David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966
mystery film
A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...
''
Blowup
''Blowup'' (sometimes styled as ''Blow-up'' or ''Blow Up'') is a 1966 mystery drama thriller film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and produced by Carlo Ponti. It was Antonioni's first entirely English-language film, and stars David Hemming ...
'', directed by
Michelangelo Antonioni. Early in his career, Hemmings was a
boy soprano
A boy soprano (British and especially North American English) or boy treble (only British English) is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America ...
appearing in operatic roles. In 1967, he co-founded the
Hemdale Film Corporation
Hemdale Film Corporation, known as Hemdale Communications after 1992, was an independent American-British film production company and distributor. The company was founded in London in 1967 as the Hemdale Company by actor David Hemmings and John D ...
.
Early life
David Hemmings was born in
Guildford
Guildford ()
is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, to a biscuit salesman father.
Benjamin Britten
His education at
Alleyn's School
Alleyn's School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation ...
,
Glyn Grammar School
Glyn School is a boys' comprehensive school, comprehensive secondary school – with a Mixed-sex education, co-educational sixth form – in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in the English county of Surrey.
History
The school was originally calle ...
in
Ewell
Ewell ( , ) is a suburban area with a village centre in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, approximately south of central London and northeast of Epsom.
In the 2011 Census, the settlement had a population of 34,872, a majority of wh ...
, and the
Arts Educational Schools led him to start his career performing as a
boy soprano
A boy soprano (British and especially North American English) or boy treble (only British English) is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America ...
in several works by the composer
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
, who formed a close friendship with him at this time. Most notably, Hemmings created the role of Miles in Britten's
chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...
''
Turn of the Screw
''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in ''Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...
'' (1954). His intimate, yet innocent, relationship with Britten is described in
John Bridcut
John Bridcut is an English documentary filmmaker, best known for his films about British composers. His most famous work, ''Britten's Children'' (2004), is a study of the influence that Benjamin Britten's close relationships with children had on t ...
's book ''
Britten's Children'' (2006).
Although many commentators identified Britten's relationship with Hemmings as based on an infatuation, throughout his life, Hemmings maintained categorically that Britten's conduct with him was beyond reproach at all times. Hemmings had earlier played the title role in Britten's ''
The Little Sweep
''The Little Sweep'', Op. 45, is an opera for children in three scenes by the English composer Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Eric Crozier.
''Let's Make an Opera!''
''The Little Sweep'' is the second part of a stage production entitled ' ...
'' (1952), which was part of Britten's ''
Let's Make an Opera
''The Little Sweep'', Op. 45, is an opera for children in three scenes by the English composer Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Eric Crozier.
''Let's Make an Opera!''
''The Little Sweep'' is the second part of a stage production entitled ...
!'' children's production.
Britten's interest in Hemmings ceased very abruptly, from the moment his voice broke, which occurred unexpectedly while singing the aria "Malo" during a performance of ''The Turn of the Screw'' in 1956 in Paris. Britten was furious, waved Hemmings away, and never had any further contact with him.
Acting
Child actor
Hemmings then moved on to acting in films. He made his first film appearance in the drama film ''
The Rainbow Jacket
''The Rainbow Jacket'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden, and featuring Robert Morley, Kay Walsh, Bill Owen, Honor Blackman and Sid James. It was made at Ealing Studios produced by Michael Balcon and Michael Relph and sho ...
'' (1954). He could also be seen in ''
Saint Joan'' (1957).
Hemmings had bigger roles in ''
Five Clues to Fortune
''Five Clues to Fortune'' is a 1957 British crime film directed by Joe Mendoza and starring David Hemmings, John Rogers (actor), John Rogers and Roberta Paterson. Its plot involves two children who try to prevent an aristocrat's secretary from sec ...
'' (1957), ''
The Heart Within
''The Heart Within'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by David Eady and starring James Hayter, Clifford Evans and David Hemmings. Its plot involves a Jamaican dockside worker who goes on the run in London suspected of the murder of anoth ...
'' (1957), and ''
No Trees in the Street
''No Trees in the Street'' is a 1959 British crime thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Ted Willis, from his 1948 stage play of the same name.
The film is set in the slums of London. It depicts the life of impoverished teenager T ...
'' (1959), directed by
J. Lee Thompson
John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was a British film director, active in London and Hollywood, best known for award-winning films such as ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'', ''Ice Cold in Alex'' and '' The Guns of Navarone'' along w ...
. He could also be seen in ''
Men of Tomorrow'' (1959), ''
In the Wake of a Stranger
''In the Wake of a Stranger'' is a 1959 British thriller film directed by David Eady and starring Tony Wright, Shirley Eaton and Danny Green. In the film, a group of murderers try to frame an innocent sailor, Tom Cassidy (Tony Wright), for thei ...
