Donald Daniel Houston (6 November 1923 – 13 October 1991) was a Welsh actor whose first two films—'' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) with

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and aft ...

, and '' A Run for Your Money'' (1949) with

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...

—were highly successful. Later in his career he was cast in military roles and in comedies such as the ''

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ...

'' and '' Carry On'' series.

Early life

Houston was born in 10 Thomas Street, Tonypandy, on Tuesday 6 November 1923 in the village of

Clydach Vale Clydach Vale ( cy, Cwmclydach and adjoining ''Blaenclydach'') is a village in the community of Cwm Clydach, northwest of Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the Rhondda Valley, Wales. It is named for its situation on the ...

, near

Tonypandy Tonypandy is a town, community and electoral ward located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, the town was ...

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

and was the elder brother of actor

Glyn Houston Glyn Houston (23 October 1925 – 30 June 2019) was a Welsh actor best known for his television work. He was the younger brother of film actor Donald Houston. Early life Glyndwr Desmond Houston was born at 10 Thomas Street, Tonypandy, Glamorg ...

and a sister, Jean. His father Alexander Houston, was a professional football player from Scotland, and his mother Elsie M Jones, ran a milk round. Following the death of their mother at age 29, Donald and brother

were raised by their grandmother while their father had to leave Wales in order to find work. After leaving school he worked at a local

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fr ...

before deciding to start an acting career. In 1940 he performed on stage with the Pilgrim Players. He served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) a ...

during 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 opposi ...

as a rear gunner and radio officer.

Acting career

Houston had a successful career as a character actor in British film and television, with prominent parts in several well-known films, including '' Yangtse Incident'' (1957), '' The Longest Day'' (1962, in which he appeared alongside

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable ...

), '' 633 Squadron'' (1964), ''

Where Eagles Dare ''Where Eagles Dare'' is a 1968 war film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It follows a joint British-American Special Operations Executive team of paratroopers raiding a castle (shot on lo ...

'' (1968, again with Burton) and '' The Sea Wolves'' (1981). He would sometimes indulge his Welsh accent, and at other times conceal it behind an English public school voice. His forte tended to be authority figures, often military, such as the brilliant but tough David Caulder, the head of ''

Moonbase 3 ''Moonbase 3'' is a British science fiction television programme that ran for six episodes in 1973. It was a co-production between the BBC, 20th Century Fox and the American ABC network. Created by ''Doctor Who'' producer Barry Letts and sc ...

'', or Dr Francis in "Thirteen to Centaurus" (from the anthology series ''

Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science fi ...

''). He could also handle comedy, as he proved with ''

Doctor in the House ''Doctor in the House'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel by Gordon, and follows a group of st ...

'' (1954) and the later '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963), both significant successes in Europe, and ''

Carry On Jack ''Carry On Jack'' is a 1964 British comedy film, the eighth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Most of the usual ''Carry On'' team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey appear throughout, wi ...

'' (1963). Though preferring quality parts, he was not above journeyman work in films such as '' Maniac'' (1963) and '' Tales That Witness Madness'' (1973).

Death

He died on 13 October 1991, of a stroke. The house in which he was born in Tonypandy, Rhondda is marked with a

Blue Plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

historical marker. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Donald's daughter Sian, his granddaughter Michela, his sister Jean Rees and other family members and friends. Historian Peter Stead spoke about Donald Houston's British film career at the plaque unveiling ceremony.

Selected filmography

* '' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) as Michael Reynolds * '' A Run for Your Money'' (1949) as Dai * ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...

'' (1950) as Phil * '' Crow Hollow'' (1952) as Dr. Robert Amour * '' My Death Is a Mockery'' (1952) * ''

The Red Beret ''The Red Beret'' (aka ''The Red Devils'', ''The Big Jump'' and retitled ''Paratrooper'' for the US release) is a 1953 British-American war film directed by Terence Young and starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen. ''The Red Beret'' i ...

'' (1953) as Taffy * '' The Large Rope'' (1953) as Tom Penney * '' Small Town Story'' (1953) as Tony Warren * ''

'' (1954) as Taffy Evans * '' The Happiness of Three Women'' (1954) as John * '' Devil's Point'' (1954) as Michael Mallard * '' The Flaw'' (1955) as John Millway * '' Doublecross'' (1956) as Albert Pascoe * '' Find the Lady'' (1956) as Bill * '' The Girl in the Picture'' (1957) as Jon Deering * '' Yangtse Incident'' (1957) as Lt Weston RN * '' The Surgeon's Knife'' (1957) as Dr. Alex Waring * ''

A Question of Adultery ''A Question of Adultery'' (U.S. title: ''The Case of Mrs. Loring'') is a 1958 British drama film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Julie London and Anthony Steel. The film was reportedly based on the 1948 play ''A Breach of Marriage'' by D ...

'' (1958) as Mr. Jacobus * '' The Man Upstairs'' (1958) as Dr. Sanderson * '' Room at the Top'' (1959) as Charles Soames * '' Danger Within'' (1959) as Capt. Roger Byfold * '' The Mark'' (1961) as Austin * '' Twice Round the Daffodils'' (1962) as John Rhodes * ''

The 300 Spartans ''The 300 Spartans'' is a 1962 CinemaScope epic film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. Made with the cooperation of the Greek government, it was shot in the village of Perachora in the Peloponnese. The working title was ''Lion of Sparta''. I ...

'' (1962) as Hydarnes * '' The Longest Day'' (1962) as RAF Pilot * '' Maniac'' (1963) as Henri * '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) as Maj. Tommy Ffrench * ''

'' (1963) as First Officer Jonathan Howett * '' 633 Squadron'' (1964) as Group Capt. Don Barrett * ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'' Episode: 'The Mirror's New' (TV series 1965) - Edward Bierce * '' A Study in Terror'' (1965) as Doctor Watson * ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with ...

'' Episode: 'Fall High, Fall Hard' (TV series 1965) - Tony Erickson (his actor brother Glyn Houston also appeared in the episode) * ''

'' Episode: 'Thirteen to Centaurus' (TV series 1965) - Dr. Francis * '' The Viking Queen'' (1967) as Maelgan * ''

'' (1968) as Capt. Olaf Christiansen * '' The Bushbaby'' (1969) as John Leeds * '' My Lover My Son'' (1970) as Robert * '' Now Take My Wife'' (1971) as Harry Love * '' Tales That Witness Madness'' (1973) as Sam Patterson (segment 1 "Mr. Tiger") * ''

Voyage of the Damned ''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, and Malcolm McDowell. The story was inspired by actual events concer ...

'' (1976) as Dr. Glauner * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) as Hilliard * '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) as Acrisius

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Donald 1923 births 1991 deaths Welsh male film actors Welsh male television actors Welsh people of Scottish descent People from Clydach Vale 20th-century Welsh male actors British male comedy actors Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force officers