Colin Gordon
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Colin Gordon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 April 1911 |
| Died | 4 October 1972 (aged 61) Haslemere, Surrey, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1934–1972 |
| Spouse(s) | Sidney Eileen Short (1936–1943; divorced, 1 child) Zena Howard (1945–unknown; separated) |
Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor Although primarily a stage actor he made numerous appearances on television and in cinema films, generally in comedies. His stage career was mainly in the West End, but he was seen in the provinces in some touring productions.
Biography[edit]
Early years[edit]
Gordon was born in Ceylon, the son of William Arthur Gordon and his wife Lily Vera, née Troup.[1] He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford.[1] He first appeared on the professional stage in repertory at the Palace Theatre, Watford from January to December 1934.[1] He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of Alfred, the carthorse, in a production of Toad of Toad Hall at the Royalty Theatre.[1] At the same theatre he played James in Frolic Wind (March 1935, described by The Stage as "a distinguished failure"),[2] and Peter in Closing At Sunrise (September 1935).[1] From 1936 to 1939 he directed the Fred Melville Repertory Company in Brixton.[1] He served in the army during the Second World War for six years.[1]
Stage roles 1948–1970[edit]
| Date | Theatre | Play | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1948 | Apollo | The Happiest Days of Your Life | Rupert Billings | received the Clarence Derwent Award |
| Mar 1951 | Wyndham's | The Love of Four Colonels | Colonel Desmond De S Rinder-Sparrow | |
| Mar 1953 | Globe | The White Carnation | Sir Horace Duncan | |
| Oct 1953 | Coronet | The Little Hut | Henry | Broadway debut |
| Mar 1955 | Duchess | Misery Me! | Julius Ring | |
| Jul 1955 | Duke of York's | Wild Thyme | Seymour Verity | |
| Dec 1956 | Aldwych | The Touch of Fear | Alec Barnes | |
| Mar 1957 | Arts | The Wit to Woo | Percy Trellis | |
| Mar 1959 | Guildford Repertory | Members Only | Percy | Also director |
| May 1960 | Theatre Royal, Windsor | Handful of Tansy | Sir Matthew Carr | |
| Jun 1960 | Everyman, Cheltenham | I Seem to Know Your Face | Percy | Also director |
| Oct 1961 | Theatre Royal, Windsor | Mr Rhodes | Dr Jameson | |
| Mar 1964 | On tour | March Hares | Dr Unwin | |
| Aug 1964 | On tour | Alibi For a Judge | Thomas Empton QC | |
| Aug 1965 | Savoy | Alibi For a Judge | Thomas Empton QC | |
| Nov 1967 | Duke of York's | Relatively Speaking | Philip | took over the part from Michael Hordern |
| Jun 1969 | Belgrade, Coventry | Never Say Die | Richard Blake | |
| Mar 1970 | Royal Court | A Who's Who of Flapland | Cast member |
- Source: Who's Who in the Theatre.[1]
Screen[edit]
Gordon had a long career in British cinema and television from the 1940s to the 1970s, often playing government officials. His films include The Pink Panther and Casino Royale (both with Peter Sellers, alongside whom he made five films). In the ITC series The Prisoner (1967) he portrayed Number Two twice, in "A. B. and C." and later in "The General".[3]
Gordon was a regular in another ITC production, The Baron, playing civil servant Templeton-Green opposite Steve Forrest.[4] He also starred in The Invisible Man (1958 TV series) episode "Play to Kill", (series 1, episode 6, 1959); was the host and occasional narrator of the 1969 London Weekend Television series The Complete and Utter History of Britain, (which arose from a pre-Monty Python collaboration between Michael Palin and Terry Jones); and was the airport commandant in the 1967 Doctor Who story The Faceless Ones.[5][6] He was also in Bachelor Father and made two guest appearances in Steptoe and Son. In 1961 he appeared as the doctor in "The Lift" episode of Hancock's Half Hour.[7] In 1970 he appeared in the UFO episode "The Cat with Ten Lives". He also appeared as Walpole Gibb in the ATV/ITC series Hine in 1971.
Film roles[edit]
- Jim the Penman (1947) as Roberts
- Bond Street (1948) as Clerk in Travel Agency
- The Winslow Boy (1948) (uncredited)
- It's Hard to Be Good (1948) as Neighbour with Baby (uncredited)
- Edward, My Son (1949) as Ellerby
- Helter Skelter (1949) as Chadbeater Longwick
- Golden Arrow (1949) as Connelly
- Traveller's Joy (1949) as Tom Wright
- The Third Visitor (1951) as Bill Millington
- The Long Dark Hall (1951) as Pound
- Circle of Danger (1951) as Col. Fairbairn
- Laughter in Paradise (1951) as Station Constable
- The Man in the White Suit (1951) as Hill
- The Lady with a Lamp (1951)
- Green Grow the Rushes (1951) as Roderick Fisherwick
- Mandy (1952) as Woollard (Junior)
- The Hour of 13 (1952) as MacStreet
- Folly to Be Wise (1952) as Prof. James Mutch
- Grand National Night (1953) as Buns Darling
- Innocents in Paris (1953) as Customs Officer
- The Heart of the Matter (1953) as Secretary (uncredited)
- Up to His Neck (1955) as Lt. Cmdr. Sterning
- Little Red Monkey (1955) as Harry Martin, reporter
- John and Julie (1955) as Mr. Swayne
- Escapade (1955) as Deeson, reporter
- Jumping for Joy (1956) as Max, 1st Commentator
- Keep It Clean (1956) as Peter, Marquess of Hurlingford
- The Green Man (1956) as Reginald Willoughby-Cruft
- A Touch of the Sun (1956) as Cecil Flick
- Up in the World (1956) as Fletcher Hetherington
- The Extra Day (1956) as Sir George Howard
- The Key Man (1957) as Larry Parr
- The One That Got Away (1957) as Army Interrogator
- The Safecracker (1958) as Dakers
- Virgin Island (US: Our Virgin Island, 1958) as The Commissioner
- The Doctor's Dilemma (1958) as Newspaper Man
- The Crowning Touch (1959) as Stacey
- Alive and Kicking (1959) as Bird Watcher
- The Mouse That Roared (1959) as BBC Announcer
- Bobbikins (1959) as Dr. Phillips
- Please Turn Over (1959) as Maurice
- Carry On Constable (1960) (uncredited)
- The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960) as Benge
- The Big Day (1960) as George Baker
- Make Mine Mink (1960) (uncredited)
- His and Hers (1961) as TV Announcer
- Seven Keys (1961) as Mr. Barber
- House of Mystery (1961) as Burdon
- Very Important Person (1961) as Briggs
- Don't Bother to Knock (1961) as Rolsom
- Three on a Spree (1961) as Mitchell
- Crooks Anonymous (1962) as Drunk
- Night of the Eagle (1962) as Lindsay Carr
- Strongroom (1962) as Mr. Spencer
- In the Doghouse (1962) as Dean
- The Devil's Agent (1962) as Count Dezsepalvy
- The Boys (1962) as Gordon Lonsdale
- The Running Man (1963) as Solicitor
- Heavens Above! (1963) as Prime Minister
- Bitter Harvest (1963) as Charles
- The Pink Panther (1963) as Tucker
- The Counterfeit Constable (1964) as Le dentiste W. Martin
- The Liquidator (1965) as Vicar
- The Psychopath (1966) as Dr. Glyn
- The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966) as Noakes
- The Trygon Factor (1966) as Dice
- The Family Way (1966) as Mr. Hutton
- Casino Royale (1967) as Casino Director
- Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968) as Mr. Hartford
- Subterfuge (1968) as Kitteridge
- Mischief (1969) as Mr. Crawford
- The Body Beneath (1970) as Graham Ford
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Herbert, pp. 843–844
- ^ "Colin Gordon", The Stage, 12 October 1972, p. 20
- ^ "Colin Gordon - Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (10 January 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9780786486410 – via Google Books.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Complete and Utter History of Britain, The (1969)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – The Faceless Ones – Details". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "The Lift (1961)". BFI. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019.
Sources[edit]
- Herbert, Ian, ed. (1977). Who's Who in the Theatre (sixteenth ed.). London and Detroit: Pitman Publishing and Gale Research. ISBN 978-0-273-00163-8.
External links[edit]
- Colin Gordon at IMDb
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