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Which South London born actor is this?

He was born in Lee, a suburb of Lewisham in South London, in 1907. Educated at Marlborough College in Wiltshire, he studied science at University College, London, but left after a year and became a geology student at the University of Bonn, where he again left after just a year. He spoke many languages (possibly up to 20) including French, Greek, Danish, Russian, German, Italian, Dutch, and Gaelic.

He returned to the UK in 1927, and became a journalist with Reuters in London, alongside the later James Bond writer Ian Fleming. After a year he emigrated to Canada, serving as an insurance salesman, taught English at a boys' school, became a lumberjack and mined for gold. He came back to England penniless, working his passage on a Dutch Freighter.

On return to Britain he served as secretary of the British Ice Hockey Association in the early 1930s and managed the national team at the 1932 European Championships in Berlin to a seventh place finish. He combined his administrative duties in 1931–32 with a season as goaltender with the London Lions

After a single trial as a racing driver at Brooklands, he left Britain again to become a policeman for the League of Nations in the Saarland area of Germany. After the Nazis came to power, he fought in the Spanish Civil War on the Republican side. On return to Britain, he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, but after sustaining an injury in 1943 (thought to be shrapnel from a German shell), he was pensioned off.

He unsuccessfully contested the North Angus and Mearns (UK Parliament constituency) for the Labour Party in the 1950 general election.


He took up acting after joining the Players' Club in London. The club, under the chairmanship of Leonard Sachs who latterly created BBC's television's The Good Old Days, would stage Victorian music hall nights. Standing in for Sachs one night, he was recommended for film in 1944.

he appeared in over 81 films in the 50s, 60s and 70s

He died penniless in 1975.

Comments

  • Is it Tommy Steele?
  • I cheated and did an internet search...so will remain silent to see if anyone actually knows.

    What a fascinating life...and an interesting post!
  • I cheated too so will hold back on the answer but for those still thinking he appeared in these classic films:

    Moby Dick
    The Guns of Navarone
    Captain Horatio Hornblower
    Those magnificent men in their flying machines
    Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

    And yes he certainly had a busy life!!
  • edited September 2008
    He was on the telly a few days ago...thats when i did an internet search
  • Just Googled it myself. Knew the boat but would be lying if I said I knew his name - too young you see!
  • I was gobsmacked to learn he was born in Lee!
  • What an amazing life
  • Yes it was.

    Addick 1965, do you want to edit you post so some others can have a go.
  • edited September 2008
    [cite]Posted By: Off_it[/cite]Is it Tommy Steele?

    No way. I think he's still alive and certainly wasn't born in 1907
  • So was he an Addick then??
  • Sponsored links:


  • Blimey - Sir Lancelot Spratt a sarf london boy.
  • So is it James Robertson-Justice?
  • "Had your chance - muffed it"
  • Just cheated as well, wow, I never knew that, for some reason I thought he was a sweaty.
  • ah, just seen that his dad was from Aberdeen
  • other famous Lee residents...

    Sir Francis Baring, founder of Baring Brothers Bank, bought the Manor House (attributed to architect Richard Jupp) in Manor Lane (now a library and its grounds a public park, Manor House Gardens) in 1796.

    Henry Thomas Buckle, English historian and author of A History of Civilization was born in Lee.

    Poet Ernest Dowson was also born in Lee.

    Sir Gregory Page built a large mansion house (demolished in 1787) at Wricklemarsh in Lee.

    Reggie Schwarz, South African cricketer, was born in Lee.

    Stanley Unwin, publisher, lived in Handen Road.

    Actor and comedian Max Wall

    Celebrity and 'singer' Chico.
  • What's the bleeding time?
  • Me and the boys say Lionel Jeffries
  • edited September 2008
    [cite]Posted By: suzisausage[/cite]other famous Lee residents...

    Sir Francis Baring, founder of Baring Brothers Bank, bought the Manor House (attributed to architect Richard Jupp) in Manor Lane (now a library and its grounds a public park, Manor House Gardens) in 1796.

    Henry Thomas Buckle, English historian and author of A History of Civilization was born in Lee.

    Poet Ernest Dowson was also born in Lee.

    Sir Gregory Page built a large mansion house (demolished in 1787) at Wricklemarsh in Lee.

    Reggie Schwarz, South African cricketer, was born in Lee.

    Stanley Unwin, publisher, lived in Handen Road.

    Actor and comedian Max Wall

    Celebrity and 'singer' Chico.

    Eric Clapton lived in Lee for a while although he was born in Surrey. I think he shared a house with John Mayall
  • [cite]Posted By: C_f_W[/cite]Me and the boys say Lionel Jeffries

    Dear old Lionel is still with us, he's 82. He was born in SE London though.
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  • edited September 2008
    Dammit. In that case, the other one we came up with is the fella who played the king in CCBB, he also appeared in Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Can't remember his name though.
  • I only really know him for a couple of comedy films, although I do remember him in others looking at his filmography.......allegedly had a gay affair with a well known 50's rock & roll star who is British
  • [cite]Posted By: C_f_W[/cite]Dammit. In that case, the other one we came up with is the fella who played the king in CCBB, he also appeared in Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Can't remember his name though.

    Blimous, thought he was German ?!?
  • [cite]Posted By: BDL[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: C_f_W[/cite]Dammit. In that case, the other one we came up with is the fella who played the king in CCBB, he also appeared in Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Can't remember his name though.

    Blimous, thought he was German ?!?
    He could well be for all we know, we just know he was in those two films and hoped he was putting the accent on!!!
  • come in then who was it for those that dont cheat
  • [cite]Posted By: bingaddick[/cite]So is it James Robertson-Justice?

    There's your answer, NLA.

    Was in the fantastic Whisky Galore! too.
  • never heard of him
  • There was a photo in the Charlton programme a few of years ago showing some Charlton players posing with James Robertson Justice. I think it was taken in the 1960's. It was on one of Colin Cameron's pages, so JRJ could've been an Addick at some point? I'll have a dig through the archives to see if I can find out what the circumstances of the photo were.
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