Terence Longdon (14 May 1922 – 23 April 2011) was an English actor.

Biography

Born Hubert Tuelly Longdon in

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, England. During World War II, Longdon was a pilot with the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

, protecting Atlantic convoys. While stationed at a naval base near Blackpool, he acted in a show and was seen by actor Douglas Hurn who encouraged him to pursue it. After the war, Longdon trained at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

(1946–48), and made his first stage appearance at the Lyceum, Sheffield in 1948, and his West End debut the same year. He was best known for his lead role in the 1950s–1960s British TV series ''

Garry Halliday ''Garry Halliday'' is a British television series for children on the BBC from 1959 to 1962. The show starred Terence Longdon as airman Garry Halliday. The episodes were based on books by Justin Blake: Justin Blake was in fact a pseudonym for the ...

'' where he played a

Biggles James Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles made his first appearance ...

-like pilot who flew into various adventure situations. He was also known for his

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

roles in British television productions such as ''

The Sandbaggers ''The Sandbaggers'' is a British spy drama television series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980, ''The Sandbaggers'' examines the effect of espionag ...

'', ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'' and '' The Avengers''. In film, he was Drusus, Messala's personal aide, in the film '' Ben-Hur''. He had a major supporting role in the 1958 film '' Another Time, Another Place'' starring alongside

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

and

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized per ...

. He was also in four of the early ''

Carry On Carry On may refer to: * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (novel), ...

'' films. He played occasional leading roles, most notably in the tense B-movie thriller ''

Clash by Night ''Clash by Night'' is a 1952 American film noir drama directed by Fritz Lang and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe and Keith Andes. The film is based on the 1941 play by Clifford Odets, adapted for the screen ...

'' (1963). Terence Longdon lived on the border of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. He died from cancer on 23 April 2011, aged 88.

Partial filmography

* ''

Appointment with Venus ''Appointment with Venus'' () is a novel by Jerrard Tickell published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1951, leading to a British film adaptation the same year and a Danish film adaptation in 1962. The story is based on a real incident of the evacuatio ...

'' (1951) - (uncredited) * '' Angels One Five'' (1952) - Pimpernel Pilot * '' Never Look Back'' (1952) - Alan Whitcomb * ''

Appointment in London ''Appointment in London'' (known as ''Raiders in the Sky'' in the U.S.) is a 1953 British war film set during the Second World War and starring Dirk Bogarde. The film was directed by Philip Leacock and based on a story by John Wooldridge, who ...

'' (1952) - Dr.Buchanan * ''

Forbidden Cargo Forbidden Cargo may refer to: * Forbidden Cargo (1925 film), ''Forbidden Cargo'' (1925 film), an American film starring Boris Karloff: rum-running from Bahamas to United States * Forbidden Cargo (1954 film), ''Forbidden Cargo'' (1954 film), a Brit ...

'' (1954) - A.P.O. at Customs Launch (uncredited) * ''

Mr. Arkadin ''Mr. Arkadin'' (first released in Spain, 1955), known in Britain as ''Confidential Report'', is a French-Spanish-Swiss coproduction film, written and directed by Orson Welles and shot in several Spanish locations, including Costa Brava, Segov ...

'' (1955) - Secretary * ''

The Woman for Joe ''The Woman for Joe'' is a 1955 British drama film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Diane Cilento, George Baker, Jimmy Karoubi and David Kossoff. The screenplay concerns the owner of a circus sideshow and his prize attraction (a m ...

'' (1955) - Doctor at the Circus (uncredited) * ''

Simon and Laura ''Simon and Laura'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch and Kay Kendall. Play Satirising the early days of BBC Television, ''Simon and Laura'' focuses on an argumentative theatrical couple called Simon a ...

'' (1955) - Barney * ''

Helen of Troy Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...

'' (1956) - Patroclus * ''

Jumping for Joy ''Jumping for Joy'' is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway, Joan Hickson and Lionel Jeffries. Plot Willie Joy (Frankie Howerd) works at a greyhound track as a cleaner, whic ...

'' (1956) - John Wyndham * ''

The Man Who Never Was ''The Man Who Never Was'' is a 1956 British espionage thriller film produced by André Hakim and directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame and features Robert Flemyng, Josephine Griffin and Stephen Boyd. It is base ...

'' (1956) - Larry * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) - George - House Surgeon * ''

Dangerous Exile ''Dangerous Exile'' is a 1957 British historical drama film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Louis Jourdan, Belinda Lee, Anne Heywood and Richard O'Sullivan. It concerns the fate of Louis XVII, who died in 1795 as a boy, yet was pop ...

'' (1957) - Col. Sir Frederick Venner * '' The Silent Enemy'' (1958) - Lieutenant Bailey * '' Another Time, Another Place'' (1958) - Alan Thompson * ''

Carry On Sergeant ''Carry On Sergeant'' is a 1958 British comedy film about National Service starring William Hartnell, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Barker; it is the first in the series of ''Carry On'' films, with 31 entries released from 1958 to 1992. The film wa ...

'' (1958) - Miles Haywood * ''

Carry On Nurse ''Carry On Nurse'' is a 1959 British comedy film, the second in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Of the regular team, it featured Joan Sims (in her ''Carry On'' film debut), Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawt ...

'' (1959) - Ted York * '' Ben-Hur'' (1959) - Drusus * ''

Carry On Constable ''Carry On Constable'' is a 1960 British comedy film, the fourth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was released in February 1960. Of the regular team, it featured Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joa ...

'' (1960) - Herbert Hall * ''

Carry On Regardless ''Carry On Regardless'' is a 1961 British comedy film, the fifth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film revolves loosely around the activities of a job agency, 'Helping Hands', run by Sid James's character, Bert Handy ...

'' (1961) - Montgomery Infield-Hopping * '' Out of the Shadow'' (1961) - Mark Kingston * ''

On the Fiddle ''On the Fiddle'' (released as ''Operation Snafu'' and ''Operation War Head'' in the United States) is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Sean Connery, Alfred Lynch, Cecil Parker, Stanley Holloway, Eric Barker, Mi ...

'' (1961) - Air Gunner * ''

What a Whopper ''What a Whopper'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Gilbert Gunn. It was written by Terry Nation, from a story by Jeremy Lloyd and Trevor Peacock. Pop singer Adam Faith stars as a writer who travels with some friends to Scotland to fake ...

'' (1961) - Vernon * ''

'' (1963) - Martin Lord * ''

The Return of Mr. Moto ''The Return of Mr. Moto'' (also known as ''Mr Moto and the Persian Oil Case'') is a 1965 British crime film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Henry Silva, Terence Longdon, and Suzanne Lloyd. Plot Mr. Moto is brought in by British intelli ...

'' (1965) - Jonathan Westering * ''

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 ...

'' (1978) - Anonymous Man * ''

The Martian Chronicles ''The Martian Chronicles'' is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, by Americans leaving a troubled Earth th ...

'' (1979, TV Mini-Series) - Martian Elder * ''

The Sea Wolves ''The Sea Wolves'' is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film, which is based on the 1978 book ''Boarding Party'' by James Leasor, is a fictionalised account of Operation Creek during the Second World War. ...

'' (1980) - Malverne * '' Hitler: The Rise of Evil'' (2003, TV Mini-Series) - Baron No. 1 (final appearance)

References

External links

* *
Obituary - The Stage

Obituary - The Guardian

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longdon, Terence 1922 births 2011 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors People from Newark-on-Trent Male actors from Nottinghamshire Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art