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The Safecracker
''The Safecracker'' is a 1958 British crime film noir directed by Ray Milland and starring Milland, Barry Jones and Victor Maddern. Plot Colley Dawson lives a quiet life at home with his mother, but he is an expert safecracker at weekends, breaking into wealthy homes and stealing valuable art. When he is eventually arrested and convicted, Colley is approached in prison by Major Adbury, who offers him a deal in exchange for helping with the war effort. Colley will be given his freedom if he uses his safecracking expertise to perform a mission behind enemy lines. The dangerous mission is to breach a difficult safe in a Nazi chateau and steal a list of German spies operating in England. Colley agrees and is trained as a commando and parachuted into Belgium for the mission. Cast * Ray Milland as Colley Dawson * Barry Jones as Bennett Carfield * Jeanette Sterke as Irene * Victor Maddern as Morris * Ernest Clark as Major Adbury * Cyril Raymond as Inspector Frankham * Melissa Stri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Milland
Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in Billy Wilder's '' The Lost Weekend'' (1945) and also for such roles as a sophisticated leading man opposite John Wayne's corrupt character in ''Reap the Wild Wind'' (1942), the murder-plotting husband in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954) and Oliver Barrett III in '' Love Story'' (1970). Before becoming an actor, Milland served in the Household Cavalry of the British Army, becoming a proficient marksman, horseman and aeroplane pilot. He left the army to pursue a career in acting and appeared as an extra in several British productions before getting his first major role in '' The Flying Scotsman'' (1929). This led to a nine-month contract with MGM, and he moved to the United States, where he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Horne (actor)
David Edgar Alderson Horne (14 July 1898 in Balcombe, Sussex – 15 March 1970 in Marylebone, London) was an English film and stage actor. Biography British actor and playwright David Horne began his film career in the 1930s, after a distinguished early career in the theatre. He was generally seen portraying pompous, self-satisfied characters. He never managed to rise to the "star" level in his silver screen acting career, but he was an indispensable character actor, and played many utility parts such as desk clerks, newspaper editors, police officials, lawyers and doctors. He continued his theatre work until his death in 1970. Filmography * ''Lord of the Manor'' (1933) as General Sir George Fleeter (film debut) * '' General John Regan'' (1933) as Maj. Kent * '' Badger's Green'' (1934) as Major Forrester * ''The Case for the Crown'' (1934) as James Rainsford * ''That's My Uncle'' (1935) as Col. Marlowe * ''The Village Squire'' (1935) as Squire Hollis * '' Late Extra'' (193 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hilda Fenemore
Hilda Lilian Fenemore (22 April 1914 – 13 April 2004) was an English actress with a prolific career in film and television from the 1940s to the 1990s. Fenemore played mainly supporting roles which were characterised in her obituary in ''The Stage'' as "friends, neighbours, mothers and passers-by"; however, her many credits meant that she fell into the category of actresses who a majority of film and TV viewers would have been unable to name, yet whose face was instantly recognisable. Her longest-running role was recurring character Jennie Wren in TV series ''Dixon of Dock Green'', who she played for six series between 1960 and 1965. Career Fenemore began her career as a stage actress, joining the company of actors at London's left-wing and progressive Unity Theatre in the 1940s. There she met and married fellow actor Rex Edwards, and worked under the supervision of dramatist Ted Willis, with whom she would later work also in television. Fenemore made her first film appeara ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Kydd
Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He also played a recurring character in ''Coronation Street''. Kydd's first film was ''The Captive Heart'' (1946), in which he played a POW. He made over 290 films, more than any other British actor, including 119 between 1946 and 1952. Early life and career An army officer's son, Kydd was born on 15 February 1915 in Belfast, Ireland, and moved to London as a child. He was educated at Dunstable School in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. During the mid-1930s Kydd was an MC for the Oscar Rabin Band and one of his "Hot Shots". He would warm up audiences with jokes and impressions (Maurice Chevalier was a favourite) and even some tap dance routines then introduce the other singers and attractions on the bill. During the late 1930s he had joined the Terri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basil Dignam
