Donald Houston

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Donald Houston
Born Donald Daniel Houston
(1923-11-06)6 November 1923
Tonypandy, Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Died 13 October 1991(1991-10-13) (aged 67)
Coimbra, Portugal
Occupation Actor
Years active 1949–1983
Spouse(s) Brenda Hogan (1949–1991) (his death)

Donald Daniel Houston (6 November 1923 – 13 October 1991) was a Welsh actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon (1949) with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money (1949) with Sir Alec Guinness – were highly successful. Later in his career he was cast in military roles and in comedies such as the Doctor and Carry On series.

Houston was born in Tonypandy, Glamorgan, and was the elder brother of actor Glyn Houston. He would sometimes indulge his Welsh accent as well as conceal it behind an English public school veneer. He had a successful career as a character actor in British film and television, with prominent parts in several well-known films, including Yangtse Incident (1957), 633 Squadron (1964), The Longest Day (1962) (in which he appeared alongside Richard Burton), Where Eagles Dare (1968) (again with Burton) and The Sea Wolves (1981). His forte tended to be authority figures, often military, such as the brilliant but tough David Caulder, the head of Moonbase 3 or as Dr. Francis in Thirteen to Centaurus (from the anthology series Out of the Unknown).

He could also handle comedy, as he proved with Doctor in the House (1954) and the later Doctor in Distress (1963), both significant successes in Europe, and Carry On Jack (1963). Though preferring quality parts, he was not above journeyman work in films such as Tales That Witness Madness (1973) and Maniac (1963).

On October 13, 1991, Donald Houston died in Coimbra, Portugal at the age of 67.

Filmography

External links

Authority control
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