William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...

and special forces units.

Early life

Travers was born in the suburb of

Jesmond Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city. H ...

in the city of

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England, the son of Florence (née Wheatley) and William Halton Lindon Travers, a theatre manager. His sister Linden (1913–2001) and her daughter Susan became actresses.

Military service

Travers enlisted as a private in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

at the age of 18, a few months after the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and was sent to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

then under

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

rule. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

on 9 July 1942. He served in the Long Range Penetration Brigade 4th Battalion

9th Gorkha Rifles The 9th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha infantry regiment of the Indian Army and, previously, the British Army. The regiment was initially formed by the British in 1817, and was one of the Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independe ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, attached to

Orde Wingate Major General Orde Charles Wingate, (26 February 1903 – 24 March 1944) was a senior British Army officer known for his creation of the Chindit deep-penetration missions in Japanese-held territory during the Burma Campaign of the Second World ...

's staff, during which he came to know

John Masters Lieutenant Colonel John Masters, DSO, OBE (26 October 1914 – 7 May 1983) was a British novelist and regular officer of the Indian Army. In World War II, he served with the Chindits behind enemy lines in Burma, and became the GSO1 (chief st ...

, his brigade major. (Travers later acted in the film ''

Bhowani Junction ''Bhowani Junction'' is a 1954 novel by John Masters, which was the basis of a 1956 film starring Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger. It is set amidst the turbulence of the British withdrawal from India. It is notable for its portrayal of the Eu ...

'', written by Masters.) While deep behind enemy lines, he contracted

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and volunteered to be left behind in a native Burmese village. To avoid capture, he disguised himself as a Chinese national and walked hundreds of miles through jungle territory until he reached an Allied position. In 1945, Travers was promoted to the rank of major, and he joined

Force 136 Force 136 was a far eastern branch of the British World War II intelligence organisation, the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Originally set up in 1941 as the India Mission with the cover name of GSI(k), it absorbed what was left of SOE's Or ...

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

and was parachuted into Malaya. He was responsible for training and tactical decisions with the main resistance movement, the communist-led

Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army The Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) was a communist guerrilla army that resisted the Japanese occupation of Malaya from 1941 to 1945. Composed mainly of ethnic Chinese guerrilla fighters, the MPAJA was the largest anti-Japanese re ...

(MPAJA). Travers was one of the first allied operatives to enter the Japanese city of Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bomb. He wrote about his experience in his diary, registering profound horror at the destruction and loss of life. He left the armed forces in 1947. On 7 November 1946 Travers was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

"in recognition of gallant and distinguished service whilst engaged in Special Operations in South East Asia".

Acting career

Early work

After leaving the army, Travers decided to become an actor. He began working on stage in 1949 appearing in

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observation ...

's ''

The Damask Cheek ''The Damask Cheek'' is a 1942 comedy play by the British writer John Van Druten in collaboration with Lloyd Morris. It was first performed in Plymouth Theatre in Boston before a 93 performance Broadway run at the Playhouse Theatre. The cast featu ...

'', and a year later made his film debut in '' Conspirator'' (1949). He had unbilled parts in '' Trio'' (1950) and ''

The Wooden Horse ''The Wooden Horse'' is a 1950 British Second World War war film directed by Jack Lee and starring Leo Genn, David Tomlinson and Anthony Steel. It is based on the book of the same name by Eric Williams, who also wrote the screenplay. The f ...

'' (1950). He had a slightly bigger part in '' The Browning Version'' (1951) and a good role on TV in "Albert" (later filmed as '' Albert R.N.'') for ''

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, p ...

'' (1951).

Supporting player

Travers appeared in '' Hindle Wakes'' (1952), '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952), ''

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men ''The Story of Robin Hood'' is a 1952 action-adventure film produced by RKO- Walt Disney British Productions, based on the Robin Hood legend, made in Technicolor and filmed in Buckinghamshire, England. It was written by Lawrence Edward Watkin and ...

'' (1952), ''

It Started in Paradise ''It Started in Paradise'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Jane Hylton, Martita Hunt and Muriel Pavlow. Set in the world of haute couture, the film was squarely aimed at female audiences. Its storyline ...

'' (1952), '' Mantrap'' (1953), '' Street of Shadows'' (1953), and ''

The Square Ring ''The Square Ring'' is a 1953 British tragi-comic drama, directed by Basil Dearden and made at Ealing Studios. It stars Jack Warner, Robert Beatty and Bill Owen. The film, based on a stage play by Ralph Peterson, centres on one night at a f ...

'' (1953). He was in "The Heel" for ''

Douglas Fairbanks Presents ''Douglas Fairbanks Presents'' is a 1953-1956 syndicated half-hour dramatic anthology series. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was the host, and he sometimes starred in episodes. It was also known as ''Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents''. A total of 117 episo ...

''. He was a supporting player in '' Counterspy'' (1953), and appeared in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' (1954) as Benvolio, and in ''

Footsteps in the Fog ''Footsteps in the Fog'' is a 1955 British Technicolor film noir crime film starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons, with a screenplay co-written by Lenore Coffee and Dorothy Davenport, and released by Columbia Pictures. The film is bas ...

'' (1955) starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons.

''Geordie'' and MGM

Travers breakthrough came when he was cast in the title role of ''

Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitut ...

'' (1955), directed by

Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, ...

. This was popular in Britain and the US and saw him contracted by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

, which thought he was going to be a big star and brought him to Hollywood. MGM cast him in the expensive epic ''

'' (1956), with Granger and

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

. He followed this as the romantic lead in a remake of ''

The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Ka ...

'' (1957), opposite

Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned over five decades, she was nominated ...

Powell and Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. ...

wanted him to star in the lead of ''

Ill Met by Moonlight (film) ''Ill Met by Moonlight'' (1957), released in the USA as ''Night Ambush'' (which is eleven minutes shorter than the British release), is a film by the British writer-director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and the last ...

'' but the role went to

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Organ ...

. Travers briefly returned to Britain to make a comedy, ''

The Smallest Show on Earth ''The Smallest Show on Earth'' (US: ''Big Time Operators'') is a 1957 British comedy film, directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Peter Sellers and Margaret Rutherford. The supporting cast includes Bernard M ...

'' (1957), with his second wife

Virginia McKenna Dame Virginia Anne McKenna, (born 7 June 1931) is a British stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner. She is best known for the films ''A Town Like Alice'' (1956), '' Carve Her Name with Pride'' (1958), ''Born Free'' (1966), and ...

, whom he had married in 1957. Back in Hollywood, he was

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story'' (1951), and ''Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the first ...

's character's love interest in ''

The Seventh Sin ''The Seventh Sin'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Eleanor Parker, Bill Travers and George Sanders. It is based on the 1925 novel '' The Painted Veil'' by W. Somerset Maugham. Plot In post-World War II Hong ...

'' (1957), a remake of a

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragedy, ...

film. MGM tested him for the lead in '' Ben-Hur'' (1959) and he wrote a swashbuckler to star himself, ''The Falcon''. However his MGM films all performed disappointingly at the box office – ''Barretts'' and ''Seventh Sign'' were notable flops – and enthusiasm for Travers in Hollywood cooled. Travers did "A Cook for Mr. General" for ''

Kraft Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

'' (1958) on TV. Then he returned to Britain.

Return to Britain

Travers and McKenna starred in a melodrama for the Rank Organisation, ''

Passionate Summer ''Passionate Summer'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Rudolph Cartier and starring Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers and Yvonne Mitchell. It is also known by the alternative title ''Storm Over Jamaica''. It was based on a best-selling 19 ...

'' (1958). He tried to get up a war film set in Greenland, ''The Sledge Patrol'', but it does not appear to have been made. He and Launder tried to repeat the success of ''Geordie'' with '' The Bridal Path'' (1960), but the film was not a success. Travers did "Born a Giant" for ''

Our American Heritage ''Our American Heritage'' is a series of TV specials broadcast on NBC from 1959 to 1961. Mildred Freed Alberg produced the program with the cooperation of ''American Heritage'' magazine. Lowell Thomas was the narrator. Directors included James L ...

'' (1960) on TV, then returned to Britain where he made a British monster film, '' Gorgo'' (1961). Travers and McKenna reteamed on a thriller, ''

Two Living, One Dead ''Two Living, One Dead'' is a 1961 British-Swedish existentialist thriller film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Patrick McGoohan, Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers. The film is a remake of the 1937 Norwegian film '' To levende og en ...

'' (1961). He then starred in a race car drama for MGM, ''

The Green Helmet ''The Green Helmet'' is a 1961 British drama film directed by Michael Forlong starring Bill Travers, Ed Begley and Sid James. The film is centred on a British motor racing team. It is based on a 1957 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary. Plot o ...

'' (1961), and a comedy with

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...

, ''

Invasion Quartet ''Invasion Quartet'' is a 1961 British World War II comedy-drama film that was publicised as a parody of '' The Guns of Navarone''.Weiler, A. H. ''New York Times'' film review 11 December 1961 It was directed by Jay Lewis and starred Bill Traver ...

'' (1961). He was in a Broadway production of ''A Cook for Mr General'' (1961). Travers starred in a TV adaptation of ''

Lorna Doone ''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...

'' (1963). He returned to Hollywood to do some episodes of ''

The Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimm ...

'', '' Rawhide'' ("Incident at Two Graves") and ''Espionage'' ("A Camel to Ride"). Back on Broadway he played the title role in ''Abraham Cochrane'' which had a short run.

''Born Free''

Travers' most famous film role came when he played game warden

George Adamson George Alexander Graham Adamson MBE (3 February 1906 – 20 August 1989), also known as the ''Baba ya Simba'' ("Father of Lions" in Swahili), was a Kenyan wildlife conservationist and author. He and his wife, Joy, were depicted in the film '' ...

in the highly successful 1966 film ''

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her in ...

'', about which experience the two co-wrote the book ''On Playing with Lions''. He co-starred with McKenna and the experience made him and his wife conscious of the many abuses of wild animals in captivity that had been taken from Africa and other natural environments around the world. Travers received an offer to play a support role in ''

Duel at Diablo ''Duel at Diablo'' is a 1966 American Western film starring James Garner in his first Western after leaving the long-running tv series ''Maverick'', as well as Sidney Poitier in his first ever Western. Based on Marvin H. Albert's 1957 novel ' ...

'' (1967); during filming he broke a leg and dislocated a shoulder. He played the title role in a British TV version of ''

The Admirable Crichton ''The Admirable Crichton'' is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. Origins Barrie took the title from the sobriquet of a fellow Scot, the polymath James Crichton, a 16th-century genius and athlete. The epigram-loving Ernest is p ...

'' (1968), alongside his wife, and had a small part in Peter Hall's adaptation of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' (1968).

Documentaries

Travers teamed up with James Hill, the director of ''Born Free'', to make the documentary, ''The Lions Are Free'' (1969), which both men directed. Travers and McKenna made another "animal movie", ''

Ring of Bright Water ''Ring of Bright Water'' is a book by Gavin Maxwell about his life in a remote house in coastal Scotland where he kept several wild otters as pets. First published in 1960, it became a best seller and is considered a literary masterpiece, event ...

'' (1969) for which he also wrote the script. They followed this with ''An Elephant Called Slowly'' (1970), which Travers helped write and produce with James Hill, who directed. In 1969, he played

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate capta ...

on a stage production of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

''. Travers worked as an actor only on ''

Rum Runners Rum-running or bootlegging is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. Smuggling usually takes place to circumvent taxation or prohibition laws within a particular jurisdiction. The ter ...

'' (1971) with

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...

and Lino Ventura. He directed and appeared in a documentary, ''The Lion at World's End'' (1971), about

Christian the lion Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χ� ...

, an animal bought in ''

Harrods Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...

'' and then returned to Africa. He was reunited with James Hill on '' The Belstone Fox'' (1973) and co-wrote a documentary, "The Wild Dogs of Africa", for ''

The World About Us ''The World About Us'' was a BBC Two television documentary series on natural history which ran from 3 December 1967 to 20 July 1986.''Encyclopedia of Television'' (2d ed.), ed. Horace Newcomb, p. 324, 620, 1363. The show was created by David At ...

'' (1973). He later produced "The Baboons of Gombe" (1975) for the same show. He and Hill wrote and produced ''The Queen's Garden'' (1977) together, and Travers helped produce ''Bloody Ivory'' (1980).

Later years

Travers appeared in "Tramps and Poachers", an episode of ''

To the Manor Born ''To the Manor Born'' is a BBC television sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special one-off episode was produced in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written by ...

'' (1980). In '' The First Olympics: Athens 1896'' (1984) he and McKenna played the parents of

Edwin Flack Edwin Harold Flack (5 November 1873 – 10 January 1935) was an Australian athlete and tennis player. Also known as "Teddy", he was Australia's first Olympian, being its only representative in 1896, and the first Olympic champion in the ...

. One of his last credits was "Highland Fling" on ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'' (1992).

Animal rights campaigner

The importance of animal rights led to Travers and his wife becoming involved in the "Zoo Check Campaign" in 1984 that evolved to their establishing the

Born Free Foundation The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity that campaigns to "Keep Wildlife in the Wild". It protects wild animals in their natural habitat, campaigns against the keeping of wild animals in captivity and rescues wild animals in ...

in 1991. Travers spent his last three years travelling around Europe's slum zoos and a TV documentary that he made exposed the appalling suffering of thousands of animals.

Death

Travers died from a

coronary thrombosis Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart at ...

in his sleep at his home in the village of South Holmwood, near

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

, Surrey, aged 72. He was survived by his wife and children. His widow, Virginia McKenna, carries on his work to help suffering animals, as does their son, Will Travers, who is president of the

Credits

Filmography

* '' Conspirator'' (1949) - Mnor Role (undetermined, uncredited role) * '' Trio'' (1950) - Fellowes (segment "Mr. Know-All") * ''

'' (1950) - Prisoner (uncredited) * '' The Browning Version'' (1951) - Fletcher * ''

'' (1952) - Posse Man * '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952) - Planter (uncredited) * ''

'' (1952) - 2nd Photographer (uncredited) * '' Hindle Wakes'' (1952) - Bob * '' Mantrap'' (1953) - Victor Tasman * '' Street of Shadows'' (1953) - Nigel Langley * ''The Genie'' (1953) - Morgan (segment "The Heel") * ''

'' (1953) - Rowdie Rawlings * '' Counterspy'' (1953) - Rex * ''

'' (1954) - Benvolio * ''

'' (1955) - David Macdonald * ''

'' (1955) - Geordie MacTaggart * ''

'' (1956) - Patrick Taylor * ''

'' (1957) -

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

* ''

'' (1957) - Matt Spenser * ''

'' (1957) - Walter Carwin * ''

'', aka ''Storm Over Jamaica'' (1958) - Douglas Lockwood * '' The Bridal Path'' (1959) - Ewan McEwan * '' Gorgo'' (1961) - Joe * ''

'' (1961) - Andersson * ''

'' (1961) - Greg Rafferty * '' The Invasion Quartet'' (1961) - Freddie Oppenheimer * ''

'' (1966, as wildlife expert

) - George Adamson * ''

'' (1966) - Lt. Scotty McAllister * ''The Admirable Crichton'' (1967, TV Movie) - Crichton * ''

'' (1968) - Snout * ''The Lions are Free'' (1969, Documentary) - Himself in the real-life sequel to ''Born Free''. * ''

'' (1969) - Graham Merrill * ''An Elephant Called Slowly'' (1970) - Bill * '' The Lion at World's End'' (1971, Documentary) - Himself * ''Rum Runners'' (1971) - Sanderson * '' The Belstone Fox'' (1973) - Tod * ''How to Handle a Wine'' (1984, Documentary) - Himself / Dinner Guest

Television

* ''

'' as Rand in "The Hostage", syndicated US television series (1962) * ''

'', as John Ridd, 11 episodes (1963 TV series) * '' Rawhide'' as Jeremiah O'Neal in "Incident at Two Graves" (1963) * ''

'', as Arthur Smith (Tramp) in Tramps and Poachers, 1980, series 2 number 4 * ''

'', BBC, two episodes 1992 (final appearance)

References

External links

*
Photos of Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna and George Adamson and Lions.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Travers, Bill 1922 births 1994 deaths British Indian Army officers English activists English male film actors English male stage actors Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne Military personnel from Newcastle upon Tyne Male actors from Northumberland Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English male actors Special Operations Executive personnel British Army soldiers British Army personnel of World War II Indian Army personnel of World War II