'' (1959), ''
Sink the Bismarck!
''Sink the Bismarck!'' is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the 1959 book ''The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck'' by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert.Weiler, A.H ...
'' (1960), and ''
The Wind of Change'' (1961).
Teen idol
Hemmings began to be known for playing young men, for example in ''
The Painted Smile'' (1962) and ''
Some People'' (1962). His first lead role was in the low budget teen musical ''
Live It Up!'' (1963), then he had support roles for
Michael Winner
Robert Michael Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous Action film, action, Thriller films, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and ...
's ''
The System'' (1964). After this, he starred in a sequel to ''Live It Up!'', ''
Be My Guest'' (1965) and in the same year in ''
Two Left Feet'' with
Michael Crawford
Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian.
Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' a ...
.
''Blowup'' and stardom
![Profondo Rosso David Hemmings](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Profondo_Rosso_David_Hemmings.png)
Hemmings luck changed when he was cast in the lead of ''
Blowup
''Blowup'' (sometimes styled as ''Blow-up'' or ''Blow Up'') is a 1966 mystery drama thriller film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and produced by Carlo Ponti. It was Antonioni's first entirely English-language film, and stars David Hemming ...
'' (1966). It was directed by
Michelangelo Antonioni, who detested the
"Method" way of acting. He sought to find a fresh young face for the lead in the film.
He found Hemmings, at the time acting in small stage theatre in London, although at their first meeting, Antonioni told Hemmings, "you look wrong. You're too young".
Hemmings was offered the part of the protagonist after actor
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
turned the role down because Antonioni would not show him the full script, but only a seven-page treatment stored in a cigarette packet.
The resulting film was a critical and commercial sensation for
MGM
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 through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
which financed it, helping turn Hemmings and co-star
Vanessa Redgrave
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...
into stars. "I've been discovered half a dozen times," said Hemmings. "This time I think I've made it."
He accepted an offer from
Warner Bros
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
to play
Mordred
Mordred or Modred (; Welsh: ''Medraut'' or ''Medrawt'') is a figure who is variously portrayed in the legend of King Arthur. The earliest known mention of a possibly historical Medraut is in the Welsh chronicle ''Annales Cambriae'', wherein he ...
in the expensive musical ''
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...
'' (1967). He also had another supporting part in the thriller ''
Eye of the Devil
''Eye of the Devil,'' also known as ''13,'' is a 1966 British mystery horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Donald Pleasence, Sharon Tate and David Hemmings. The film is set in rural France and was fil ...
'' (1966), playing the brother of
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...
.
Hemmings was then cast as
Louis Nolan
Louis Edward Nolan (4 January 1818 – 25 October 1854) was a British Army officer and cavalry tactician best known for his role and death in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. Born to a minor diplomatic official and ...
in the expensive epic ''
The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. Lord Raglan had intended to s ...
'' (1968), which, like ''Camelot'', was widely seen but failed to recoup its cost.
Around 1967, Hemmings was briefly considered for the role of Alex in a planned film version of
Anthony Burgess
John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer.
Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, d ...
's novel ''
A Clockwork Orange
''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to:
* ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess
** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel
*** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...
'' (1962), which was to be based on a screen treatment by satirist
Terry Southern
Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to ...
and British photographer
Michael Cooper
Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the boys varsity coach at Culver City High School. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning ...
. Cooper and
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
were reportedly upset by the move and it was decided to return to the original plan in which
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
, the lead vocalist of the Rolling Stones, would play Alex, with the rest of the Stones as his
droog gang; the production was shelved after Britain's chief censor, the
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...
, indicated that he would not permit it to be made.
Hemmings co-starred with
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisio ...
in a comedy, ''
Only When I Larf
Len Deighton's ''Only When I Larf'' is a 1968 British comic thriller describing the activities of a team of three confidence tricksters led by Silas Lowther (late 40s), his girlfriend Liz Mason (late 20s) and wannabe apprentice and Liz-worshipper ...
'' (1968), then was the sole star of an anti-war film, ''
The Long Day's Dying
''The Long Day's Dying'' is a 1968 British Techniscope war film directed by Peter Collinson, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Alan White and starring David Hemmings. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the ...
'' (1968). Both films flopped.
More financially successful was ''
Barbarella'' (1968) in which Hemmings had a key role. He played the lead in two period films for MGM: a comedy, ''
The Best House in London
''The Best House in London'' is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Philip Saville and starring David Hemmings, Joanna Pettet, George Sanders, Warren Mitchell, John Bird, Maurice Denham and Bill Fraser.Simon Sheridan, ''Keeping the British E ...
