Conrad Phillips

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Conrad Phillips
Born Conrad Philip Havord
(1925-04-13)13 April 1925
London, England, UK
Occupation Actor and writer
Years active 1946–2013
Spouse(s) Jennie Phillips

Conrad Phillips (born 13 April 1925) is a British film and television actor, born in London. His real name is Conrad Philip Havord.

Life and career

Conrad Havord, as he was then, forged his birth date on his ration book so that he could join the Royal Navy at the age of 17. He then called himself ‘Bill’ during his three years of naval service because his shipmates kept taking the mickey out of the name, Conrad. His name wasn't changed to 'Phillips' until he started acting. His father had been using the name 'Conrad Phillips' as a pen name for his thriller writing and suggested that his son use this as his stage name. In his autobiography, Conrad says that he regrets making this decision.[1]

He studied at RADA and then appeared in repertory theatre and in the West End.<ref name=who'swho>Who's Who on Television. Independent Television Publications. 1970. </ref> He is best known for portraying William Tell in the popular ITV television series The Adventures of William Tell which ran for 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959.[2] Phillips also played Stefan, Tell's mentor in the updated version Crossbow in 1987. During the sixties and the seventies, Phillips worked in theatre, television and films - it was to be his busiest period as an actor.[1]

Severe back pain, two replacement knees and a replacement hip brought a premature end to Conrad Phillips' acting career and he retired from the screen in 1991. The pain was so bad that he spent the last episode of The Adventures of William Tell in a wheel chair because he had broken his ankle whilst on location. Even the fighting shots were done in this way.[1]

He met his wife, Jennie, in April 1968. In January 1972 they set about restoring a Scottish hill farm called Skeoch.[3]

They now live in Chippenham, Wiltshire, SW England.

In 2013, Conrad Phillips released his autobiography 'Aiming True'.[1]

Other TV appearances

  • The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1956) episode 17 - Gentlemen of the Road. Character - Latour.
  • The Invisible Man - Series 2, Episode 12 - Shadow Bomb (1961). Character - Captain Finch.
  • Richard the Lionheart (1961-62 TV series) - episode 21 - A Marriage of Convenience (1962). Character - Guy.
  • The Avengers (1966) episode - Silent Dust. Character - Mellors.
  • Callan (1967) episode - Jack on Top. Character - Wilson.
  • Fawlty Towers (1975) episode - The Wedding Party. Character - Mr Lloyd
  • Cribb (1980) episode - Mad Hatter's Holiday. Character - Dr. Prothero
  • The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1985) episode - The Abbey Grange. Character - Sir Eustace Brackenstall.

Other TV shows: The Count of Monte Cristo, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, The Newcomers (recurring character - Robert Malcolm), Sutherland's Law, Howards' Way, Never the Twain, The Gaffer, Sorry! and Emmerdale Farm (recurring character - Dr Christopher Meadows from 1981 to 1986). Mini-series: Into the Labyrinth and The Master of Ballantrae.

Film appearances

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.anysubject.com/aiming-true-by-conrad-phillips
  2. ↑ William Tell, Retrieved 11/10/07
  3. ↑ Skeoch - Our life on a Scottish hill farm, Retrieved 15/1/13

External links

Authority control
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