Gordon Mulholland (30 April 1921,

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa – 30 June 2010,

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

) was a British

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

best known for his performances in the TV

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

''The Villagers'' and the movie ''

Jock of the Bushveld ''Jock of the Bushveld'' is a true story by South African author Sir James Percy FitzPatrick.The Bystander">''The Bystander'', Volume 16 2 October 1907, page 38 The 1907 book tells of FitzPatrick's travels with his dog, Jock, a Staffordshire Bu ...

''.

Early life

He was born in Cape Town in 1921 to parents Sam Mulholland and Nell. It was not a happy upbringing, he was the only child of five to survive childhood. His mother was the main breadwinner while his father was described as crook and a drunkard. He would eventually be take into care at Nazareth House. He would attend Marist Brothers College but failed to complete matric.

Career

During World War 2, he joined army's entertainment corp and would entertain troop as a stand-up comedian in North Africa and Italy, performing with

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mid ...

and

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

. After the war ended he left for London and performed at variety and music halls including the

Windmill Theatre The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude ''tableaux vivants'', which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians of t ...

. He would eventually migrate to West End theatres performing in productions such as ''Guys and Doll'', ''Kiss Me Kate'' and ''Brush up your Shakespeare''. He later starred in minor roles in British film productions. He returned to South Africa in 1967, making his career in theatre and on

Springbok Radio Springbok Radio (spelled ''Springbokradio'' in Afrikaans, ) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1986. History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financia ...

with Adrian Steed and Cyril Green. When television arrived in South Africa in 1976, he would star in ''The Villagers'' as mining boss Hilton McRae. He would perform in theatre with

Rex Garner Rex Garner was a British born actor and director. He was born in 1921 in Wolverhampton, England. He died 17 May 2015 at the age of 94. Garner was survived by his seven children: Nicolas Garner, Lindsay Garner, Christopher Garner, Geraldine Raper ...

and

Clive Scott Jigsaw was an English pop rock band best known for their 1975 hit "Sky High". The band was fronted by the singer-songwriter duo of Clive Scott and Des Dyer for most of its life. Following Scott's death in 2009, it has been the platform for Dye ...

and some of his major productions included ''Fiddler on the Roof'' and ''My Fair Lady''.

Marriage

Mulholland was married twice. First to Muff Evans and his second wife was actress Diane Wilson whom he married in 1963 but divorced in 1972. He had three sons from the two marriages, Sean, Matthew and Jamie.

Death

Mulholland suffered a stroke in 2009, leaving his left side paralyzed and after spending a year in a nursing home, he brought back to East London and died at his sons home.

Selected filmography

Film

* ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (1950) - Durgin * ''

The Lady Craved Excitement ''The Lady Craved Excitement'' is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Francis Searle and written by John Gilling. It featured Hy Hazell, Michael Medwin and Sid James. An early Hammer film, it is significant as one of five films shot at Oakle ...

'' (1950) - A Lunatic * ''

Cheer the Brave ''Cheer the Brave'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Kenneth Hume and starring Elsie Randolph, Jack McNaughton and Geoffrey Keen. It was made at Southall Studios as a second feature.Chibnall & MacFarlane p.127 A mild-mannered man gets ...

'' (1951) * ''Hands of Space'' (1961) * ''

Coast of Skeletons ''Coast of Skeletons'' is a 1965 adventure film, directed by Robert Lynn and starring Richard Todd and Dale Robertson. It is a sequel to the 1963 film '' Death Drums Along the River'', and just as that film, it uses the characters from Edgar ...

'' (1965) - Mr. Spyker * ''Der Rivonia-Prozess'' (1966) - Farmer (uncredited) * ''Kruger Miljoene'' (1967) - Balloon observer (voice, uncredited) * '' The Cape Town Affair'' (1967) - Warrant Officer du Plessis * ''The Professor and the Beauty Queen'' (1967) - Joe * ''Stop Exchange'' (1970) * ''Vengeance Cops'' (1971) - Capt. Venter (voice, uncredited) * ''Z.E.B.R.A.'' (1971) - Charles Lester (English version) (voice, uncredited) * '' One Away'' (1976) - Detective, 'Big man' * ''Mister Deathman'' (1977) - Dr. Halstead * ''

'' (1986) - Tom Barnett * ''

Act of Piracy ''Act of Piracy'' is a 1988 American/South African thriller film directed by John Cardos and starring Gary Busey, Belinda Bauer and Ray Sharkey. While enjoying an exotic cruise to Australia, a family yacht is taken over by terrorists. It is also ...

'' (1988) - Captain Jenkins * ''Headhunter'' (1988) - Prof. Robert Sinclair * ''Rising Storm'' (1989) - Whitefish Aldana * '' River of Death'' (1989) - Fanjul * ''

The Evil Below ''The Evil Below'' is a 1989 horror film, horror film about an adventurer who goes hunting for treasure on a cursed shipwreck. Starring actors included Paul Siebert (actor), Paul Siebert and June Chadwick. It is one of many underwater-themed movi ...

'' (1989) - Max Cash Senior * ''Accidents'' (1989) - Tom Black * ''

'' (1990) - Loring * ''Traitor's Heart'' (1999) - Donald Brody

Television

* ''The Villagers'' (1976-1978) * ''Westgate'' (1981) - Warren Bartlett

External links

*
Obituary

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulholland, Gordon English male film actors South African expatriates in the United Kingdom English male soap opera actors 1921 births 2010 deaths Place of birth missing British Army personnel of World War II