'' (1969), and the historical epic ''
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...
'' (1969), in which Hemmings had the title role. Neither film did well at the box office, with ''Alfred the Great'' being a notable flop.
Hemmings managed to be cast in some star roles: ''
The Walking Stick
''The Walking Stick'' is a 1970 British crime drama film directed by Eric Till and starring David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar. It was based on the 1967 novel of the same title by Winston Graham. " Cavatina" was used as the film's theme, ei ...
'' (1970) with
Samantha Eggar
Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar (born 5 March 1939) is a retired British-American actress. After beginning her career in Shakespearean theatre she rose to fame for her performance in William Wyler's thriller '' The Collec ...
, for MGM; ''
Fragment of Fear
''Fragment of Fear'' is a 1970 British thriller film directed by Richard C. Sarafian and starring David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Roland Culver, Flora Robson and Arthur Lowe. It was adapted from the 1965 novel '' A Fragme ...
'' (1970), a thriller; and ''
Unman, Wittering and Zigo'' (1971).
Hemmings went to Hollywood to play a supporting role in ''
The Love Machine'' (1971). Back in Britain he starred in a horror film, ''
Voices'' (1973).
He went to Spain to appear in ''
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
'' (1974), and in Britain supported
Richard Harris
Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...
in ''
Juggernaut
A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was adapted from the Sanskrit word Jagannath.
...
'' (1974).
Hemmings appeared in the Italian
giallo film
In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, l ...
''
Profondo Rosso
''Deep Red'' ( it, Profondo rosso), also known as ''The Hatchet Murders'', is a 1975 Italian Thriller film, thriller- giallo film directed by Dario Argento and co-written by Argento and Bernardino Zapponi. It stars David Hemmings as a musician wh ...
'' (also known as ''Deep Red'' or ''The Hatchet Murders'') (1975) directed by
Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...
. Back in England he supported
Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leading ...
in ''
Mister Quilp
''Mister Quilp'' is a 1975 British musical film directed by Michael Tuchner and starring Anthony Newley, David Hemmings and Jill Bennett. It is based on the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens, under which name it was als ...
'' (1975).
Director
Hemmings directed the drama film ''
The 14
''The 14'' is a 1973 British drama film directed by David Hemmings and starring Jack Wild and June Brown. It was also released as ''Existence'' and, in the United States, as ''The Wild Little Bunch''. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin Intern ...
'' (1973), which won the
Silver Bear
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
at the
23rd Berlin International Film Festival.
Character actor
From this point on, Hemmings was really a supporting actor. In 1977 he appeared as Eddy in the film ''
Islands in the Stream'', an adaptation of Hemingway's novel of the same name, starring
George C Scott
George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor, director, and producer who had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his port ...
.
He had support roles in ''
The Squeeze'' (1977), ''
The Prince and the Pauper
''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, ...
'' (1977), ''
The Heroin Busters
''The Heroin Busters'' ( it, La via della droga) is a 1977 Italian crime film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring Fabio Testi, David Hemmings and Sherry Buchanan.
Production
''The Heroin Busters'' was director Enzo G. Castellari's l ...
'' (1977), ''
The Disappearance
Disappearance may refer to:
* Forced disappearance, when an organization forces a person to vanish from public view
Books
* ''Disappearance'' (Trifonov novel), published posthumously 1987
*''Disappearance'', novel by Guyanese writer David Daby ...
'' (1977), ''
Squadra antitruffa
''Squadra antitruffa'' is a 1977 Italian crime film directed by Bruno Corbucci and starring David Hemmings, Tomas Milian and Anna Cardini. It is the third chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian.
Plot
A rude Roman po ...
'' (1977), ''
Blood Relatives
''Blood Relatives'' (original French title: ''Les Liens de sang'') is a 1978 Canadian-French mystery film directed by Claude Chabrol from a screenplay that he and Sydney Banks adapted from the 1975 novel of the same name by Ed McBain. Set in ...
'' (1978) and ''
Power Play
Power play or powerplay or their plurals may refer to:
Sports
* Power play (sporting term), a sporting term used in various games
* Powerplay (cricket), a rule concerning fielding restrictions in one-day international cricket
* Power play (cur ...
'' (1978).
Hemmings directed
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
in the drama film ''
Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo'' (also known as ''Just a Gigolo'') (1978). The film was poorly received, with Bowie describing it as "my 32
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
films rolled into one".
[MacKinnon, Angus (13 September 1980). "The Future Isn't What It Used to Be". '']NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''. pp. 32–37.
He had a support role in ''
Murder by Decree
''Murder by Decree'' is a 1979 mystery thriller film directed by Bob Clark. It features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who are embroiled in the investigation surrounding the real-life 1 ...
