John Willoughby Gray MBE (5 November 1916 – 13 February 1993) was an English actor of stage and screen.

Early life

Willoughby Gray was born in London to his mother, Mary Henderson; his father, John Gray, was killed in action in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

soon after his birth. In 1918 Mary remarried and Willoughby became the stepson of Lieutenant General

Henry Pownall Lieutenant General Sir Henry Royds Pownall, (19 November 1887 – 10 June 1961) was a senior British Army officer who held several important command and staff appointments during the Second World War. In particular, he was chief of staff to the ...

Second World War

Gray served with distinction 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 ...

with GHQ Liaison Regiment (Phantom). For most of the campaign in Europe he commanded a reconnaissance unit with

11th Armoured Division The 11th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army which was created in March 1941 during the Second World War. The division was formed in response to the unanticipated success of the German panzer divisions. The 11th Armour ...

. For his gallant and distinguished services in the North West Europe campaign, he was appointed MBE. His recommendation reads:

Captain Gray has commanded a divisional patrol with outstanding success throughout the campaign. The resource and initiative shown by him at all times has resulted in a great deal of vital information reaching Army and Corps HQ much more quickly than would otherwise have been the case, in addition, he has shown great enterprise and complete disregard for his own personal safety on many occasions, notably whilst carrying out reconnaissances in the
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
area during the advance through
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
. The bearing of this officer under arduous conditions and his cheerfulness and willingness to do any work delegated to him unhesitatingly have been an example to those with whom he came in contact.

Acting career

He achieved popularity in the mid-1950s after making 38 appearances on the television series ''

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 ...

''. He also appeared in similar television shows such as '' The Buccaneers'' and ''

The Adventures of William Tell ''The Adventures of William Tell'' is a British swashbuckler adventure series, first broadcast on the ITV network in 1958, and produced by ITC Entertainment. In the United States, the episodes aired on the syndicated NTA Film Network in 1958 ...

.'' He appeared as 'Pete' in

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

's '' The Birthday Party'' on its very first run in 1958, this being just one of countless stage performances he made. Though over-shadowed by his stage career, Gray made a handful of popular films, notably as a priest in

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

's film ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

'' (1955), ''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places * Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States * Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in P ...

'' (1959), ''

Absolution Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the pr ...

'' (1978), '' The Hit'' (1984) and as the elderly and kind king in ''

The Princess Bride The Princess Bride may refer to: * ''The Princess Bride'' (novel), 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He ...

'' (1987). He appeared in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

film ''

A View to a Kill ''A View to a Kill'' is a 1985 spy film and the fourteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and is the seventh and final appearance of Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted ...

'' (1985) as the retired

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

doctor and

Max Zorin Maximillian Zorin is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1985 James Bond film '' A View to a Kill''. He is portrayed by Christopher Walken. Biography Zorin was born in Dresden around the end of World War II, after which Dresden be ...

's (

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...

) head scientist Dr. Carl Mortner/Hans Glaub. In the late 1980s, he appeared in the BBC drama '' Howards' Way'' as banker Sir John Stevens. In

Sergei Bondarchuk Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...

's 1970 film ''Waterloo'', he is credited as both an actor (playing Captain Ramsey) and a military consultant.. Accessed 8 February 2008.

Death

Gray died aged 76 in February 1993. His wife, who wrote as Felicity Gray, (née Margaret Andraea) was a choreographer, speaker and writer on ballet, who notably taught Gene Tierney for her role in ''Never Let Me Go''.

Selected filmography

*'' The Mark of Cain'' (1947) – Photographer (uncredited) *''

Guilt Is My Shadow ''Guilt Is My Shadow'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Roy Kellino and starring Elizabeth Sellars, Patrick Holt and Peter Reynolds. In the film, a woman is haunted by her conscience after she kills a man and hides the body. It is base ...

'' (1950) – Detective *''

Shadow of the Past ''Shadow of the Past'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by Mario Zampi and starring Joyce Howard, Terence Morgan, and Michael Medwin. The screenplay involves a man who catches sight of a woman believed by everyone to be dead. Cast * Joyce ...

'' (1950) – Chauffeur *''

Seven Days to Noon ''Seven Days to Noon'' is a 1950 British drama/thriller film directed by John and Roy Boulting. Paul Dehn and James Bernard won the Academy Award for Best Story for their work on the film. Plot In 1950, the British Prime Minister receives ...

'' (1950) – Bit Part (uncredited) *''

The Woman with No Name ''The Woman with No Name'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Ladislao Vajda and starring Phyllis Calvert, Edward Underdown, Helen Cherry, Richard Burton and James Hayter. In the United States it was released as ''Her Panelled Door''. Pl ...

'' (1950) – Group Captain *'' The Golden Year'' (1951) – Sir Norman Grenleigh *''

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 Officer *''Phantom Caravan'' (1954) – Major Thornhill *''

Stranger from Venus ''Stranger from Venus'' (also known as ''Immediate Disaster'' and ''The Venusian'' in the United States) is a 1954 independently made UK black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Burt Balaban (who also directed), Gene Martel, and Roy Ric ...

'' (1954) – Tom Harding *''

'' (1955) – 2nd Priest *''

'' (1959) – Dr. Reilly *''

The Dirty Dozen ''The Dirty Dozen'' is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph M ...

'' (1967) – German Officer (uncredited) *''

The Man Outside ''The Man Outside'' (, literally ''Outside, at the door'') is a play by Wolfgang Borchert, written in a few days in the late autumn of 1946. It made its debut on German radio on 13 February 1947. ''The Man Outside'' describes the hopelessness of ...

'' (1967) – Detective Inspector *'' Waterloo'' (1970) – Ramsey *''

Young Winston ''Young Winston'' is a 1972 British biographical adventure drama war film covering the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, based in particular on his 1930 book, ''My Early Life''. The first part of the film covers Churchill' ...

'' (1972) – Gladstone (uncredited) *'' Dead Cert'' (1974) – Coroner *''

'' (1978) – Brigadier Walsh *'' The Gamekeeper'' (1980) – Duke *'' The Hit'' (1984) – Judge *''

'' (1985) – Dr. Carl Mortner / Hans Glaub *'' Solarbabies'' (1986) – Canis *''

'' (1987) – the King

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Willoughby 1916 births 1993 deaths Male actors from London English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century English male actors Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II Members of the Order of the British Empire