Percy Herbert (31 July 1920 – 6 December 1992) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

actor. He worked predominantly from the 1950s into the 1970s and became one of the most recognisable faces in post-war British cinema.

Biography

He served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 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 ...

and spent four years in the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese prisoner of war camp Changi. After the war, he was helped by Dame

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...

to secure an interview with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he won a scholarship. His acting career began in the theatre, which included working at John Gielgud's Old Vic Company. Beginning in 1954, he went on to make nearly seventy films, often playing soldiers, most notably in ''

The Cockleshell Heroes ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, the ...

'', '' The Bridge on the River Kwai'' (for which he also worked as consultant as well as suggesting the use of the well-known "Colonel Bogey March" which the prisoners whistled in the film), ''

Sea of Sand ''Sea of Sand'' (released in the US as ''Desert Patrol'') is a 1958 British war film starring Richard Attenborough, John Gregson and Michael Craig. The film, which was directed by Guy Green, is about a patrol of the Long Range Desert Group ...

'', '' Tunes of Glory'', '' The Guns of Navarone'', ''

Guns at Batasi ''Guns at Batasi'' is a 1964 British drama film starring Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, Flora Robson, John Leyton and Mia Farrow. The film is based on the 1962 novel ''The Siege of Battersea'' by Robert Holles and was directed by John Guil ...

'', ''

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

'' and ''

The Wild Geese ''The Wild Geese'' is a 1978 war film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, and Hardy Krüger. The screenplay concerns a group of mercenaries in Africa. It was the result of a long-held ambit ...

.'' However, he was equally at home in comedies ('' Barnacle Bill'', '' Casino Royale'', two

Carry On films The ''Carry On'' series of 31 British comedy films were released between 1958 and 1978, produced by Peter Rogers with director Gerald Thomas. The humour of ''Carry On'' was in the British comic tradition of music hall and bawdy seaside postc ...

), fantasy ('' One Million Years B.C.'', '' Mysterious Island''), drama (''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

'', '' Bunny Lake is Missing''), and science fiction ('' Quatermass 2'', '' Night of the Big Heat''). He also acted on television; he was a regular on the short-lived American series '' Cimarron Strip'', during a brief foray to Hollywood. Other television work includes '' Danger Man'', '' The Saint'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it deb ...

'', '' Dixon of Dock Green'' and '' Worzel Gummidge''. Herbert was born in East London, and spent his youth learning to become a boxer at the Repton Boxing club. One of three siblings, he was the middle child. His father left home when he was a young boy and he was brought up by his mother Ann Herbert along with his brother Lawrence and his sister Maisie. During World War II he joined the British Army as a young man and was sent to Singapore via ship to fight in the Pacific. The British ship miscalculated the timing of its entry into harbour, and sailed into Singapore Harbour in broad daylight. The British were immediately bombed by Japanese aircraft and Herbert jumped ship and swam to shore with a broken collar bone. He was picked up by British soldiers and taken to the Alexandria Hospital, where Herbert survived what was to be the massacre of doctors and patients of the Alexandria Hospital in Singapore. He was among 11 soldiers who survived and ultimately captured and sent to the notorious Japanese Prison Camp at Changi, where he remained as a POW for the duration of the war. He was assigned to work on the Burma Railway and was released from Changi at the end of the war by American troops, after which he returned to London. One of the first films he was cast in was Bridge on the River Kwai which was based on the experiences in Changi prison camp. David Lean, the producer of the classic film, paid Herbert a stipend to be a consultant on the film as he had been a POW there and was also cast in the role of Grogan, one of the first roles in which he was cast during his long and varied acting career. Herbert died of a heart attack, aged 72, on the 6th of December 1992 in Broadstairs, Kent, which is on the south coast of England. He was survived by his childhood sweetheart and wife Amy and his two daughters Vanessa and Katrina .

Complete filmography

* ''I Done a Murder'' (1951, TV film) - The Rev. Christopher Spoke * '' The Young Lovers'' (1954) - Richards (uncredited) * ''Montserrat'' (1954, TV film) - Morales * '' The Green Carnation'' (1954) - Casey O'Rourke * '' One Good Turn'' (1955) - "Seen Enough" Boxing Spectator (uncredited) * '' The Night My Number Came Up'' (1955) - R.E.M.E. Sergeant * '' The Prisoner'' (1955) - Soldier (uncredited) * '' Confession'' (1955) - Barman * ''The Gold Express'' (1955) * ''

Timeslip ''Timeslip'' is a British children's science fiction television series made by ATV for the ITV network and broadcast between 1970 and 1971. It was first broadcast on Friday evenings at around 5:10-5:15pm in the ATV region with the other ITV ...

'' (1955) - Assassin (uncredited) * ''

'' (1955) - Marine Lomas * '' Doctor at Sea'' (1955) - Helmsman (uncredited) * ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' (1956) - Police Constable in Phone Box (uncredited) * '' Child in the House'' (1956) - Det. Sgt. Taylor * '' A Hill in Korea'' (1956) - Pte. Moon * '' Tiger in the Smoke'' (1956) - Copper * '' Quatermass 2'' (1957) - Gorman * '' The Steel Bayonet'' (1957) - Pte. Clark * '' The Bridge on the River Kwai'' (1957) - Grogan * '' Night of the Demon'' (1957) - Farmer (deleted from US print) * '' Barnacle Bill'' (1957) - Tommy * '' The Safecracker'' (1958) - Sergeant Harper * '' No Time to Die'' (1958) - 1st British soldier * '' Sea Fury'' (1958) - Walker * ''

'' (1958) - 'Blanco' White * '' Idol on Parade'' (1959) - Sgt. Hebrides * ''The Hill'' (1959, TV film) - Reuben * '' Serious Charge'' (1959) - Mr. Thompson * ''

Deadly Record ''Deadly Record'' is a 1959 'B' feature British crime drama directed by Lawrence Huntington, and based on a novel by Nina Warner Hooke. It aired in the US as part of the ''Kraft Mystery Theatre''. ''Plot'': When airline pilot Trevor Hamilton's w ...

