John Wood (11 November 19091 March 1965)
[National Archives of Australia, Service Record, Signalman John Wood, NX6581]
/ref> was an Australian who acted on the stage and briefly became a film star in Hollywood and Britain in the late 1930s.
Early acting career
Wood was born in Forbes, New South Wales
Forbes is a town in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the Newell Highway between Parkes, New South Wales, Parkes and West Wyalong, New South Wales, West Wyalong. At the , Forbes h ...
and attended Sydney Church of England Grammar School
, motto_translation =
, established =
, type = Independent single-sex and co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school
, grades = Early learning ...
. After briefly venturing into operating a banana plantation he turned to acting. He performed on stage for the J. C. Williamson Company in Australia between 1929 and 1933, earning good reviews as a "talented juvenile" and handsome young actor "with promise."
Stage and screen work in London and Hollywood
By early 1934 he had established himself in London, cast soon after arrival in the lead role of Lord Fancourt Babberley in a 1933 revival of ''Charley's Aunt
''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot inc ...
'' at the Gaiety Theatre
He appeared in supporting roles in several British B films before being offered a key role as Flavius in the 1935 Hollywood movie ''The Last Days of Pompeii''. He also appeared with Bette Davis in the radio play ''Just Suppose,'' a fantasy drama about an English king marrying an American woman.
He returned to England in 1936. Two busy years of stage and film work followed, including ''Over She Goes
''Over She Goes'' is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Stanley Lupino, Claire Luce, Laddie Cliff, Gina Malo and Max Baer. It was based on a successful London stage play by Lupino, with music by Billy Maye ...
'' (1937) in which he sang and danced with co-stars Stanley Lupino
Stanley Richard Lupino Hook (15 June 1893 – 10 June 1942), known professionally as Stanley Lupino, was an English actor, dancer, singer, librettist, director and short story writer. During the 1930s, Lupino appeared in a successful series of m ...
and Laddie Cliff
Laddie Cliff (3 September 1891–8 December 1937) was a British dancer, choreographer, actor, producer, writer, and director of comedy, musical theatre and film. He was noted for his versatility. His many London West End theatre appearances and ...
. John Wood's last two British films were for the Associated British Picture Corporation
Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...
, made with fellow Australian actor, Mary Maguire
Mary Maguire (born Hélène Teresa Maguire; 22 February 1919 – 18 May 1974) was an Australian-born actress who briefly became a Hollywood and British film star in the late 1930s.
Early life
Maguire was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Mic ...
.
Return to Australia
For reasons unknown, he returned to Australia in 1939. He claimed that in film, he had "never really had a role I liked – they have all been light juvenile parts." Despite this, he said he preferred screen work to the stage. "Somehow the screen work is not quite so monotonous," he said. Wood also commented on the attitude of British studios to an Australian accent. "There are two schools of thought about Australian actors in London. The first dislikes the Australian accent, and the second ... is eager to employ them. At Elstree, for instance, Australians are exceedingly popular, the producers considering that they have more punch. Stanley Lupino
Stanley Richard Lupino Hook (15 June 1893 – 10 June 1942), known professionally as Stanley Lupino, was an English actor, dancer, singer, librettist, director and short story writer. During the 1930s, Lupino appeared in a successful series of m ...
is also a great supporter for Australians, and employs them whenever possible." War had been declared whilst he was en route back to Australia, and for a short time he returned to the stage. He also developed a reputation for recounting amusing film industry anecdotes.
While he had been in Hollywood his engagement to Australian stage actress Mary MacGregor was announced. Wood and MacGregor had performed together in Australia on stage for J.C. Williamson. The marriage did not proceed but Wood performed again with MacGregor during 1940.
POW performer
In November 1940, Wood joined the Australian Army and was posted to 8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 8th Division (Australia)
* 8th Canadian Infantry Division
* 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China)
* 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Rep ...
as a signalman. His unit arrived in Singapore in early 1941, and like most members of the 8th Division, he entered captivity following the Malayan campaign
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...
in February 1942.
While in captivity, Wood took a leading role in providing entertainment for allied Prisoners of War. Official Australian war artist and fellow POW Murray Griffin
Vaughan Murray Griffin (11 Nov 1903 – 29 January 1992) was an Australian print maker and painter.
Life and work
Commonly known as Murray Griffin, he was born in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern to Vaughan and Ethel Griffin. He spent most of hi ...
painted Wood's portrait and sketched performances and players. Russell Braddon
Russell Reading Braddon (25 January 1921 – 20 March 1995) was an Australian writer of novels, biographies and TV scripts. His chronicle of his four years as a prisoner of war, ''The Naked Island'', sold more than a million copies.
