Nigel Patrick (born Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman; 2 May 1912 – 21 September 1981) was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, he became known as a debonair leading man in British films, though he could also portray rogues. He featured in ''
The Sound Barrier
''The Sound Barrier'' is a 1952 British aviation drama film directed by David Lean. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and test pilots to break the sound barrier. It was David Lean's third and final film with his wife ...
'' (aka, ''Breaking Through the Sound Barrier'', 1952), under the direction of David Lean.
Biography
Patrick was born in London, England, the son of Thomas Joseph Charles Aubrey Wemyss Gorman (born 1875 – died 19??) and actress Dorothy Hilda Turner (1890–1969).
Stage actor
He made his professional stage debut in ''The Life Machine'' at the Regent Theatre, in
Kings Cross, London
Kings Cross is a district on either side of Euston Road, in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Barnsbury to the north, Clerkenwell and Islington to the east, Holborn to the south and Euston to the west. It is ser ...
, in 1932 following a period in repertory. Thereafter he appeared in many successful plays, including ''Half a Crown'' (1934), ''Ringmaster'' (1935), ''Roulette'' (1935), ''The Lady of La Paz'' (1936) and ''Madmoiselle'' (1936)
He starred in the long-running ''
George and Margaret
''George and Margaret'' is a comedy play by British writer Gerald Savory, which was first staged in 1937. It had a very successful run in the West End, beginning at Wyndham's Theatre before transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre, lasting for ove ...
'' (1937) at the
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...
, which ran for 799 performances.
He followed it with ''Tony Draws a Horse'' (1939) and ''Children to Bless You'' (1939).
Second World War
His acting career was put on hold until after service in the Second World War, during which, as a
Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
His debut film performance was as a reporter in a supporting romantic role in '' Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard'' (1940). It was filmed in July 1939 and released the following year. After the war, Patrick appeared in ''
Noose
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot.
The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...
'' (1948) playing a spiv. Patrick had a good part in '' Silent Dust'' (1948) and was promoted to star for ''
The Jack of Diamonds
''The Jack of Diamonds'' is a 1949 British adventure film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Nigel Patrick, Cyril Raymond and Joan Carroll. Its plot follows an ex-soldier who persuades some yacht owners to help recover a treasure chest of ...
'' (1949), which he also co-wrote.
He supported
Patricia Roc
Patricia Roc (born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold; 7 June 1915 – 30 December 2003) was an English film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as ''Madonna of the Seven Moons'' (1945) and '' The Wicked Lady'' (1945), though she only ...
in '' The Perfect Woman'' (1949), and had a key role in the film version of ''
Morning Departure
''Morning Departure'' (released as ''Operation Disaster'' in the United StatesTrio'' (1950) based on stories by W. Somerset Maugham and appeared in the Hollywood-financed ''
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
''Pandora and the Flying Dutchman'' is a 1951 British Technicolor romantic fantasy drama film directed by Albert Lewin and produced by Lewin and Joseph Kaufman from Lewin's own screenplay, based on the legend of the ''Flying Dutchman''. It wa ...
Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Mourning Becomes Elec ...
, and appeared in a popular comedy ''
Young Wives' Tale
''Young Wives' Tale'', also known as ''Fun for Four'', is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass and starring Joan Greenwood, Nigel Patrick, Derek Farr, and Guy Middleton. The film is based on the 1949 play '' Young Wives' Tale'' ...
'' (1951). He returned to the world of Maugham with '' Encore'' (1951) and was in ''Who Goes There!'' (1951) on stage.
Patrick reprised his '' Who Goes There!'' (1952) performance on film then played a test pilot in the popular ''
The Sound Barrier
''The Sound Barrier'' is a 1952 British aviation drama film directed by David Lean. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and test pilots to break the sound barrier. It was David Lean's third and final film with his wife ...
'' (1952). He was then in ''
Meet Me Tonight
''Meet Me Tonight'' is a 1952 in film, 1952 omnibus British comedy film adapted from three one act plays by Noël Coward: ''Red Peppers'', ''Fumed Oak'' and ''Ways and Means (play), Ways and Means''; which are part of his ''Tonight at 8.30'' pla ...
'' (1952) and ''
The Pickwick Papers
''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...
'' (1952). Due mostly to ''The Sound Barrier'', exhibitors voted Patrick the seventh most popular British film star with the public, in 1952.
Patrick was in '' Grand National Night'' (1953) and was the ninth most popular British star. On stage he was in ''Escapade'' (1953) and ''Birthday Honours'' (1953).