'' (1959) - Belcher * ''

Yesterday's Enemy ''Yesterday's Enemy'' is a 1959 Hammer Films British war film in MegaScope directed by Val Guest and starring Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern and Gordon Jackson set in the Burma Campaign during World War II. It is based on a 1958 BBC tel ...

'' (1959) - Wilson * '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959) - Edict Sergeant * ''

Don't Panic Chaps! ''Don't Panic Chaps!'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Dennis Price, George Cole, Thorley Walters and Terence Alexander. The film was produced by Teddy Baird for ACT Films. Originally called ''Carry On Ch ...

'' (1959) - Bolter * ''

'' (1959) - Wilson * ''

A Touch of Larceny ''A Touch of Larceny'' is a 1959 British-American black-and-white comedy film, produced by Ivan Foxwell, directed by Guy Hamilton, that stars James Mason, George Sanders, and Vera Miles. The film co-stars Harry Andrews, Rachel Gurney, and John L ...

'' (1960) - (uncredited) * '' The Challenge'' (1960) - Shop Steward * '' There Was a Crooked Man'' (1960) - Prison Warden * '' Tunes of Glory'' (1960) - RSM Riddick * '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961) - Sgt. Grogan * '' Mysterious Island'' (1961) - Sergeant Pencroft * '' Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1962) - Seaman Matthew Quintal * '' The Captive City'' (1962) - Sgt. Maj. Reed * '' Call Me Bwana'' (1963) - First Henchman * '' The Cracksman'' (1963) - Nosher * '' Carry On Jack'' (1963) - Mister Angel, Bo’sun * '' Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow'' (1963) - Dover Castle Jailer * ''

'' (1964) - Baron * ''

'' (1964) - Colour Sgt. Ben Parkin * ''

The Counterfeit Constable ''The Counterfeit Constable'' (French: ''Allez France!'') is a 1964 French comedy film directed by Robert Dhéry and Pierre Tchernia and starring Ronald Fraser, Diana Dors and Arthur Mullard. Plot A French rugby supporter (Robert Dhéry), in ...

'' (1964) - L'agent Baxter * '' Carry On Cleo'' (1964) - Guard (uncredited) * ''

Joey Boy Joey Boy ( th, โจอี้ บอย; born 1975) or Apisit Opasaimlikit ( th, อภิสิทธิ์ โอภาสเอี่ยมลิขิต, ), is a Thai hip hop singer and producer known as The Godfather of Thai Hip Hop. ...

'' (1965) - Mad George Long * '' Bunny Lake Is Missing'' (1965) - Policeman at Station * '' Carry On Cowboy'' (1965) - Charlie, the Bartender * '' One Million Years B.C.'' (1966) - Sakana * ''

'' (1967) - Dolan * '' Mister Ten Per Cent'' (1967) - Inspector Great * '' The Viking Queen'' (1967) - Catus * '' Casino Royale'' (1967) - 1st Piper * '' Night of the Big Heat'' (1967) - Gerald Foster * '' The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' (1969) - Diego * '' One More Time'' (1970) - Mander * '' Too Late the Hero'' (1970) - Sergeant Johnstone * ''The Other Reg Varney'' (1970, TV film) - Various characters * ''

Captain Apache ''Captain Apache'' is a 1971 Spanish-British acid Western film directed by Alexander Singer and starring Lee Van Cleef, Carroll Baker, and Stuart Whitman. It was written and produced by Milton Sperling and Philip Yordan. The film was based on th ...

'' (1971) - Moon * '' Man in the Wilderness'' (1971) - Fogarty * '' Doomwatch'' (1972) - Constable Hartwell * '' The Fiend'' (1972) - Commissionaire * ''

Up the Front ''Up the Front'' is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Bob Kellett and starring Frankie Howerd, Bill Fraser, and Hermione Baddeley. It is the third film spin-off from the television series ''Up Pompeii!'' (the previous films being ''Up th ...

'' (1972) - Cpl. Lovechild * '' Black Snake'' (1973) - Joker Tierney * ''

The Mackintosh Man ''The Mackintosh Man'' is a 1973 British Cold War neo noir spy thriller film, directed by John Huston and starring Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda and James Mason. Huston called it "a spy thriller with some amusing moments" that was similar to ...

'' (1973) - Taafe * '' Craze'' (1974) - Detective Constable Russet * '' One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing'' (1975) - Mr. Gibbons * ''Metamorphosis Alpha'' (1976, TV film) - Thargon Commander * '' Hardcore'' (1977) - Hubert * '' Valentino'' (1977) - Studio Guard * ''

'' (1978) - Keith * '' The London Connection'' (1979) - Ship's Captain * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) - Dennison * ''Rules of Justice'' (1981, TV film) - George Lattimore * ''The Love Child'' (1988) - Maurice

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Percy English male film actors English male television actors British World War II prisoners of war Royal Army Ordnance Corps soldiers World War II prisoners of war held by Japan 1920 births 1992 deaths British Army personnel of World War II 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Military personnel from London