in Oxfordshire, England, UK.
- Graham Leaman was born on 9 August 1920 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), World Theatre (1959) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950). He died on 14 June 1985 in Westminster, London, England, UK.
- Vera Bogetti was born on 5 October 1902 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Thistledown (1938), Because of Love (1936) and Confidential Lady (1940). She died on 10 October 1985 in Godstone, Surrey, England, UK.
- Beatrix Thomson was born on March 13, 1900 in London, England. She was an actor, known for Crown v. Stevens (1936), The Old Curiosity Shop (1934), The Dreyfus Case (1931), and The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948). She was married to Claude Rains. She died in February 1986 in Surrey, England.
She spent most of her career on the stage in Britain. In 1929, she became the first British actress to hold an aviation license. She spent WWII as a volunteer in aircraft production. She returned to the stage after the war was over. - Roger Snowdon was born on 24 April 1914 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Jane Eyre (1956), Othello (1956) and Follow the Boys (1963). He died on 19 March 1986 in Camden, London, England, UK.
- Gerald Wilde was born on 2 October 1905 in Clapham, Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He died on 2 October 1986 in Northleach, Gloucestershire, England, UK.
- James Kenney was born on 20 July 1930 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951), The Love Match (1955) and H.M. Tennent Globe Theatre (1956). He died on 13 January 1987 in Surbiton, Surrey, England, UK.
- Geoffrey Staines was born on 20 July 1904 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Nicholas Nickleby (1977), The Duchess of Duke Street (1976) and Broome Stages (1966). He died on 20 March 1987 in Hillingdon, London, England, UK.
- Peter Malam was born on 12 May 1927 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971) and Bless This House (1971). He died on 4 July 1987 in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK.