Philip Friend in Thunder on the Hill trailer

Philip Wyndham Friend (20 February 1915 in

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

, Sussex – 1 September 1987 in Chiddingfold, Surrey) was a British

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and television actor. Philip Friend in Buccaneer's Girl trailer

Career

Britain

Friend went to Bradfield College where he became interested in acting. He began appearing in musical comedies in 1935, and was soon working on the West End. He was in a production of '' French Without Tears'' that was on Broadway. He returned to London and was busy on the stage until war broke out after which he joined the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

.Round the British Studios Nepean, Edith. Picture Show; London Vol. 60, Iss. 1555, (17 January 1953): 11 Friend had small roles in British films like ''

Inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...

'' (1939), '' The Midas Touch'' (1940), and ''

Old Bill and Son ''Old Bill and Son'' is a 1941 British black-and-white comedy war film directed by Ian Dalrymple. Centred on the First World War cartoon figure Old Bill and his escapades in the early Phoney War of World War II and with that character's creator ...

'' (1941). He was in ''

Dangerous Moonlight ''Dangerous Moonlight'' (US: ''Suicide Squadron'') is a 1941 British film, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Anton Walbrook. Among the costumes, the gowns were designed by Cecil Beaton. The film is best known for its score written by ...

'' (1941), '' 'Pimpernel' Smith'' (1941), ''

Sheepdog of the Hills ''Sheepdog of the Hills'' is a 1941 British drama film directed by Germain Burger and starring David Farrar, Philip Friend and Helen Perry. The screenplay concerns an outbreak of sheep-stealing that occurs in a small rural community in the West ...

'' (1941), ''

Back-Room Boy ''Back-Room Boy'' is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Herbert Mason, produced by Edward Black for Gainsborough Pictures and distributed by General Film Distributors. The cast includes Arthur Askey, Googie Withers, Graham Moffatt and Moor ...

'' (1942), '' The Day Will Dawn'' (1942), ''

The Next of Kin ''The Next of Kin'', also known as ''Next of Kin'', is a 1942 Second World War propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios. The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government message that ...

'' (1942), ''

In Which We Serve ''In Which We Serve'' is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by Noël Coward and David Lean. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information (United Kingdom), Ministry of Information. The scree ...

'' (1942), '' The Young Mr. Pitt'' (1942), and ''

We Dive at Dawn ''We Dive at Dawn'' is a 1943 war film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring John Mills and Eric Portman as Royal Navy submariners in the Second World War. It was written by Val Valentine and J. B. Williams with uncredited assistance from Fr ...

'' (1943). Friend had bigger parts in '' The Bells Go Down'' (1943) with

Tommy Trinder Thomas Edward Trinder CBE (24 March 1909 – 10 July 1989) was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was ...

, '' Warn That Man'' (1943) with Gordon Harker and ''

The Flemish Farm ''The Flemish Farm'' is a 1943 British war film, based on an actual wartime incident. Released during the war and used as a propaganda tool to support the Allied war effort, the film begins with the caption: :The following story is based on an ...

'' (1943), and could be seen in ''

Two Thousand Women ''Two Thousand Women'' is a 1944 British comedy-drama war film about a German internment camp in Occupied France which holds British women who have been resident in the country. Three RAF aircrewmen, whose bomber has been shot down, enter the c ...

'' (1944). He had a decent sized role in '' Great Day'' (1945). Friend returned to the stage with ''

Pink String and Sealing Wax ''Pink String and Sealing Wax'' is a 1945 British drama film directed by Robert Hamer and starring Mervyn Johns. It is based on a play with the same name by Roland Pertwee. It was the first feature film Robert Hamer directed on his own. The ti ...

'' and ''

The First Gentleman ''The First Gentleman'' is a 1948 British historical drama film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, and starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Joan Hopkins, and Cecil Parker. It portrays the relationships and marriage of George, Prince Regent and his tense de ...

''.

Hollywood

In February 1946 Friend signed a contract with

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. E ...

who brought the actor to Hollywood. Selznick wound up not using Friend in any of his films. Friend had a support part in ''

My Own True Love ''My Own True Love'' is a 1949 American drama film directed by Compton Bennett and written by Arthur Kober, Josef Mischel and Theodore Strauss. The film stars Phyllis Calvert, Melvyn Douglas, Wanda Hendrix, Philip Friend, Binnie Barnes and Alan ...

'' (1948) with Phyllis Calvert. He could also be seen in '' Enchantment'' (1948). Friend was a British soldier in '' Sword in the Desert'' (1949) at Universal. They liked his work and signed him to a contract, casting him in the lead of ''

Buccaneer's Girl ''Buccaneer's Girl'' is a 1950 American Technicolor romantic adventure film directed by Frederick de Cordova starring Yvonne De Carlo and Philip Friend. Plot Deborah McCoy, a New Orleans singer, is on a ship that is captured by the forces of t ...

'' (1950) with

Yvonne de Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and late ...

. Friend was kept at Universal for ''

Spy Hunt ''Spy Hunt'', also known as ''Panther's Moon'', is a 1950 American espionage film, based on the novel '' Panther's Moon'' by Victor Canning, directed by George Sherman, and starring Howard Duff and Märta Torén. It was produced by Universal-In ...

'' (1950), then the studio dropped him. They hired him back to play the villain in ''

Smuggler's Island ''Smuggler's Island'' is a 1951 American Technicolor film noir adventure film directed by Edward Ludwig starring Jeff Chandler and Evelyn Keyes Chandler called the film one of his favourites because "I played myself". Around this time Chandler t ...

'' (1951). He was in ''

Thunder on the Hill ''Thunder on the Hill'' is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Claudette Colbert and Ann Blyth. The picture was made by Universal-International Pictures and produced by Michael Kraike from a screenplay by Osc ...

'' (1951). Friend had the star role in '' The Highwayman'' (1952) for

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

. Friend began appearing on TV in such shows as ''

The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...

'' and ''

Kraft Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

''. On Broadway he was meant to join the cast of ''Faithfully Yours'' but Equity objected. Instead he starred in ''Jane'' in 1952.The Theatre: Behrman and Maugham Wall Street Journal New York, N.Y. 4 Feb 1952: 4.

Return to Britain

Friend returned home to be in ''

Desperate Moment ''Desperate Moment'' is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Dirk Bogarde, Mai Zetterling and Philip Friend. It is based on the 1951 novel of the same title by Martha Albrand. It was made at Pinewood Studios ...

'' (1953). He had support roles in '' Background'' (1952), '' The Diamond'' (1954), '' Dick Turpin: Highwayman'' (1956), ''

Cloak Without Dagger ''Cloak Without Dagger'' is a 1956 British thriller film directed by Joseph Sterling and starring Philip Friend, Mary Mackenzie and Leslie Dwyer. It was released in the USA as ''Operation Conspiracy'' Plot A fashion reporter is united with a fo ...

'' (1956) and ''

The Betrayal "The Betrayal" is the 164th episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the eighth episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on November 20, 1997. In this episode, Jerry betrays George by having sex with his girlfriend Nina, right be ...

'' (1956). He also appeared regularly on British TV shows such as ''

The Errol Flynn Theatre ''The Errol Flynn Theatre'' is an anthology series presented by Errol Flynn, who would also play the lead in every fourth show. His wife Patrice Wymore and son Sean also made appearances. Production Filming started 1 March 1956 and was done by In ...

''. Friend's later work included '' Son of Robin Hood'' (1958), ''

The Solitary Child ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1958), '' Web of Suspicion'' (1959), ''

The Fur Collar ''The Fur Collar'' is a 1962 British thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring John Bentley, Martin Benson and Philip Friend. Plot A man wearing a fur-collared coat is shot on his arrival in Paris. A British journalist is co ...

'' (1962), '' Stranglehold'' (1962), and '' The Vulture'' (1966). One of his last appearances was in the TV movie '' Suez 1956'' (1979).

Personal life

Friend was married to the actress

Eileen Erskine Eileen Erskine (15 August 1914 – 8 November 1995) was an English actress from Nottingham who was active in film mainly in the 1940s when she appeared in ''This Happy Breed'' (1944) and '' Great Expectations'' (1946). Her theatre work include ...

, and they had two sons.

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1939) * '' The Midas Touch'' (1940) * ''

"Pimpernel" Smith ''"Pimpernel" Smith'' (released in the USA as ''Mister V'') is a 1941 British anti-Nazi thriller, produced and directed by its star Leslie Howard, which updates his role in ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1934) from Revolutionary France to pre-Seco ...

'' (1941) * '' The Day Will Dawn'' (1942) * ''

'' (1942) * ''

'' (1942) * '' The Bells Go Down'' (1943) * '' Warn That Man'' (1943) * '' Enchantment'' (1948) * '' Sword in the Desert'' (1949) * ''

'' (1950) * ''

'' (1951) * ''

'' (1953) * '' Background'' (1953) * '' The Diamond'' (1954) * ''

'' (1956) * ''

'' (1957) * '' The Son of Robin Hood'' (1958) * ''The Solitary Child'' (1958) * ''

Danger List ''Danger List'' is a 1957 British short film directed by Leslie Arliss for Hammer Film Productions. It stars Philip Friend, Honor Blackman and Mervyn Johns. It was photographed by Arthur Grant, and has a score by Edwin Astley. The running tim ...

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1962) * '' Stranglehold'' (1963)

References

External links

* *
Philip Friend
at TCMDB {{DEFAULTSORT:Friend, Philip 1915 births 1987 deaths English male television actors English male film actors People from Horsham 20th-century English male actors