John Alexander Fraser (18 March 1931 – 6 November 2020) was a Scottish actor and author. He is best known for his performances in the films ''The Dam Busters (1955 film), The Dam Busters'' (1955), ''The Good Companions (1957 film), The Good Companions'' (1957), ''The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (1960), ''El Cid (film), El Cid'' (1961), ''Repulsion (film), Repulsion'' (1965) and ''Isadora (film), Isadora'' (1968).

Career

One of his earliest roles was as Inigo Jollifant in The Good Companions (1957 film), the second film version of J.B. Priestley's ''The Good Companions'' (1957). Later, Fraser had leading roles in films such as ''El Cid (film), El Cid'', ''Tunes of Glory'', ''The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (playing Lord Alfred Douglas), Roman Polanski's ''Repulsion (film), Repulsion'', ''Isadora (film), Isadora'' and ''Schizo (1976 film), Schizo''. He made appearances on television series including ''Danger Man'' (1964), ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Randall and Hopkirk'' (1969), ''Columbo (TV series), Columbo'' (1972), ''Doctor Who'' (1981) and ''The Bill'' (1995). He released several singles in the late 1950s. In 2004, he published his autobiography, ''Close Up'', in which he wrote frankly about his gay life and friendships. In the book, Fraser wrote that actor Laurence Harvey was gay and that his long-term lover was his manager John and James Woolf, James Woolf.''The Guardian'
"Sexy self-image that revved up Dirk Bogarde"
2 October 2004 Of Dirk Bogarde, Fraser wrote, "Dirk's life with [Anthony] Anthony Forwood, Forwood had been so respectable, their love for each other so profound and so enduring, it would have been a glorious day for the pursuit of understanding and the promotion of tolerance if he had screwed up the courage ... to make one dignified allusion to his true nature. Self-love is no substitute for self-respect."

Personal life and death

Fraser died from oesophageal cancer on 6 November 2020 at the age of 89.

Selected filmography

Selected recordings

* 1957 - Bye Bye Love / Why Don't They Understand * 1958 - Presenting John Fraser (EP) with Tony Osborne, the Beryl Stott Group, the Kim Drake Orchestra * 1958 - Trolley Stop / Bye Bye Love with the Beryl Stott Group * 1959 - Bye Bye Baby Goodbye * 1960 - Jaula Dorada / Adios Adios Muchacha / Adios Amor / Por Que No Comprenden

Footnotes

Bibliography of works

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External links

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The Guardian obituary
1931 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Scottish male actors 21st-century Scottish male actors Deaths from cancer in the United Kingdom Deaths from esophageal cancer Scottish gay actors British gay writers LGBT writers from Scotland Male actors from Glasgow Scottish expatriates in Italy Scottish male film actors Scottish male stage actors Scottish male television actors Scottish writers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people {{Scotland-actor-stub