Willoughby Goddard

Willoughby Wittenham Rees Goddard
with Paul Stassino in The Saint (1969)
Born	(1926-07-04)4 July 1926 Bicester, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Died	11 April 2008(2008-04-11) (aged 81) London, England, UK
Occupation	Film, television actor

Willoughby Wittenham Rees Goddard (4 July 1926 – 11 April 2008) was an English actor whose trademark rotund figure was well known on television and in films for more than 40 years. ^{[1] [2]}

Goddard was born in Bicester, Oxfordshire. He played Mr. Bumble in two versions of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist – a 1962 television adaptation, and the original Broadway production of the musical Oliver!. He originated the role of Cardinal Wolsey in the West End production of Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons. He appeared in the television series The Adventures of William Tell (which lasted 39 episodes) in 1958 and 1959 as the villain Landburgher Gessler; and as Reeder's boss, Sir Jason Toovey (who was head of the Department of Public Prosecutions) in The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder, a TV series of 16 hour-long episodes with first season 1969 and second season 1971; also as Sir Geoffrey in The Man in Room 17, which ran two series of 13 hour-long black-and-white episodes in 1965 and 1966. ^[3]

Goddard died in 2008 aged 81, 21 years after retiring.^[4]

TV appearances

• The Buccaneers (1956), Phineas Bunch – "Marooned"
• The Buccaneers (1956), Lawyer Pym – "Blood Will Tell"
• Gay Cavalier (1957), Bulstrode – "Dragon's Heart"
• The Adventures of William Tell (1958–1959), Landburger Gessler – regular cast
• The Invisible Man (1961), Crowther – "Bank Raid"
• Danger Man (1961), McFadden – "The Journey Ends Halfway"
• Ghost Squad (1963), Slim Salmon – "The Missing People"
• Richard the Lionheart (1963), Arnold – "The Lord of Kenak"
• Public Eye (1965), Chambers – "A Harsh World for Zealots"
• The Man in Room 17 (1965–66), Sir Geoffrey – regular cast
• The Saint (1969), (ex) King Boris – "The Ex-King of Diamonds"
• The Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder (1969), Sir Jason Toovey – regular cast
• The Main Chance (1969) – What About Justice?
• The Sweeney (1976), Kitter – "The Sweet Smell of Succession"
• Space: 1999 (1977), The Taybor – "The Taybor"
• The Black Adder (1983), The Archbishop – "The Queen Of Spain's Beard"
• John Silver's Return to Treasure Island (1986), Sir Solomon Pridham – "The Map"
• Porterhouse Blue (1987), Professor Siblington

Film appearances

• Bait (1950), John Hartley
• The Green Man (1956), Statesman
• A Touch of the Sun (1956), Golightly
• Heart of a Child (1958), Scott
• Inn for Trouble (1960), Sgt Saunders
• In the Wake of a Stranger (1960), Shafto
• Double Bunk (1961), possible purchaser
• The Millionairess (1961), President
• The Secret Partner (1961), Hotel Kepper
• The Long Shadow (1961), Schober
• Fate Takes a Hand (1961), Rollenshaw
• The Golden Rabbit (1962), Clitheroe
• The Wrong Box (1966), James White Wragg
• The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), Squire
• Laughter in the Dark (1969), Colonel
• The Canterbury Tales (1971), Placebo
• Gawain and the Green Knight (1973), a knight
• Quincy's Quest (1979), General
• Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), School Reverend
• God's Outlaw (1986), Cardinal Wolsey

External links

• Willoughby Goddard on IMDb
• Obituary: Guardian
• Obituary: Independent

References