The following year he was in ''
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) and was one of several British stars in ''
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 ...
'' (1954). He supported
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...
in '' A Prize of Gold'' (1955) for Warwick Films, who announced Patrick might direct ''In All Dishonesty'' for them on stage. It did not happen. Instead Patrick starred in a comedy '' All for Mary'' (1955). On stage he was in ''Green Room Rags'' (1954) and ''The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker'' (1955).
He had a major role in '' Raintree County'' (1957).
Director
For Warwick Films, Patrick starred in and directed '' How to Murder a Rich Uncle'' (1957).
He supported Jeffrey Hunter in '' Count Five and Die'' (1957) and appeared in ''The Egg'' (1957) on stage. Patrick made another for Warwick but as an actor only, '' The Man Inside'' (1958), with Jack Palance.
On stage Patrick directed ''No Way to Kill'' (1958) and '' Not in the Book'' (1958) and acted in and directed ''Pleasure of His Company'' (1959).
He starred in ''
Sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...
'' (1959), winner of Best British Film at the 1960 BAFTA Film Awards. It was directed by Basil Dearden who then used Patrick in ''
The League of Gentlemen
''The League of Gentlemen'' is a surreal British comedy horror sitcom that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England, originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the live ...
'' (1960). On stage he acted in and directed ''Settled Out of Court'' (1960).
Patrick made another for Warwick as an actor, '' The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (1960), then made ''
Johnny Nobody
''Johnny Nobody'' is a 1961 British drama film made by Viceroy Films Limited, with John R. Sloan as producer, and Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli as executive producers. It was directed by the British film and stage actor Nigel Patrick, w ...
'' (1961) for them as director and actor.
He was in '' Zero One'' (1962–65) on TV and starred in the tough crime thriller '' The Informers'' (1963).
Later career
Patrick appeared on stage in ''The Schoolmistress'' (1964) and '' Present Laughter'' (1965) and he directed ''Past Imperfect'' (1964) and ''Present Laughter'' (1965) and Alan Ayckbourn's '' Relatively Speaking'' (1967) at the
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...
. Film appearances included ''
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), '' The Virgin Soldiers'' (1969) and '' The Executioner'' (1970). He directed '' Avanti!'' (1968) on Broadway.
Other stage appearances included ''Best of Friends'' (1970), ''Reunion in Vienna'' (1971), ''Habeas Corpus'' (1974), ''The Pay Off'' (1974), ''Dear Daddy'' (1976) and ''Peter Pan'' (1978). He also worked steadily as a director.
Personal life and death
He married the actress Beatrice Campbell at St James's, Spanish Place, Marylebone, London on 12 January 1951. She predeceased him in 1979; he died, two years later, from lung cancer, on 21 September 1981.
Noose
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot.
The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...
'' (1948) as Bar Gorman
* '' Silent Dust'' (1949) as Simon Rawley
* ''
The Jack of Diamonds
''The Jack of Diamonds'' is a 1949 British adventure film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Nigel Patrick, Cyril Raymond and Joan Carroll. Its plot follows an ex-soldier who persuades some yacht owners to help recover a treasure chest of ...
'' (1949) as Alan Butler
* '' The Perfect Woman'' (1949) as Roger Cavendish
* ''
Morning Departure
''Morning Departure'' (released as ''Operation Disaster'' in the United StatesTrio'' (1950) as Max Kealada (Segment: "Mr. Know-All")
* ''
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman
''Pandora and the Flying Dutchman'' is a 1951 British Technicolor romantic fantasy drama film directed by Albert Lewin and produced by Lewin and Joseph Kaufman from Lewin's own screenplay, based on the legend of the ''Flying Dutchman''. It wa ...
'' (1951) as Stephen Cameron
* '' The Browning Version'' (1951) as Frank Hunter
* ''
Young Wives' Tale
''Young Wives' Tale'', also known as ''Fun for Four'', is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Henry Cass and starring Joan Greenwood, Nigel Patrick, Derek Farr, and Guy Middleton. The film is based on the 1949 play '' Young Wives' Tale'' ...
'' (1951) as Rodney Pennant
* '' Encore'' (1951) as Tom Ramsay (Segment: "The Ant and the Grasshopper")
* '' Who Goes There!'' (1952) as Miles Cornwall
* ''
The Sound Barrier
''The Sound Barrier'' is a 1952 British aviation drama film directed by David Lean. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and test pilots to break the sound barrier. It was David Lean's third and final film with his wife ...
'' (1952) as Tony Garthwaite
* ''
Meet Me Tonight
''Meet Me Tonight'' is a 1952 in film, 1952 omnibus British comedy film adapted from three one act plays by Noël Coward: ''Red Peppers'', ''Fumed Oak'' and ''Ways and Means (play), Ways and Means''; which are part of his ''Tonight at 8.30'' pla ...
'' (1952) as Toby Cartwrigth: Ways and Means
* ''
The Pickwick Papers
''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...
'' (1952) as Mr. Jingle
* '' Grand National Night'' (1953) as Gerald Coates
* ''
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) as Insp. Michael Kenyon
* ''
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 ...
Sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...
'' (1959) as Superintendent Robert Hazard
* ''
The League of Gentlemen
''The League of Gentlemen'' is a surreal British comedy horror sitcom that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England, originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the live ...
Johnny Nobody
''Johnny Nobody'' is a 1961 British drama film made by Viceroy Films Limited, with John R. Sloan as producer, and Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli as executive producers. It was directed by the British film and stage actor Nigel Patrick, w ...
'' (1961) as Father Carey
* '' The Informers'' (1963) as Chief Insp. John Edward Johnnoe
* ''
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 ...
Johnny Nobody
''Johnny Nobody'' is a 1961 British drama film made by Viceroy Films Limited, with John R. Sloan as producer, and Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli as executive producers. It was directed by the British film and stage actor Nigel Patrick, w ...
'' (1961)
As a writer
* ''
The Jack of Diamonds
''The Jack of Diamonds'' is a 1949 British adventure film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Nigel Patrick, Cyril Raymond and Joan Carroll. Its plot follows an ex-soldier who persuades some yacht owners to help recover a treasure chest of ...
'' (1949)
As a narrator
* ''
Arrivederci Roma
"Arrivederci Roma" (English: "Goodbye, Rome") is the title and refrain of a popular Italian song, composed in 1955 by Renato Rascel, with lyrics by Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini. It was published in 1957 as part of the soundtrack of the Ita ...
* ''The Life Machine'' (1932)
* ''Half a Crown'' (1934)
* ''Ringmaster'' (1935)
* '' Roulette'' (1935)
* ''The Lady of La Paz'' (1936)
* ''Madmoiselle'' (1936)
* ''George & Margaret'' (1937)
* ''
Tony Draws a Horse
''Tony Draws a Horse'' is a 1950 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Cecil Parker, Anne Crawford and Derek Bond. It was adapted from a 1939 play of the same name by Lesley Storm.
Plot
When their eight-year-old ...
Settled Out of Court
In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. A collective settlement is a settlement of multiple similar legal cases. The term also has other meanings in t ...
'' (1960)
* '' The Schoolmistress'' (1964)
* '' Present Laughter'' (1965)
* ''Best of Friends'' (1970)
* ''Reunion in Vienna'' (1971)
* ''
Habeas Corpus
''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...
'' (1974)
* ''The Pay Off'' (1974)
* ''
Dear Daddy
''Dear Daddy'' is a 1976 play written by English playwright Denis Cannan, first staged at the Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End.
Plot summary
Productions
; Opening night cast
* Nigel Patrick as Bernard
* Isabel Dean as Mary
* Jennife ...
'' (1976)
* ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...
'' (1978)
As a director/stage manager
* ''No Way to Kill'' (1958)
* '' Not in the Book'' (1958)
* ''Pleasure of His Company'' (1959)
* ''
Settled Out of Court
In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. A collective settlement is a settlement of multiple similar legal cases. The term also has other meanings in t ...
'' (1960)
* ''Past Imperfect'' (1964)
* '' Present Laughter'' (1965)
* '' Relatively Speaking'' (1967)
* ''The Others'' (1967)
* ''Avanti!' (1968)
* ''Out of the Question'' (1968)
* ''Trio'' (1969)
* ''Three'' (1970)
* ''The Pay Off'' (1974)
* ''Suite in Two Keys'' (1978)
* '' The Last of Mrs Cheyney'' (1980)
Television
* ''Morning Departure'' (1946) as Lt-Cmdr. Stanford
* ''Zero One (1962–65) as Alan Garnett
* '' It Takes a Thief'' – "Flowers from Alexander" (1969)
* ''Sunday Night Thriller'' – "Blunt Instrument" (1981) as Hugh Logan