Basil Dignam (24 October 1905 – 31 January 1979) was an English character actor. Basil Dignam was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Before the acting, he tried many jobs, from a company clerk to a journalist. He acted on film and television between 1948 and 1978. He often appeared as an authority figure, such as Mr Justice Poynter in '' Crown Court,'' as a police officer, army general or peer. Television appearances include ''The Prisoner'': '' Checkmate'' (1967) and ''The Champions'' (1968), as Sir Frederick in episode 2 "The Invisible Man". Personal life He was married to actress Mona Washbourne from 1940 until his death in 1979. His brother Mark Dignam was also a professional actor. Basil Dignam died, aged 73, in Westminster, London. Selected filmography * ''Maytime in Mayfair'' (1949) – Commissionaire (uncredited) * '' Smart Alec'' (1951) – Defending Counsel * '' Two on the Tiles'' (1951) – Ship's Captain * ''The Lady with a Lamp'' (1951) * ''Appointmen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackie Collins
Jacqueline Jill Collins (4 October 1937 – 19 September 2015) was an English romance novelist and actress. She moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and spent most of her career there. She wrote 32 novels, all of which appeared on ''The New York Times'' bestsellers list. Her books have sold more than 500 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages. Eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen, either as films or television miniseries. She was the younger sister of Dame Joan Collins. Early life Collins was born in 1937, in Hampstead, London, the younger daughter of Elsa (née Bessant) Collins (died 1962) and Joseph William Collins (died 1988), a theatrical agent whose clients later included Dame Shirley Bassey, the Beatles, and Sir Tom Jones. Collins's South African-born father was Jewish, and her British mother was Anglican. A middle child, Collins had an elder sister, Joan Collins (actress and author), and a younger brother, Bill (who became a property agent). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernard Fox (actor)
Bernard Lawson (11 May 1927 14 December 2016), better known as Bernard Fox, was a Welsh actor. He is remembered for his roles as Dr. Bombay in the comedy fantasy series ''Bewitched'' (1964–1972), Colonel Crittendon in the comedy series ''Hogan's Heroes'' (1965–1971), Malcolm Merriweather in ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1963–1965), Colonel Redford in ''Barnaby Jones'' (1975), Max in ''Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'' (1977), and Archibald Gracie IV in the film ''Titanic'' (1997). Early life Fox was a fifth-generation performer. He was born in Port Talbot, Glamorgan, the son of Queenie (née Barrett) and Gerald Lawson, both stage actors. He had an older sister, Mavis, and his uncle was British actor Wilfrid Lawson. Career Film Fox began his film career at the age of 18 months, and by age 14 was an apprentice assistant manager of a theatre. After serving with the Royal Navy in World War II and the Korean War, he resumed his acting career and appeared in over 30 cinema fil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arnold Bell
Arnold Bell (23 May 1901 – 12 March 1988) was a British actor. Selected filmography * ''Convict 99'' (1919) - Warder Gannawy * '' Doctor Josser K.C.'' (1931) * '' Josser in the Army'' (1932) - Becker * ''Doss House'' (1933) - Reporter * ''Jack of All Trades'' (1936) - (uncredited) * '' His Lordship'' (1936) - Ibrahim's Butler (uncredited) * ''Strange Experiment'' (1937) - Leech * '' O.H.M.S.'' (1937) - Matthews (uncredited) * '' The Greed of William Hart'' (1948) - Dr. Cox * ''The Temptress'' (1949) - Dr. Leroy * ''No Place for Jennifer'' (1950) - Judge * ''Women of Twilight'' (1952) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''Appointment in London'' (1953) - Padre (uncredited) * ''Rough Shoot'' (1953) - Sgt. Baines * '' The Fake'' (1953) - Police Inspector * '' Murder at 3am'' (1953) - McMann * '' Star of India'' (1954) - Captain * ''Bang! You're Dead'' (1954) - The Warder * '' The Diamond'' (1954) - Police Chemist (uncredited) * '' The Master Plan'' (1954) - Gen. Harry Goulding * ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ferdy Mayne