'' (1979).
Australia and New Zealand
Hemmings received an offer to play a supporting role in an Australian vampire film, ''
Thirst
Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...
''. He starred in a TV film, ''
Charlie Muffin
''Charlie Muffin'' is a 1979 made-for-TV film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Brian Freemantle. In the U.S., the picture was later re-released under the title ''A Deadly Game''.
A Euston Films production, the movie features Da ...
'' then returned to Australia to feature in ''
Harlequin
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...
''.
Hemmings then received an offer from Ginnane to direct the Australian horror film ''
The Survivor'', based on
James Herbert
James John Herbert, OBE (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013) was an English horror writer. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 l ...
's
1976 novel of the same name, starring
Robert Powell
Robert Powell (; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in ''Mahler'' (1974) and '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) and its ...
and
Jenny Agutter
Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in '' East of Sudan'', ''Star!'', and two adaptations of '' The Railway Children''—the BBC's 1968 television seria ...
. Hemmings directed ''
Race for the Yankee Zephyr
''Race for the Yankee Zephyr'' (also known as ''Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr'') is a 1981 action adventure film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence.
Plot
Gibbie Gibson (Donal ...
'' shot in New Zealand.
While in New Zealand Hemmings played roles in ''
Prisoners
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison.
...
'' and ''
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Beyond a reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the balance of probabilities standard commonly used in civil cases, bec ...
''.
Hollywood
Hemmings then relocated to Hollywood. He played supporting roles in ''
Man, Woman and Child
''Man, Woman and Child'' is a novel by Erich Segal. It details the lives of Robert and Sheila Beckwith and their daughters Jessica and Paula.
Synopsis
Robert is contacted one day by a friend in France, who tells him that Nicole, a woman with ...
'' (1983) and ''
Airwolf
''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...
'' (1984).
He also worked extensively as a director of television programmes including the action-adventure drama series ''
Quantum Leap
''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physi ...
'' (e.g., the series premiere); the crime series ''
Magnum, P.I.
''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...
'' (in which he also played characters in several episodes); and two action-adventure series ''
The A-Team
''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...
'' and ''
Airwolf
''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...
'' (in which he also played the role of Doctor Charles Henry Moffet, twisted creator of ''Airwolf'', in the pilot and the second-season episode "Moffett's Ghost"a typographical error by the studio's titles unit). He once joked, "People thought I was dead. But I wasn't. I was just directing ''The A-Team''."
Hemmings also directed the puzzle-contest video ''
Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link'' (1984). He directed (and acted in) the television film ''The Key to Rebecca'' (1985), an adaptation of
Ken Follett
Kenneth Martin Follett, (born 5 June 1949) is a British author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 160 million copies of his works.
Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. For example, in the ...
's
1980 novel of the same name. He also briefly served as a producer on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
crime-drama television series ''
Stingray
Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...
''.
He directed the drama film ''
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
'' (1992) and as an actor returned to the voyeuristic preoccupations of his ''Blowup'' character with a plum part as the
Big Brother-esque villain in the season-three opener for the television horror
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...
''
Tales From the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt may refer to:
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s
** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...
''.
Later years
In later years, he had roles including appearing as Cassius in the
historical
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
epic film ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
'' (2000), with
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...
, as well as appearing in the drama film ''
Last Orders
''Last Orders'' is a 1996 novel by British writer Graham Swift. The book won the 1996 Booker Prize. In 2001, it was adapted for the film ''Last Orders (film), Last Orders'' by Australian writer and director Fred Schepisi.
Plot
The story makes ...
'' (2001) and the
spy film
The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...
''
Spy Game
''Spy Game'' is a 2001 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62 million in the United States and $143 million worldwide on a $115 million budget, and received mostly ...
'' (2001). He appeared as Mr. Schermerhorn in the historical film ''
Gangs of New York
''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The film stars Le ...
'' (2002), directed by
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...
.
His final screen appearances included the science-fiction action film, ''
Equilibrium'' (2002), shortly before his death, as well the
superhero film
A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature Action film, ac ...
''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four volum ...
'' (2003), with
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
and as
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
's attorney in the 2003 Australian film ''
The Night We Called It a Day'', a comedy based on true events. He also appeared in the horror film ''
Blessed
Blessed may refer to:
* The state of having received a blessing
* Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified
Film and television
* ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
'' (2004) with
Heather Graham
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy '' License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaime ...
, which was dedicated to him in his memory after a fatal heart attack while on set.
Recording career
In 1967, Hemmings recorded a pop single, "Back Street Mirror" (written by
Gene Clark), and a studio album, ''
David Hemmings Happens
''David Hemmings Happens'' is the debut studio folk-pop album by former British boy soprano and actor David Hemmings released in September 1967 on MGM Records, and included 9 songs. Hemmings once sang in his early youth with the English Opera ...
