Basil Radford
| Basil Radford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 June 1897 Chester, Cheshire, England, UK |
| Died |
20 October 1952 (aged 55) London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929-1952 |
| Spouse(s) | Shirly Deuchars (1926-1952) (his death) 1 child |
Basil Radford (25 June 1897 Chester, Cheshire – 20 October 1952 London) was an English character actor who featured in many British films of the 1930s and 1940s. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his first stage appearance in July 1924. He is probably best-remembered for his appearances alongside Naunton Wayne as two cricket-obsessed Englishmen in several films from 1938-1949.
Film career
The two first appeared as their characters Charters and Caldicott in Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 thriller The Lady Vanishes. They were popular enough to reprise their roles in Night Train to Munich, which was again scripted by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat.
They appeared together in several other 1940s films, including Crook's Tour (1941), Millions Like Us (1943), Dead of Night (1945), Quartet (1948), It's Not Cricket (1949) and Passport to Pimlico (1949).
Apart from his long-running partnership with Naunton Wayne, Radford made many other memorable film appearances in character roles. His other films included Young and Innocent (also for Hitchcock) (1937), The Way to the Stars (1945), The Captive Heart (1946), The Winslow Boy (1948) and Whisky Galore! (1949).
Radford had a crescent-shaped scar on his right cheek from serving in the trenches during the First World War.[1] Depending on the camera angle and the lighting, it was sometimes barely perceptible but sometimes extremely prominent, as in The Way to the Stars.
Death
Radford's health began to seriously fail in the summer of 1951, forcing him to take a long break from acting. He died of a heart attack on 20 October 1952, while rehearsing for a radio show with Naunton Wayne in London.
Personal life
In 1926 he married Shirley Deuchars. They had one son.[2]
Selected filmography
- The Wishing Well (1925) (Play at Prince's Theatre; musical comedy)[3]
- Barnum Was Right (1929)
- Woman to Woman (1929)
- Seven Day's Leave (1930)
- There Goes the Bride (1932)
- Leave It to Smith (1933)
- A Southern Maid (1933)
- Foreign Affaires (1935)
- Broken Blossoms (1936)
- Dishonour Bright (1936)
- Jump for Glory (1937)
- Young and Innocent (1937)
- Captain's Orders (1937)
- The Lady Vanishes* (1938)
- Convict 99 (1938)
- Climbing High (1938)
- The Royal Family of Broadway (1939) (TV)
- Trouble Brewing (1939)
- Let's Be Famous (1939)
- She Couldn't Say No (1939)
- Jamaica Inn (1939)
- Shall We Join the Ladies? (1939)
- Secret Journey (1939)
- The Four Just Men (1939)
- Just William (1940)
- Girl in the News (1940)
- Night Train to Munich* (1940)
- The Flying Squad (1940)
- Room for Two (1940)
- The Girl Who Forgot (1940)
- Crook's Tour* (1941)
- The Next of Kin (1942) (cameo, with Naunton Wayne)
- Unpublished Story (1942)
- Flying Fortress (1942)
- Dear Octopus (1943)
- Millions Like Us* (1943)
- Twilight Hour (1945)
- The Way to the Stars (1945)
- Dead of Night (1945)
- The Captive Heart (1946)
- The Winslow Boy (1948)
- Quartet (1948)
- It's Not Cricket (1949)
- Passport to Pimlico (1949)
- Whisky Galore! (1949)
- Chance of a Lifetime (1950)
- The Galloping Major (1951), based on a story written by Radford
- White Corridors (1951)
* Charters and Caldicott films
References
- ↑ Sweet, Matthew (2001-12-29). "Mustard and cress". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ↑ http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/The_Times_(21/Oct/1952)_-_Obituary:_Basil_Radford
- ↑ Ad for The Wishing Well
External links
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