Jack William Frederick Gwillim (15 December 1909 – 2 July 2001) was an English character actor.

Career

Born in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

, Kent, England, he joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

at 17 and served for over twenty years, becoming one of the youngest men ever to obtain the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

. During his time in the Navy, he became a champion boxer and rugby player, and was invalided out in 1946. After training at

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

, Gwillim began his acting career in earnest in the 1950s, working on both stage and screen. On stage, he appeared both at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford and at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

. He performed in an extensive amount of theatre, both classics and modern plays, in the West End of London and on Broadway. Some of his most notable roles include: playing in

Sir Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

's production of ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

''; ''

The Right Honourable Gentleman ''The Right Honourable Gentleman'' is a 1962 play by Michael Dyne, first staged in 1964. Plot ''The Right Honourable Gentleman'' is a dramatization of the rather complicated real-life Crawford scandal of Victorian England. Sir Charles Dilke, an ...

'' with lifelong friend

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969 ...

; a revival of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' with

Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play '' French Without Tears'', in wh ...

, playing Colonel Pickering;

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

's '' The Constant Wife'', with

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary '' Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is ofte ...

; and ''

The Iceman Cometh ''The Iceman Cometh'' is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1946, the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling, where it ran for 136 perf ...

'', with

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

. Gwillim also featured in over fifty films and television series, usually war films or historical epics. His military background, commanding presence and deep, booming voice typecast him as soldiers and authority figures. Some of his most notable roles include playing a warship captain in ''

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), the archbishop Hubert Walter in '' Sword of Sherwood Forest'' (1960), the obnoxious club secretary in ''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

'' (1962), King Aeëtes in '' Jason and the Argonauts'' (1963), an RAF officer 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 '' Thunderball'' (1965), the Lord Chief Justice in '' A Man for All Seasons'' (1966), General Harold Alexander in ''

Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

'' (1970),

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as ...

in '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981), and Van Helsing in ''

The Monster Squad ''The Monster Squad'' is a 1987 American black comedy horror film directed by Fred Dekker, and written by Dekker and Shane Black, who met as classmates at UCLA. Peter Hyams and Rob Cohen served as executive producers. It was released by TriSt ...

'' (1987). He also had a recurring role on the TV series ''

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 ...

'', '' The Saint'', and ''

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 ...

''. He took part in a number of recordings for Caedmon Shakespeare Records.

Personal life

Gwillim was twice married: to Peggy Bollard, until 1958, and Olivia Selby, from 1969 until his death. He had two children from his first marriage, Sarah-Jane Gwillim and David Gwillim, and a third, Jaxon Duff Gwillim, from his second marriage. His children also became actors, and he acted onstage with them in 1995 in a production of '' On Borrowed Time'', which was his last on stage performance.

Death

Gwillim died in Los Angeles, California on 2 July 2001 at the age of 91. He was buried in Lot 136, Section 15 of Albany Rural Cemetery in Upstate New York.

Filmography

* '' The Battle of the River Plate'' (1956) - Captain Parry - H.M.N.Z.S. Achilles * '' The One That Got Away'' (1957) - Commandant Grizedale * ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' (1959) - Oberon (voice) * '' North West Frontier'' (1959) - Brigadier Ames * '' Solomon and Sheba'' (1959) - Josiah * ''

'' (1960) - Captain (King George V) * '' Let's Get Married'' (1960) - Dr. Sanders * '' Circus of Horrors'' (1960) - Supt. Andrews * ''

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

'' (1960) - Barrister * '' Sword of Sherwood Forest'' (1960) - Archbishop of Canterbury Hubert Walter * '' Sentenced for Life'' (1960) - John Richards * ''

No Love for Johnnie ''No Love for Johnnie'' is a 1961 British drama film in CinemaScope directed by Ralph Thomas. It was based on the 1959 book of the same title by the Labour Member of Parliament Wilfred Fienburgh, and stars Peter Finch. It depicts the disillu ...

'' (1961) - MP (uncredited) * '' Lisa'' (1962) - Insp. Cobb * ''

In Search of the Castaways ''In Search of the Castaways'' (french: Les Enfants du capitaine Grant, lit=The Children of Captain Grant) is a novel by the French writer Jules Verne, published in 1867–68. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of ill ...

'' (1962) - Captain Grant * ''

'' (1962) - Club Secretary * ''The Rivals'' (1963) - Rolf Neilson * ''

Sammy Going South ''Sammy Going South'' (retitled ''A Boy Ten Feet Tall'' for its later US release) is a 1963 British adventure film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, photographed by Erwin Hillier and starring Edward G. Robinson, Fergus McClelland and Constanc ...

'' (1963) - District Commissioner * '' Jason and the Argonauts'' (1963) - King Aeëtes * '' The World Ten Times Over'' (1963) - Bolton * '' The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb'' (1964) - Sir Giles Dalrymple * '' Thunderball'' (1965) - Senior RAF Staff Officer (uncredited) * ''

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die ''Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die'' (Italian: ''Se tutte le donne del mondo... (Operazione Paradiso)'') is a James Bond spoof film released in 1966 as an Italian-American co-production between Dino De Laurentiis' Cinematografica and Columbia Pic ...

'' (1966) - British ambassador * '' A Man for All Seasons'' (1966) - Chief Justice * '' Casino Royale'' (1967) - British Officer at Auction (uncredited) * ''

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, ...

'' (1969) - Ardsley * ''

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

'' (1969) - Senior Air Staff Officer * ''

'' (1970) - General Sir Harold Alexander * ''

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) - General Byron * '' The Adams Chronicles'' (1976, TV Mini-Series) - Lord Carmarthen * '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) -

* '' Sicilian Connection'' (1987) - (voice) * ''

Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

'' (1987) - Artist * ''

'' (1987) - Van Helsing * '' Blue Shark Hash'' (2001) - Jonah (final film role)

References

External links

* * * *
Obituary in ''The Guardian''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwillim, Jack 1909 births 2001 deaths English male film actors English male stage actors Male actors from Kent People from Canterbury Royal Navy officers British expatriate male actors in the United States Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Military personnel from Kent Royal Navy officers of World War II Burials in New York (state)