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1-15 of 15
- The son of an insurance underwriter who represented Lloyd's of London in Ceylon, Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith was born in Margate, Kent. He spent his early childhood globetrotting with his mother, frequently left in the care of strangers. After attending private school he went on to study drama at RADA (due to his mother's insistence) and was voted best in his class following a performance in "Much Ado About Nothing". Spurning a Hollywood contract with Paramount he acted on the West End stage and with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from the mid-1930s, specialising in classical plays ranging from "Hamlet" and "Coriolanus" to "French without Tears", by Terence Rattigan. Howard was initially turned down for military service by both the RAF and the British Army but shortage of manpower led to his being called up in 1940 to serve as a second lieutenant with the Army Signal Corps. However, he neither saw action nor accumulated the illustrious wartime record (including winning the Military Cross) invented for him by his publicists. A 2001 biography by Terence Pettigrew claimed to have unearthed files from his war record which alleged that he was dismissed from service in 1943 due to 'mental instability'. Ironically, on screen, the actor was often cast as solid, unflappable British officers, perhaps reflecting his own personal credo of always feeling best when impersonating someone else.
Howard's career in films began quietly with small roles in The Way Ahead (1944) and Johnny in the Clouds (1945). He unexpectedly leapt to stardom in just his third outing as the stoic, decent Dr. Alec Harvey in David Lean's melancholic story of middle-class wartime romance, Brief Encounter (1945). Howard's mannered performance perfectly suited the required stiff-upper-lip mood of the film, his intensity and projected integrity more than compensating for his average looks. That 'jolly decent chap' persona continued on in another 'woman's picture', The Passionate Friends (1949), but Howard soon found his niche in more determined, worldly roles. He later admitted that "for years I was practically hounded by my first part in Brief Encounter. I loved the film, mind you, but the role wasn't me, at all" (Ottawa Citizen, February 17 1961). As a screen actor, Howard came of age in crime thrillers and war films, delivering his first genuine tour de force performance as a battle-hardened, cynical ex-pilot caught up in the world of post-war black market racketeering in I Became a Criminal (1947). His efficient, by-the-book intelligence officer, Major Calloway, in Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949) put him firmly on the map as a star character player.
Rasping-voiced and becoming increasingly craggy as the years went by, Howard contrasted archetypal authoritarians (seasoned army veteran Captain Thomson of The Cockleshell Heroes (1955), Captain William Bligh in the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), Lord Cardigan in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)) with weaklings (best exemplified by morally corrupt, degenerate expatriate trader Peter Willems in Outcast of the Islands (1951) -- arguably one of Howard's finest performances); sympathetic victims (colonial cop Scobie, tormented by religious guilt in The Heart of the Matter (1953)) and obsessive, driven eccentrics (crusading elephant preservationist Morel in The Roots of Heaven (1958), the alcoholic, haunted Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1980), and the weird Russian recluse of Light Years Away (1981)). In the midst of angst-ridden heroes, drunken clerics and assorted historical characters, ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte to Sir Isaac Newton, Howard even essayed a Cheyenne warrior returning from the dead to defend his family in Windwalker (1980). Remarkably, though he took on a score of eminently forgettable projects, it is difficult to fault a single one of his performances. Throughout his entire career he was never out of favour with audiences and never out of work.
As becoming one of the most British of actors, Howard was an ardent cricket supporter, member of the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club. He insisted on having a clause inserted in his contracts which allowed him leave from filming to attend test matches. A rather solitary man, he had few other hobbies (except, perhaps, a fondness for alcohol, which likely contributed to his death at the age of 74) and was reputedly modest about his accomplishments as an actor. He once declared "we don't have the Method School of acting in England. We simply read the script, let it seep in, then go put on whiskers - and do it" (New York Times, January 8 1988). - Actor
- Special Effects
- Soundtrack
Jack Purvis was born on 13 July 1937 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He was married to Marjie Purvis. He died on 11 November 1997 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Although he'd appeared in a number of films he didn't become publicly known until he played the part of Snudge in The Army Game tv series and then the series of Bootsie and Snudge, playing Snudge for about 6 years then going on to do the series of Barney is My Darling with Irene Handl, While being known for his television work he made about 5 films and dozens of television appearances in straight plays and other series such as The Avengers
- The venerable British stage and film actor A.E. Matthews was born Alfred Edward Matthews on November 22, 1869 in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The actor nicknamed "Matty" established himself on the British and American stage and in British films, taking up the craft after working as a clerk in a London bookstore. He said that after he learned that the great actor Sir Henry Irving (the first thespian to be knighted) had worked at the store, and used the very same desk he did, he decided to dedicate his life to the theatre.
The former bookseller started at the Princess Theatre as a "call boy," the factotum who calls the actors to the stage. Eventually, he was given acting roles, and appeared on stage with such greats as Ellen Terry (the aunt of Sir John Gielgud and Sir Gerald du Maurier. Matty made his Broadway debut on August 8, 1910 at the Garrick Theatre, in "Love Among the Lions." Later that year he appeared as Algernon Moncrieff in a production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) at the Lyceum Theatre. He did not appear again on The Great White Way until 1921, when he played Jerry in the comedy Peg o' My Heart (1922) opposite the legendary American stage actress Laurette Taylor. Later that year he played the eponymous lead in Bulldog Drummond (1929).
A.E. Matthews appeared on Broadway an additional eight times in the 1920s and appeared in seven Broadway productions in the 1930s. Of his appearance in W. Somerset Maugham' comedy "The Breadwinner" in 1931, "Time Magazine" credited his acting with contributing to the success of the comedy, which had problems in its third Act and was described by the "Time" reviewer as "simply a bag of parlour tricks performed by dialog." The reviewer praised "gentle, toothy Mr. Matthews, who somehow suggests the kind old water rat in The Wind in the Willows."
Matty's last appearance On Broadway was in 1949, in William Douglas-Home's comedy "Yes, M'Lord," with a cast that featured a young Elaine Stritch. He appeared in numerous roles on the British stage.
He made his film debut in 1916, in the silent comedy Wanted: A Widow (1916). He appeared in two more flicks in 1916, one in 1918, and two more silent films in 1918 before devoting himself to stage-work. He did not make his talking picture debut until 1934, when he supported George Arliss in The Iron Duke (1934), which also featured Emlyn Williams. He made one more movie in the 1930s, the backstage drama Men Are Not Gods (1936) (1936) which featured a young Rex Harrison. His film career began in earnest in 1941, when he appeared in Anthony Asquith's Quiet Wedding (1941), the propaganda film This England (1941) (again with Emlyn Williams), and Leslie Howard's "'Pimpernel' Smith (1941)_. He appeared in another 41 movies from 1942 to 1960, including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), _Million Pound Note, the (1956), The Ship Was Loaded (1957), and Around the World in 80 Days (1956).
A.E. Matthews died on July 25, 1960. He was 90. - Actor
- Director
D.J. Williams was born on 25 March 1868 in Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor and director, known for The Crimes of Stephen Hawke (1936), The Shuttle of Life (1920) and The Doctor's Secret (1934). He died on 26 July 1949 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Script and Continuity Department
- Actress
Jean Graham was born in 1922. She was an actress, known for The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988), Scott of the Antarctic (1948) and PT Raiders (1955). She was married to Chic Waterson. She died in 2003 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Script and Continuity Department
- Editorial Department
- Music Department
Thelma Orr was born in 1929 in London, England, UK. She is known for King's Rhapsody (1955), The Dam Busters (1955) and The Little Prince (1974). She died on 29 August 2017 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Bernard Ansell was born on 16 September 1881 in Shoreditch, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Money Talks (1932), Song of Freedom (1936) and The Last Adventurers (1937). He died on 25 July 1958 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Art Director
- Art Department
- Production Manager
John Siddall was an art director and production manager, known for The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and Battle of Britain (1969). He died on 15 July 2016 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Sound Department
- Editor
- Music Department
Archie Ludski was born on 19 July 1929. He was an editor, known for Rollerball (1975), Aliens (1986) and Dr. No (1962). He died on 10 October 2004 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Zigi Shipper was born on 18 January 1930 in Lódz, Lódz Voivodeship, Poland. He died on 18 January 2023 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Janice Buxton was born on 12 September 1935 in Ilford, Essex, England, UK. She died on 6 July 2006 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
Sheila Puddick was born in 1929 in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, UK. Sheila is known for 1984 (1956). Sheila was married to Barry Arthur Bowen. Sheila died in 2010 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Music Department
Derrick McIntyre is known for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013) and Roy Ayers at New Morning 2004 (2004). He died on 2 February 2024 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Tamara Kirova was born on 29 March 1925 in Paddington, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Cinderella (1947). She died on 28 May 2014 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.