Ferdy Mayne (or Ferdie Mayne) (born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel; 11 March 1916 – 30 January 1998) was a German-British stage and screen actor. Born in Mainz, he emigrated to the United Kingdom in the early 1930s to escape the Nazi regime. He resided in the UK for the majority of his professional career. Working almost continuously throughout a 60 year-long career, Mayne was known as a versatile character actor, often playing suave villains and aristocratic eccentrics in films like ''The Fearless Vampire Killers, Where Eagles Dare, Barry Lyndon'', and '' Benefit of the Doubt.'' Early life He was born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel in Mainz, Germany. His German father was the judge of Mainz, while his half-English mother was a singing instructor. Because his family was Jewish, a teenage Mayne was sent to Britain in 1932 to protect him from the Nazis. He stayed with his aunt, Li Osborne (1883-1968), nee Luisa Friedericka Wolf, a well-known German theatre and film portr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Lloyd-Pack
Charles Lloyd-Pack (10 October 1902 – 22 December 1983) was a British film, television and stage actor. Life and career Lloyd-Pack was born at Wapping, East London, to working-class parents. He was seen in several horror films produced by the Hammer Studios including '' Dracula'', ''The Man Who Could Cheat Death'', ''The Revenge of Frankenstein'', ''The Terror of the Tongs'' and ''Quatermass 2'', the film version of the 1955 BBC TV serial. In 1970 he appeared as Claud Nau at the Chichester Festival Theatre in Robert Bolt's play, '' Vivat! Vivat Regina!''. His best known role was Professor Marks in the British television series ''Strange Report'' but he is also known from other television appearances in '' The Avengers'', ''Man in a Suitcase'', '' Randall & Hopkirk'', ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'', ''The Prisoner'' and the mini-series ''Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill'' (1974). Personal life and death Lloyd-Pack married Viennese Jewish refugee Ulrike Elisabeth Pulay (25 A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian MacNaughton
Edward Ian MacNaughton (30 December 1925 – 10 December 2002) was a Scottish actor-turned-television producer and director, best known for his work with the ''Monty Python'' team. MacNaughton was director and producer for all but four of the forty five episodes of ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' from 1969 to 1974, director of the group's first feature film ''And Now for Something Completely Different'' in 1971 and director of their two German episodes, ''Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus'' in 1971 and 1972. In 1973, the production team shared the BAFTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Programme for ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''. Early life Ian MacNaughton was born in Glasgow and educated at Strathallan School in Perthshire. His elder brother was killed in World War II. MacNaughton spent a year in medical school before abandoning his plans to become a doctor and joining the Royal Marines for a year in 1945. While serving with the Royal Marines in an officers' training s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colin Tapley
Colin Edward Livingstone Tapley (7 May 1909 – 1 December 1995) was a New Zealand actor in both American and British films. Born in New Zealand, he served in the Royal Air Force and an expedition to Antarctica before winning a Paramount Pictures talent contest and moving to Hollywood. He acted in a number of films before moving to Britain during the Second World War as a flight controller with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He returned briefly to New Zealand before returning once again to Britain to renew his acting career. His most famous role is as William Glanville in '' The Dam Busters'' (1955), but he spent much of his later career typecast as a police inspector, a role he played in several films and TV series before retiring to Gloucestershire. Early life and family Tapley was born on 7 May 1909 at Dunedin, New Zealand, the son of Harold Livingstone Tapley, later mayor of Dunedin and MP for Dunedin North, and Jean Brodie Tapley (née Burt). He was educated at Chris ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
