Victor Jack Maddern (16 March 1928 – 22 June 1993) was an English actor. He was described by ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' as having "one of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in post-war British cinema."
Essex
Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
, Maddern attended Beal Grammar Boys school and afterwards joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 15 and served in 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 ...
from 1943 until its end and was medically discharged in 1946.
He subsequently trained at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
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 ...
(RADA). He made his first screen appearance in '' Seven Days to Noon'' in 1950, playing a reluctant soldier obliged to shoot a psychotic scientist. One of his earliest stage roles was as Sam Weller in '' The Trial of Mr Pickwick'' (1952). Appearing as Helicon in a production of
Albert Camus
Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...
' play ''
Caligula
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germani ...
'' (1964), Maddern was singled out for critical praise, and in '' My Darling Daisy'' (1970) portrayed the notorious
Frank Harris
Frank Harris (14 February 1855 – 26 August 1931) was an Irish-American editor, novelist, short story writer, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day.
Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the United State ...
. He also did two stints in the highly successful
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...
play ''
The Mousetrap
''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. ''The Mousetrap'' opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-1 ...
'' - the longest-running production in London's West End.
From 1950 to the early 1990s, Maddern appeared in films and TV series, often portraying military types, usually cast as
sergeant
Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...
s or
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...
s, as well as privates, seaman or airmen, played either straight or comically, though one exception to this rule was when he portrayed a deformed hunchback, named Carl, in the horror film '' Blood of the Vampire'' (1958). He played minor roles in five '' Carry On'' films. Among his many TV roles were Private Gross in
's '' Captain Carvallo'', old Lampwick's son-in-law in '' The Dick Emery Show''., and Tommy Finch, the British dad in '' Fair Exchange'' in 1962–63 on CBS network, one of the first hour-long situation comedies. In 1963, he had a guest role on '' Perry Mason'' as jewel smuggler Gilbert Tyrell, in the episode "The Case of the Floating Stones."
Besides acting, Maddern ran a script printing business, and in 1991 opened a
public speaking
Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delive ...
school. A lifelong
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
voter, he offered special rates to Conservative MPs and constituency workers.
In his later years, Maddern devoted much of his time to charitable work. He was married with four daughters. He died from a
brain tumour
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and second ...
in Hackney, London,GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1993 B26F 237 HACKNEY - Victor Jack Maddern, DoB = 16 Mar 1928, aged 65. in 1993, aged 65.
Pool of London
The Pool of London is a stretch of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Limehouse.
Part of the Tideway of the Thames, the Pool was navigable by tall-masted vessels bringing coastal and later overseas goods—the wharves there were th ...
'' (1951) – First Tram Conductor (uncredited)
* '' I’ll Never Forget You'' (1951) – Geiger Man (uncredited)
* ''
High Treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
'' (1951) – Anarchist (uncredited)
* ''
His Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the ri ...
'' (1952) – Soldier
* ''
Angels One Five
''Angels One Five'' is a 1952 British war film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond and Veronica Hurst. Based on the book ''What Are Your Angels Now?'' by P ...
'' (1952) – Airman
* '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952) – Radio operator (uncredited)
* ''
Top Secret
Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to kn ...
'' (1952) – British N.C.O.
* '' Time Bomb'' (1953) – Saboteur
* '' Street of Shadows'' (1953) – Danny Thomas
* '' Sailor of the King'' (1953) – Signalman Willy 'Misery' Earnshaw
* '' Malta Story'' (1953) – Grouchy Soldier Clearing Rocks (uncredited)
* '' The Good Beginning'' (1953) – Bookie's Runner (uncredited)
* '' The Young Lovers'' (1954) – Sailor (uncredited)
* ''
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
''The Sea Shall Not Have Them'' is a 1954 British war film starring Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Steel. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and is based on the 1953 novel by John Harris, about a North Sea rescue during the Second W ...
Fabian of the Yard
''Fabian of the Yard'' is a British police procedural television series based on the real-life memoirs of Scotland Yard detective Robert Fabian, made by the BBC and broadcast between November 1954 and February 1956. It is considered the earlies ...
'' (1954)
* ''
Raising a Riot
''Raising a Riot'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Wendy Toye and starring Kenneth More, Shelagh Fraser and Mandy Miller about a naval officer who attempts to look after his three children in his wife's absence. It was shot at Sheppert ...
Footsteps in the Fog
''Footsteps in the Fog'' is a 1955 British Technicolor film noir crime film starring Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons, with a screenplay co-written by Lenore Coffee and Dorothy Davenport, and released by Columbia Pictures. The film is based o ...
'' (1955) – Jones
* ''
Josephine and Men
''Josephine and Men'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Glynis Johns, Jack Buchanan, Donald Sinden and Peter Finch. It also features William Hartnell, Gerald Sim, Thorley Walters, Victor Maddern and John Le ...
'' (1955) – Henry
* ''
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 ...
'' (1955) – Sergeant Craig
* '' It's a Great Day'' (1955) – Charlie Mead
* ''
Private's Progress
''Private's Progress'' is a 1956 British comedy film based on the novel by Alan Hackney. It was directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting, from a script by John Boulting and Frank Harvey.
Plot
During the Second World War, young underg ...
The Man in the Sky
''The Man in the Sky'' (released in the U.S. as ''Decision Against Time'') is a 1957 thriller drama film starring Jack Hawkins and produced by Ealing Films, Michael Balcon's new company, set up after Rank had sold Ealing Studios in Ealing Gree ...
'', aka ''Decision Against Time'' (1957) – Joe Biggs
* ''
Seven Waves Away
''Seven Waves Away'' (alternate U.S. titles: ''Abandon Ship!'' and ''Seven Days From Now'') is a 1957 British adventure film directed by Richard Sale and starring Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan, and Stephen Boyd. When his ship goes ...
'' (1957) – Willy Hawkins
* '' Saint Joan'' (1957) – English Soldier
* '' Face in the Night'' (1957) – Ted
* ''
Strangers' Meeting
''Strangers' Meeting'' is a 1957 crime drama film directed by Robert Day and starring Peter Arne and Delphi Lawrence.
Premise
Trapeze artist Harry is wrongly convicted of murder after his partner falls to her death. He escapes from jail and h ...
Carve Her Name with Pride
''Carve Her Name with Pride'' is a 1958 British war drama film based on the book of the same name by R. J. Minney.
The film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, is based on the true story of Special Operations Executive agent Violette Szabo, GC, who w ...
'' (1958) – Sergeant, Parachute Training Instructor (uncredited)
* '' Happy Is the Bride'' (1958) – Shop Steward
* '' The Safecracker'' (1958) – Morris
* ''
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.
'' (1958) – Merchant Seaman in Pub
* '' Cat & Mouse'' (1958) – Superintendent Harding
* '' Blood of the Vampire'' (1958) – Carl
* ''
I Was Monty's Double
''I Was Monty's Double'' (released in the US as ''The Counterfeit General Montgomery''The Square Peg'' (1958) – Cpl Motor Pool. (uncredited)
* ''
The Siege of Pinchgut
''The Siege of Pinchgut'' (released in the US as ''Four Desperate Men'') is a 1959 British thriller filmed on location in Sydney, Australia, and directed by Harry Watt. It was the last film produced by Ealing Studios, and was entered into the ...
Sink the Bismarck!
''Sink the Bismarck!'' is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the 1959 book '' The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck'' by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert.Weiler, A.H ...
'' (1960) – Able Seaman (uncredited)
* '' Carry On Constable'' (1960) – Detective Sergeant Liddell
* '' Let's Get Married'' (1960) – Works Manager
* '' Light Up the Sky!'' (1960) – Lance Corporal Tomlinson
* ''
Watch Your Stern
''Watch Your Stern'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Kenneth Connor, Eric Barker and Leslie Phillips. The film was based on the play ''Something About a Sailor'' by Earle Couttie. The Royal Navy provided coop ...
'' (1960) – Sailor fishing for bike
* '' Crossroads to Crime'' (1960) – Len
* ''
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* E ...
'' (1960) – Sergeant
* ''
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) – First Sinister Passenger
* '' Raising the Wind'' (1961) – Removal Man
* '' On the Fiddle'' (1961) – First Airman
* ''
Petticoat Pirates
''Petticoat Pirates'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and starring Charlie Drake, Anne Heywood, Cecil Parker, John Turner and Thorley Walters
Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English c ...
'' (1961) – CPO Nixon
* ''
H.M.S. Defiant
''H.M.S. Defiant'' (released as ''Damn the Defiant!'' in the United States) is a British naval war CinemaScope and Technicolor film from 1962 starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde. It tells the story of a mutiny aboard the fictitious ship of ...
Bunny Lake Is Missing
''Bunny Lake Is Missing'' is a 1965 British-American psychological drama film, directed and produced by Otto Preminger. Filmed in black-and-white widescreen format in London, it was based on the 1957 novel '' Bunny Lake Is Missing'' by Merriam ...
'' (1965) – Taxi Driver
* ''
Circus of Fear
''Circus of Fear'' (german: Das Rätsel des silbernen Dreieck / ''Mystery of the Silver Triangle''), also ''Scotland Yard auf heißer Spur'', also ''Circus of Terror'') is a 1966 Anglo- German international co-production thriller film starring ...
Run Like a Thief
''Run Like a Thief'' (Spanish: ''Robo de diamantes'') is a 1967 American-Spanish comedy crime film directed by Bernard Glasser and starring Kieron Moore, Ina Balin and Keenan Wynn.Riambau & Torreiro p.362 A soldier of fortune makes off with a f ...
'' (1967) – Abel Baker
* ''
Cuckoo Patrol
''Cuckoo Patrol'' is a 1967 British musical comedy film directed by Duncan Wood and starring Freddie Garrity, Victor Maddern, John Le Mesurier and Kenneth Connor. It was produced in 1965 but held back for two years.
The film's tag line, "Bas ...
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film stars ...
'' (1968) – Junkman
* ''
The Bushbaby
''The Bushbaby'' is a 1969 American film based on the novel ''The Bushbabies'' (1965) by William Stevenson and adapted by Robert Maxwell. It was directed and produced by John Trent and stars Margaret Brooks and Lou Gossett in the leading roles, ...
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
'' (1970) – Executioner (uncredited)
* ''
The Magnificent Six and 1/2
''The Magnificent Six and 1/2'' was a British comedy film series for the Children's Film Foundation. Based on Hal Roach's popular Our Gang series of shorts, "Six and 1/2" followed a group of seven children on their fun misadventures. Created by ...
'' (1971)
* ''
Steptoe and Son
''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black and w ...
Freddie as F.R.O.7
''Freddie as F.R.O.7'' (also known as ''Freddie the Frog'') is a 1992 British animated musical action fantasy comedy film written and directed by Jon Acevski and starring the voice of Ben Kingsley. Inspired by bedtime stories Acevski told to hi ...
'' (1992) – Old Gentleman Raven (voice) (final film role)
Selected television credits
* ''
The Adventures of Robin Hood
''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia d ...
'' (1958) – Hugo
* ''
Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 158 ...
Mess Mates
''Mess Mates'' is a British comedy television series which originally aired on ITV between 1960 and 1962.Wagg p.9 It is set on the coastal vessel SS Guernsey where Captain Briskett has to keep a watchful eye on his rowdy and conniving sailors. ...
'' (1960) – 'Tug' Nelson
* ''
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...
'' (1963) – Dave
* ''
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
'' (1964) – Bert Henderson
* ''
The Troubleshooters
''The Troubleshooters'' (titled ''Mogul'' for the first series) is a British television series made by the BBC between 1965 and 1972, created by John Elliot. It recounted events in an international oil company – the "Mogul" of the title. Th ...
The Prisoner
''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
'' - (''
Fury from the Deep
''Fury from the Deep'' is the completely missing sixth serial of the fifth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in six weekly parts from 16 March to 20 April 1968.
In this serial, the Do ...
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Dennis Spooner and p ...
'' (1970) – Detective Sergeant Watts
* '' The Dick Emery Show'' (1968-1980) – Ernie
* ''
Paul Temple
Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge. Temple is a professional author of crime fiction and an amateur private detective. With his wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' in reference to her jo ...
'' (1971) – Bill Stacey
* ''The Frighteners'' (4 August 1972,
ITV (TV network)
ITV is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passi ...
) - ('The Disappearing Man') - (Arthur)
* ''
Crown Court
The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...
'' (1973) – Joe Fisk
* ''
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
'' (1977) – Sammy Calhoun
* ''
Together
''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...
The Beiderbecke Tapes
''The Beiderbecke Tapes'' is a two-part British television drama serial written by Alan Plater and broadcast in 1987. It is the second serial in '' The Beiderbecke Trilogy'' and stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Cha ...
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused on ...