Noel Drayton (October 7, 1913 – December 7, 1981) was an actor who remains perhaps best known for playing supporting roles in Hollywood films like ''

Elephant Walk ''Elephant Walk'' is a 1954 American drama film produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by William Dieterle, and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Dana Andrews, Peter Finch and Abraham Sofaer.It is based upon the 1948 novel ''Elephant Walk'' by "Robe ...

'', ''

The Court Jester ''The Court Jester'' is a 1955 musical-comedy, medieval romance, costume drama film starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury and Cecil Parker. The movie was written, produced, and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman ...

'', ''

Plymouth Adventure ''Plymouth Adventure'' is a 1952 Technicolor drama film with an ensemble cast starring Spencer Tracy, Gene Tierney, Van Johnson and Leo Genn, made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Clarence Brown, and produced by Dore Schary. The screenplay ...

'' and ''

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...

'' during the 1950s. He also appeared as a guest actor on television shows like '' You Are There'', ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'' and ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

''. He is also known for the role of Mr. Hardcastle in nine episodes of the popular television show ''

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attempte ...

''. There is little information provided about Drayton's life. Born in South Africa, he made his film debut with a notable supporting role in

Jean Negulesco Jean Negulesco (born Ioan Negulescu; – 18 July 1993) was a Romanian-American film director and screenwriter.Oliver, Myrna"Jean Negulesco 1900–1993 ''The Los Angeles Times'', 22 July 1993. He first gained notice for his film noirs and later ...

's Hollywood movie '' Under My Skin'' (1950). He remained very active as an actor during the 1950s, but his roles got smaller during the 1960s. He retired in 1969 and returned only for one movie into acting business: ''

Gone with the West ''Gone with the West'' is a 1975 American Western film starring James Caan and Stefanie Powers, directed by Bernard Girard. The film is also known as ''Little Moon & Jud McGraw'' in Australia and ''Little Moon and Jud McGraw'' (American reissue ...

'' (1975), which was his final movie. He died on December 7, 1981, in Sedona, Arizona.

Partial filmography

* '' Under my Skin'' (1950) - George Gardner * ''

'' (1952) - Miles Standish * ''

Blackbeard the Pirate ''Blackbeard the Pirate'' is a 1952 Technicolor adventure film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Robert Newton, Linda Darnell, William Bendix, Keith Andes, and Torin Thatcher. The film was made by RKO Radio Pictures and produced by Edmund Gra ...

'' (1952) - Jeremy * ''

'' (1952) - Second Mate Spencer * ''

The Desert Rats The 7th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army that saw distinguished active service during the Second World War, where its exploits in the Western Desert Campaign gained it the ''Desert Rats'' nickname. After the Muni ...

'' (1953) - Captain (uncredited) * '' You Are There'' (1953-1956, TV, 6 episodes) - Judge Heywood / Governor Hutchinson / Captain Smith / Secretary of Senate * '' Knock on Wood'' (1954) - Little Man (uncredited) * ''

'' (1954) - Planter Atkinson * ''

The Seven Little Foys ''The Seven Little Foys'' is a Technicolor in VistaVision 1955 comedy film directed by Melville Shavelson starring Bob Hope as Eddie Foy. One highlight of the film is an energetic tabletop dance showdown sequence with Bob Hope as Eddie Foy and ...

'' (1955) - Priest (uncredited) * '' The Virgin Queen'' (1955) - Tailor (uncredited) * ''

'' (1955) - Fergus * ''

The 20th Century-Fox Hour ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title '' ...

'' (1955-1956; TV, 3 episodes) - Wilkins / Hedges / Alfred Bridges * ''

TV Reader's Digest ''TV Reader's Digest '' is the title of a 30-minute American television anthology drama series, which aired on the ABC from 1955 to 1956. Its theme music was "Polonaise" from Act III of ''Eugene Onegin''. Based on articles that appeared in ''Re ...

'' (1956; TV, 2 episodes) - Detective Inspector Herbert Gold / Captain Connor / Earl of Warwick * ''

20 Million Miles to Earth ''20 Million Miles to Earth'' (also known as ''The Beast from Space'') is a 1957 American horror science fiction monster film directed by Nathan Juran and starring William Hopper, Joan Taylor, and Frank Puglia. It was produced by Charles H. Schn ...

'' (1957) - 1st Reuters News Correspondent (uncredited) * '' Across the Bridge'' (1957) - Reporter * ''

Zero Hour! ''Zero Hour!'' is a 1957 drama film directed by Hall Bartlett from a screenplay by Bartlett, Arthur Hailey, and John Champion. It stars Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden and features Peggy King, Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Geof ...

'' (1957) - Vancouver Control Man * '' Hong Kong Confidential'' (1958) - Owen Howard * ''

'' (1958-1965; TV, 3 episodes) - Mr. Costelni / Art Expert / Ellis / Frank Buchanan - Ship Purser * ''

The Wreck of the Mary Deare ''The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' (in the UK published as ''The Mary Deare'') is a 1956 novel written by British author Hammond Innes, which was later adapted as a film starring Gary Cooper released in 1959 by MGM. According to Jack Adrian, the ...

'' (1959) - Charlie Bell (uncredited) * ''

'' (1960; TV, 1 episode) - Ben Huggins * ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges as ...

'' (1960-1961; TV, 3 episodes) - Dr. Graham / Dr. Wells (Season 4, Episode 11)/ Thomas Sherington / Lloyd Shepard * ''A Public Affair'' (1962) * '' The Prize'' (1963) - Constable Ströhm (uncredited) * ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...

'' (1964; TV, 1 episode) - Dr. Parker * '' Strange Bedfellows'' (1965) - Cab Driver (uncredited) * ''

Assault on a Queen ''Assault on a Queen'' is a 1966 American action-adventure film directed by Jack Donohue and starring Frank Sinatra and Virna Lisi. Based on a 1959 novel by Jack Finney, it was adapted for the screen by Rod Serling and released by Paramount Pic ...

'' (1966) - Elevator Operator (uncredited) * '' The Wrecking Crew'' (1968) - Lord Hardwicke (uncredited) * ''

'' (1966-1970; TV series, 9 episodes) - Mr. Hardcastle * ''

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...

'' (1969) - Servant at Embassy (uncredited) * ''

'' (1975) - Wagon Driver (final film role)

External links

* American male film actors 1913 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American male actors South African emigrants to the United States People from Cape Town {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub