David Tomlinson

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The late David Tomlinson, 1917-2000.

David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson (7 May 1917 – 24 June 2000) was an English film actor. He is primarily noted for his role as George Banks in the movie Mary Poppins.

As George Banks, head of the Banks family in the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins, David Tomlinson was known to generations of children for his role in one of the most popular family films of all time. Although Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke's characters are often seen as the breath of fresh air brushing through the Banks' home, Mr. Banks' role, and indeed Tomlinson's performance, is also noteworthy. Mr. Banks is a bank worker who takes his job very seriously and has little time for or patience with his children. By the end of the film, Mr. Banks has finally been made a bank manager in a touching performance from Tomlinson, and Mary Poppins decides that her services are no longer required as Mr. Banks has learnt to engage with his children on their level.

Mary Poppins brought Tomlinson continued work with Disney, appearing in The Love Bug (1969) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Throughout the rest of Tomlinson's film career, he never steered far from comedies.

Born in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on 7 May 1917, Tomlinson attended the Tonbridge School, but left to join the Grenadier Guards. His introduction to the working world came as a clerk for London's Shell House. His stage career grew from amateur stage productions to his 1940 film debut in Quiet Wedding. His career was interrupted when he entered WWII service as a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF. His flying days continued after the war and he crashed a Tiger Moth plane near his backyard much to the chagrin of his neighbors. His father, a prominent London attorney, defended him at his subsequent trial (for flying too low).

As a testament to Tomlinson´s decency and popularity with other entertainers, when Peter Sellers was recuperating in a London hospital following a heart attack he apparently said " I only want to see David. "

Tomlinson died peacefully in his sleep on 24 June 2000 after suffering a series of strokes. He was married for 47 years to actress Audrey Freeman and the two had four sons, David Jr., William, Henry and James.

Other notable films include: