| David Tomlinson | |
|---|---|
Tomlinson as he appeared in Mary Poppins. |
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| Born | David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson 7 May 1917 Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England |
| Died | 24 June 2000 (aged 83) Westminster, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1940–1980 |
| Spouse | Mary Lindsay Hiddingh (September 1943–2 December 1943) Audrey Freeman (17 May 1953–24 June 2000) (four sons David Jr, William, Henry, James) |
David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson (7 May 1917 – 24 June 2000) was an English film actor. He is primarily remembered for his roles as authority figure George Banks in Mary Poppins, fraudulent magician Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and as hapless antagonist Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug.
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Born in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on 7 May 1917,[1] Tomlinson attended the Tonbridge School, but left to join the Grenadier Guards. His introduction to the working world was as a clerk for London's Shell Mex House. His stage career grew from amateur stage productions to his 1940 film debut in Quiet Wedding. His career was interrupted when he entered World War II 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 neighbours. His father Clarence, a prominent London lawyer, defended him at his subsequent trial (for flying too low).
David Tomlinson was known to generations of children for his role as George Banks, head of the Banks family, in the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins.
Mary Poppins brought Tomlinson continued work with Disney, asking him to appear in The Love Bug (1968) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Throughout the rest of Tomlinson's film career, he never steered far from comedies. He retired from acting in 1979 to spend more time with his family; however, the enduring popularity of Mary Poppins ensured that he remained well-known.
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 married his first wife Mary Lindsay Hiddingh in September 1943 but she died 3 months later on December 2nd 1943. He later remarried to his second wife of 47 years actress Audrey Freeman and they had four sons, David Jr., William, Henry and James. He died peacefully in his sleep at King Edward VII Hospital, Westminster at 4:00am on 24 June 2000[2][3] after suffering a series of strokes. He was 83 years old.
He was interred at his Estate Ground in Mursley. His epitaph reads (in part) "David Tomlinson Irresistible to Women".