'', in Los Angeles. The album featured instrumental backing by several members of
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
, and was produced by Byrds' mentor
Jim Dickson.
In the 1970s, he was jointly credited with former
Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian Rock music, rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with th ...
members
Harry Vanda
Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg (born 22 March 1946), better known as his stage name Harry Vanda, is a Dutch Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easy ...
and
George Young as a co-composer of the song "Pasadena". The original 1973 recording of this song – the first Australian hit for singer
John Paul Young
John Inglis Young, OAM (born 21 June 1950), known professionally as John Paul Young, is a Scottish-born Australian pop singer who had his 1978 worldwide hit with " Love Is in the Air". His career was boosted by regular appearances as a perform ...
– was produced by
Simon Napier-Bell
Simon Robert Napier-Bell (born 22 April 1939) is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Ultravox, Bon ...
, in whose SNB Records label Hemmings was a partner at the time.
Hemmings also later provided the narration for
Rick Wakeman's
progressive-rock album ''
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...
'' (1974) – an adaptation of
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's
science-fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
novel ''
A Journey to the Center of the Earth
''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...
'' (1864) – which was recorded live.
He starred as
Bertie Wooster
Bertram Wilberforce Wooster is a fictional character in the comedic Jeeves stories created by British author P. G. Wodehouse. An amiable English gentleman and one of the "idle rich", Bertie appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose intelligenc ...
in the short-lived
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...
musical, ''
Jeeves
Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie W ...
'' (1975).
Autobiography
After his death his autobiography, ''Blow Up... and Other ExaggerationsThe Autobiography of David Hemmings'', was published in 2004.
Personal life
He was married four times: to Genista Ouvry (1960–1967), actress
Gayle Hunnicutt
Gayle Jenkins, Lady Jenkins (''née'' Hunnicutt; born February 6, 1943) is an American retired film, television and stage actress. She has made more than 30 film appearances.
Early life and education
The daughter of Colonel Sam Lloyd Hunnicut ...
(1968–1975), Prudence de Casembroot (1976–1997), and Lucy Williams (2002 to his death).
Hemmings met Hunnicutt while he was in America promoting ''Blowup'', by which time his marriage to Ouvry was over. At their outdoor wedding,
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
conducted an orchestra and the
Mamas and the Papas performed next to a swimming pool filled with doves dyed
puce
Puce is a dark red or purple brown color, a brownish purple or a "dark reddish brown."
Etymology
The colour is said to be the color of bloodstains on linen or bedsheets, even after being laundered, from flea droppings, or after a flea has been ...
.
Of his relationship with Hunnicutt, Hemmings remarked, "We were the poor man's
Taylor
Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to:
People
* Taylor (surname)
** List of people with surname Taylor
* Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah
* Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron
* Justice Taylor (disambiguation)
Pl ...
and
Burton". Their marriage ended when Hunnicutt discovered Hemmings' affairs with actress
Samantha Eggar
Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar (born 5 March 1939) is a retired British-American actress. After beginning her career in Shakespearean theatre she rose to fame for her performance in William Wyler's thriller '' The Collec ...
, his co-star in ''The Walking Stick'' (1970), and his secretary Prudence de Casembroot.
During his subsequent marriage to Prudence de Casembroot, Hemmings continued his infidelities with, among others,
Tessa Dahl
Chantal Sophia "Tessa" Dahl (born 11 April 1957) is an English author and former actress. She is the daughter of British author Roald Dahl and American actress Patricia Neal.
Early life
Dahl was born in Oxford, the second daughter of British au ...
.
Hemmings had six children; he and Ouvry had daughter Deborah, he and Hunnicutt had actor son
Nolan, while he and de Casembroot had sons George, Edward and William and daughter Charlotte.
Hemmings was an active supporter of liberal causes, and spoke at a number of meetings on behalf of the UK's
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
.
Death
Hemmings died in 2003 at age 62 of a heart attack, in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, Romania, on the film set of ''Blessed'' (working title: ''Samantha's Child'') after he had performed his scenes for the day.
His funeral was held at St Peter's Church, in the hamlet of
Blackland near
Calne
Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs h ...
, Wiltshire, where he had resided in his final years. He was buried in the church's graveyard.
Filmography
* ''
The Rainbow Jacket
''The Rainbow Jacket'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden, and featuring Robert Morley, Kay Walsh, Bill Owen, Honor Blackman and Sid James. It was made at Ealing Studios produced by Michael Balcon and Michael Relph and sho ...
'' (1954)
* ''
Saint Joan'' (1957) as Minor Role
* ''
Five Clues to Fortune
''Five Clues to Fortune'' is a 1957 British crime film directed by Joe Mendoza and starring David Hemmings, John Rogers (actor), John Rogers and Roberta Paterson. Its plot involves two children who try to prevent an aristocrat's secretary from sec ...
'' (1957) as Ken
* ''
The Heart Within
''The Heart Within'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by David Eady and starring James Hayter, Clifford Evans and David Hemmings. Its plot involves a Jamaican dockside worker who goes on the run in London suspected of the murder of anoth ...
'' (1957) as Danny Willard
* ''
No Trees in the Street
''No Trees in the Street'' is a 1959 British crime thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Ted Willis, from his 1948 stage play of the same name.
The film is set in the slums of London. It depicts the life of impoverished teenager T ...
'' (1959) as Kenny
* ''
Men of Tomorrow'' (1959) as Ted
* ''
In the Wake of a Stranger
''In the Wake of a Stranger'' is a 1959 British thriller film directed by David Eady and starring Tony Wright, Shirley Eaton and Danny Green. In the film, a group of murderers try to frame an innocent sailor, Tom Cassidy (Tony Wright), for thei ...
'' (1959) as Schoolboy
* ''
Sink the Bismarck!
''Sink the Bismarck!'' is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the 1959 book ''The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck'' by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert.Weiler, A.H ...
'' (1960) as Seaman on Ark Royal
* ''
The Wind of Change'' (1961) as Ginger
* ''
Play It Cool'' (1962)
* ''
The Painted Smile'' (1962) as Roy
* ''
Some People'' (1962) as Bert
* ''
West 11
''West 11'' is a 1963 British crime film directed by Michael Winner and starring Alfred Lynch, Kathleen Breck, Eric Portman, Diana Dors, and Kathleen Harrison. It is based on ''The Furnished Room'' (1961), Laura Del-Rivo's debut novel, which ...
'' (1963) as Bit Role
* ''
Two Left Feet'' (1963) as Brian
* ''
Live It Up!'' (1963) as Dave Martin
* ''
The System'' (1964) as David
* ''
Be My Guest'' (1965) as Dave Martin
* ''
Out of the Unknown – The Counterfeit Man'' (1965) as Westcott
* ''
Blowup
''Blowup'' (sometimes styled as ''Blow-up'' or ''Blow Up'') is a 1966 mystery drama thriller film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and produced by Carlo Ponti. It was Antonioni's first entirely English-language film, and stars David Hemming ...
'' (1966) as Thomas
* ''
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...
'' (1967) as Mordred
* ''
Eye of the Devil
''Eye of the Devil,'' also known as ''13,'' is a 1966 British mystery horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Donald Pleasence, Sharon Tate and David Hemmings. The film is set in rural France and was fil ...
'' (1967) as Christian de Caray
* ''
The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. Lord Raglan had intended to s ...
'' (1968) as Captain Nolan
* ''
Only When I Larf
Len Deighton's ''Only When I Larf'' is a 1968 British comic thriller describing the activities of a team of three confidence tricksters led by Silas Lowther (late 40s), his girlfriend Liz Mason (late 20s) and wannabe apprentice and Liz-worshipper ...
'' (1968) as Bob
* ''
The Long Day's Dying
''The Long Day's Dying'' is a 1968 British Techniscope war film directed by Peter Collinson, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Alan White and starring David Hemmings. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the ...
'' (1968) as John
* ''
Barbarella'' (1968) as Dildano
* ''
The Best House in London
''The Best House in London'' is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Philip Saville and starring David Hemmings, Joanna Pettet, George Sanders, Warren Mitchell, John Bird, Maurice Denham and Bill Fraser.Simon Sheridan, ''Keeping the British E ...
'' (1969) as Benjamin Oakes / Walter Leybourne
* ''
Alfred The Great
Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...
'' (1969) as Alfred
* ''
The Walking Stick
''The Walking Stick'' is a 1970 British crime drama film directed by Eric Till and starring David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar. It was based on the 1967 novel of the same title by Winston Graham. " Cavatina" was used as the film's theme, ei ...
'' (1970) as Leigh Hartley
* ''
Fragment of Fear
''Fragment of Fear'' is a 1970 British thriller film directed by Richard C. Sarafian and starring David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Roland Culver, Flora Robson and Arthur Lowe. It was adapted from the 1965 novel '' A Fragme ...
'' (1970) as Tim Brett
* ''
Simon, Simon
''Simon, Simon'' is a 1970 Sound effect comedy short film directed by Graham Stark and starring Graham Stark, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, and Julia Foster.
Synopsis
Two handymen (Graham Stark and John Junkin) cause chaos on a new crane w ...
'' (1970) as Man in car with posters
* ''
Unman, Wittering and Zigo'' (1971) as John Ebony
* ''
The Love Machine'' (1971) as Jerry Nelson
* ''
Voices'' (1973) as Robert
* ''
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
'' (1974) as Juan
* ''
Juggernaut
A juggernaut (), in current English usage, is a literal or metaphorical force regarded as merciless, destructive, and unstoppable. This English usage originated in the mid-nineteenth century and was adapted from the Sanskrit word Jagannath.
...
'' (1974) as Charlie Braddock
* ''
Deep Red
''Deep Red'' ( it, Profondo rosso), also known as ''The Hatchet Murders'', is a 1975 Italian Thriller film, thriller- giallo film directed by Dario Argento and co-written by Argento and Bernardino Zapponi. It stars David Hemmings as a musician wh ...
'' (1975) as Marcus Daly
* ''
Mister Quilp
''Mister Quilp'' is a 1975 British musical film directed by Michael Tuchner and starring Anthony Newley, David Hemmings and Jill Bennett. It is based on the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens, under which name it was als ...
'' (aka ''
The Old Curiosity Shop
''The Old Curiosity Shop'' is one of two novels (the other being ''Barnaby Rudge'') which Charles Dickens published along with short stories in his weekly serial ''Master Humphrey's Clock'', from 1840 to 1841. It was so popular that New York r ...
''; 1975) as Richard Swiveller
* ''
Islands in the Stream'' (1977) as Eddy
* ''
The Squeeze'' (1977) as Keith
* ''
The Prince and the Pauper
''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, ...
'' (US title ''Crossed Swords'') (1977) as Hugh Hendon
* ''
The Heroin Busters
''The Heroin Busters'' ( it, La via della droga) is a 1977 Italian crime film directed by Enzo G. Castellari and starring Fabio Testi, David Hemmings and Sherry Buchanan.
Production
''The Heroin Busters'' was director Enzo G. Castellari's l ...
'' (1977) as Hamilton
* ''
The Disappearance
Disappearance may refer to:
* Forced disappearance, when an organization forces a person to vanish from public view
Books
* ''Disappearance'' (Trifonov novel), published posthumously 1987
*''Disappearance'', novel by Guyanese writer David Daby ...
'' (1977) as Edward
* ''
Squadra antitruffa
''Squadra antitruffa'' is a 1977 Italian crime film directed by Bruno Corbucci and starring David Hemmings, Tomas Milian and Anna Cardini. It is the third chapter in the Nico Giraldi film series starred by Tomas Milian.
Plot
A rude Roman po ...
'' (1977) as Robert Clayton
* ''
Blood Relatives
''Blood Relatives'' (original French title: ''Les Liens de sang'') is a 1978 Canadian-French mystery film directed by Claude Chabrol from a screenplay that he and Sydney Banks adapted from the 1975 novel of the same name by Ed McBain. Set in ...
'' (1978) as Armstrong
* ''
Power Play
Power play or powerplay or their plurals may refer to:
Sports
* Power play (sporting term), a sporting term used in various games
* Powerplay (cricket), a rule concerning fielding restrictions in one-day international cricket
* Power play (cur ...
'' (1978) as Colonel Narriman
* ''
Just a Gigolo'' (1978) as Captain Hermann Kraft
* ''
Murder by Decree
''Murder by Decree'' is a 1979 mystery thriller film directed by Bob Clark. It features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who are embroiled in the investigation surrounding the real-life 1 ...
'' (1979) as Inspector Foxborough
* ''
Thirst
Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites, suc ...
'' (1979) as Dr. Fraser
* ''
Charlie Muffin
''Charlie Muffin'' is a 1979 made-for-TV film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Brian Freemantle. In the U.S., the picture was later re-released under the title ''A Deadly Game''.
A Euston Films production, the movie features Da ...
'' (US title: ''A Deadly Game'') (1979) as Charlie Muffin
* ''
Harlequin
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque dialect, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian language, Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city o ...
'' (1980) as Nick Rast
* ''
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde'' (1980) as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde
* ''
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
'' (1981) as Rothbart (voice)
* ''
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Beyond a reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the balance of probabilities standard commonly used in civil cases, bec ...
'' (1981) as Insp. Bruce Hutton
* ''
Prisoners
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison.
...
'' (1981) as Wilkens
* ''
Man, Woman and Child
''Man, Woman and Child'' is a novel by Erich Segal. It details the lives of Robert and Sheila Beckwith and their daughters Jessica and Paula.
Synopsis
Robert is contacted one day by a friend in France, who tells him that Nicole, a woman with ...
'' (1983) as Gavin Wilson
* ''
Airwolf
''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...
'' (1984) (television film and two subsequent episodes) as Dr. Charles Henry Moffett
* ''
Magnum, P.I.
''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...
'' (1985/87) (two episodes) as Lord Smythe-White / Danny
* ''
The A-Team
''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...
'' (1983/1987) (one episode) as captain of the boat (episode 2 season 4)
* ''
The Rainbow
''The Rainbow'' is a novel by British author D. H. Lawrence, first published by Methuen & Co. in 1915. It follows three generations of the Brangwen family living in Nottinghamshire, focusing particularly on the individual's struggle to growth ...
'' (1989) as Uncle Henry
* ''
Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt may refer to:
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s
** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...
'', "Loved to Death" (1991) as Mr. Stronham
* ''
Northern Exposure
''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...
'' (1992) as Viktor Bobrov
* ''
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' (1995) as Durham
* ''
Gladiator
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
'' (2000) as Cassius
* ''
Last Orders
''Last Orders'' is a 1996 novel by British writer Graham Swift. The book won the 1996 Booker Prize. In 2001, it was adapted for the film ''Last Orders (film), Last Orders'' by Australian writer and director Fred Schepisi.
Plot
The story makes ...
'' (2001) as Lenny
* ''
Spy Game
''Spy Game'' is a 2001 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62 million in the United States and $143 million worldwide on a $115 million budget, and received mostly ...
'' (2001) as CIA Agent Harry Duncan
* ''
Mean Machine'' (2001) as Governor
* ''
Waking the Dead'': "Deathwatch" (2002) (television episode in 2 parts) as Ex-DCI Malcolm Finlay
* ''
Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice'' (2002) as Martin Fox
* ''
Equilibrium'' (2002) as Proctor
* ''
Gangs of New York
''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The film stars Le ...
'' (2002) as Mr. Schermerhorn
* ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four volum ...
'' (2003) as Nigel
* ''
The Night We Called It a Day'' (2003) (a.k.a. ''All the Way'') as Mickey Rudin
* ''
Blessed
Blessed may refer to:
* The state of having received a blessing
* Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified
Film and television
* ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
'' (2004) as Earl Sydney
* ''Romantik'' (2007) as Dr. Sadun
Director
* ''
Running Scared'' (1972)
* ''
The 14
''The 14'' is a 1973 British drama film directed by David Hemmings and starring Jack Wild and June Brown. It was also released as ''Existence'' and, in the United States, as ''The Wild Little Bunch''. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin Intern ...
'' (1973)
* ''
Just a Gigolo'' (1978)
* ''
Race for the Yankee Zephyr
''Race for the Yankee Zephyr'' (also known as ''Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr'') is a 1981 action adventure film directed by David Hemmings and starring Ken Wahl, Lesley Ann Warren, George Peppard and Donald Pleasence.
Plot
Gibbie Gibson (Donal ...
'' (1981)
* ''
The Survivor'' (1981)
* ''
A-Team'' (9 episodes) (1983/1987)
* ''
The Key to Rebecca
''The Key to Rebecca'' is a novel by the British author Ken Follett. Published in 1980 by Pan Books (), it was a best-seller that achieved popularity in the United Kingdom and worldwide. The code mentioned in the title is an intended throwback f ...
'' (1985)
* ''Down Delaware Road'' (1988)
* ''
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
'' (1992)
* ''Passport to Murder'' (1993)
* ''Christmas Reunion'' (1994)
* ''Lone Justice: Showdown at Plum Creek'' (1996)
Bibliography
* Hemmings, David (2004). ''Blow Up... and Other ExaggerationsThe Autobiography of David Hemmings''.
Robson Books
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Corp ...
(London). .
See also
*
List of British actors
This list of notable actors from the United Kingdom includes performers in film, radio, stage and television.
Born in 18th century
* Maria Foote (1797?–1867)
* Henry Gattie (1774–1844)
* Elizabeth Hartley (1750?–1824)
* John Phili ...
*
List of British film directors
*
List of film producers
Following is a list of notable film producers, some of whom have also worked in other media.
''(list is sorted alphabetically by surname)''
A–M
* J. J. Abrams''Lost'', '' Cloverfield'', ''Alias'', '' Mission: Impossible III'', ''Star Tr ...
*
List of singer-songwriters
This is a list of singer-songwriters who write, compose, and perform their own musical material. The list is divided into two sections to differentiate between artists categorized as singer-songwriters and others who do not fall under the definiti ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Pulleine, Tim (5 December 2005)
"David Hemmings – Gifted Actor, Director and Producer Who Successfully Outgrew His Iconic '60s Image in Antonioni's ''Blow Up''" ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemmings, David
1941 births
2003 deaths
20th-century English male actors
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