Braddon ...
another POW, described Wood as "the greatest source of stage anecdotes and comic songs that Changi knew." According to another POW, Wood also dressed up effectively for performances as a woman. "He is the goods, and sure gives the boys ideas," claimed Hedley Hatch.
Post-war career
After his repatriation in 1945, Wood returned to the Australian stage and was active in the Minerva Theatre Players. He married British actress Phil Buchanan in Melbourne in July 1946 and performed in ''The Hasty Heart'' and ''While the Sun Shines'' for occupying forces in Japan in 1947. By 1949 he had returned to London, and was performing on the stage and radio, several productions having Australian themes. By 1956, his old battalion newsletter reported he was suffering health problems and living quietly in a village in Spain. He died in Australia in 1965.
Filmography
* '' Full Circle'' (1935)
* ''The Girl in the Crowd ''(1935)
* ''The Case of Gabriel Perry
''The Case of Gabriel Perry'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Henry Oscar, Olga Lindo and Margaret Lockwood.
Plot
An unstable Victorian doctor murders a woman.
Cast
* Henry Oscar as Gabriel Perry
* Ol ...
'' (1935)
* ''The Last Days of Pompeii
''The Last Days of Pompeii'' is a novel written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1834. The novel was inspired by the painting '' The Last Day of Pompeii'' by the Russian painter Karl Briullov, which Bulwer-Lytton had seen in Milan. It culminates in ...
'' (1935)
* ''To Catch a Thief
'' To Catch a Thief'' is a 1955 American romantic thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from a screenplay by John Michael Hayes based on the 1952 To Catch a Thief (novel), novel of the same name by David Dodge (novelist), David Dodge. The ...
'' (1936)
* ''Over She Goes
''Over She Goes'' is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Stanley Lupino, Claire Luce, Laddie Cliff, Gina Malo and Max Baer. It was based on a successful London stage play by Lupino, with music by Billy Maye ...
'' (1937)
* ''Housemaster
{{refimprove, date=September 2018
In British education, a housemaster is a schoolmaster in charge of a boarding house, normally at a boarding school and especially at a public school. The housemaster is responsible for the supervision and care o ...
'' (1938)
* '' Oh Boy!'' (1938)
* '' Hold My Hand'' (1938)
* ''Luck of the Navy
''Luck of the Navy'' is a 1938 British comedy thriller film directed by Norman Lee and starring Geoffrey Toone, Judy Kelly and Clifford Evans. Shot at Elstree StudiosWood p.98 it was based on the play '' The Luck of the Navy'' by Mrs Clifford ...
'' (1938)
* '' Black Eyes'' (1939)
* ''An Englishman's Home
''An Englishman's Home'' is a threat-of-invasion play by Guy du Maurier, first produced in 1909. The title is a reference to the expression "an Englishman's home is his castle".
Play
''An Englishman's Home'' caused a sensation in London when i ...
'' (1939)
* ''Stolen Face
''Stolen Face'' is a 1952 British film noir directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott and André Morell. It was made at Riverside Studios by Hammer Film Productions.
Plot
Dr. Philip Ritter, a plastic surgeon (Paul He ...
'' (1952)[Often incorrectly attributed to English actor John Wood born 1930. Se]
/ref>
References
External links
*
Australian War Memorial Collection. Murray Griffin, 1943: "Sergeant John Wood."
Painting depicts a portrait of NX65819 Corporal (Sergeant) John Wood, 8 Division Signals, actor, member of Australian concert Party (in charge from September 1943) in 2 Australian Imperial Force, Changi.
Australian War Memorial Collection. Murray Griffin, 1943: "Pantomime production, Changi"
Australian War Memorial Collection. Murray Griffin, c 1942-1945: "Men of AIF Concert Party
Sketch depicts Val Mack, Frazer Harvey, John Wood, Jack Smith, Frank Wood and Jack Geoghegan"
Australian War Memorial Collection. Murray Griffin, c 1942-1945: "Men of AIF Concert Party
Sketch depicts Doug Peart, Slim de Grey, Fred Brightfield, John Wood, Doug Mathers, Eric Beattie, Harry Smith and Keith Stevens"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, John
Australian male film actors
1909 births
1965 deaths
Australian prisoners of war
World War II prisoners of war held by Japan
20th-century Australian male actors
Australian male stage actors
Male actors from New South Wales
People educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian Army soldiers