Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

known for his

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The ...

nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance as Corporal Lachlan MacLachlan in the 1949 film ''

The Hasty Heart ''The Hasty Heart'' is a 1949 war drama film, an Anglo-American co-production starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, and Richard Todd and directed by Vincent Sherman. The film is based on the 1945 play of the same name by John Patrick. ''Th ...

''. His other notable roles include Jonathan Cooper in '' Stage Fright'' (1950), Wing Commander

Guy Gibson Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, (12 August 1918 – 19 September 1944) was a distinguished bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the first Commanding Officer of No. 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam ...

in '' The Dam Busters'' (1955),

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...

in '' The Virgin Queen'' (1955), and Major

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

in ''The Longest Day'' (1962). He was previously a Captain in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

during

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, fighting in the D-Day landings as a member of the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion.

Early life and career

Richard Todd was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. His father, Andrew William Palethorpe-Todd, was an Irish physician and an international

Irish rugby Rugby union in Ireland ( ga, Aontas Rugbaí) is a very popular team sport. Rugby union is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one national team, governing body and league for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Founded in 18 ...

player who gained three caps for his country. Richard spent a few of his childhood years in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, where his father, an officer in the British Army, served as a physician. Later his family moved to Devon, and Todd attended

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

. Upon leaving school, Todd trained for a potential military career at Sandhurst before beginning his acting training at the Italia Conti Academy in London. This change in career led to estrangement from his mother. When he learned at the age of 19 that she had committed suicide, he did not grieve long (or so he admitted in later life). He first appeared professionally as an actor at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in 1936 in a production of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

''. He played in regional theatres and then co-founded the Dundee Repertory Theatre in Scotland in 1939. He also appeared as an extra in British films including ''

Good Morning, Boys ''Good Morning, Boys!'' is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and featuring Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Martita Hunt, Lilli Palmer and Peter Gawthorne. It was made at the Gainsborough Studios in Islington. The film marked the f ...

'' (1937), ''

A Yank at Oxford ''A Yank at Oxford'' is a 1938 comedy-drama film directed by Jack Conway and starring Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh and Edmund Gwenn. The screenplay was written by John Monk Saunders and Leon Gordon. The ...

'' (1938) and ''

Old Bones of the River ''Old Bones of the River'' is a comedy film released in 1938 starring British actor Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel, based on the characters created by Edgar Wallace. The film is a spoof of the 1935 ...

'' (1939).

Military service

Todd enlisted soon after the outbreak of the Second World War, entering the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

in late 1939. On 29 January 1941, he was one of 26 cadets injured when 'D' Block of New College was hit by a German bomb in an attack by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

. In his memoirs, he describes seeing the bomb pass through the ceiling in front of him before he was blown out of the building by its blast, landing on a grass bank and suffering lacerations; five cadets were killed in the incident. Todd passed out in the spring of 1941; i.e, completed the course. On the day he received his commission, he tried to join several friends at the Café de Paris in London, but could not get a table booked for the evening. That evening, the venue was destroyed in an air raid and 15 newly commissioned subalterns were killed. He was commissioned into the 2nd/4th Battalion of the

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somerset and Cornwall ...

(KOYLI). Following arctic warfare training in Iceland he returned to the UK as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

(having been promoted to that rank on 1 October 1942). For a short while he was posted, at his request, as liaison officer to the 42nd Armoured Division then applied to join the Parachute Regiment to have a better chance at seeing action. He was accepted and after training was posted to the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion as part of the

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other being ...

. On 6 June 1944, he participated in Operation Tonga during the D-Day landings. He was among the first British soldiers to land in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and the first Irishman. His battalion parachuted after glider-borne forces had landed to capture the Pegasus Bridge near

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000, During the operation he met Major

on the bridge and was involved in helping to repulse counter-attacks by the forces in the area. Five days after D-Day, while still in the bridge defence area, he was promoted to captain. Todd later played Howard in the 1962 film '' The Longest Day'', recreating these events. After three months fighting in Normandy, the 6th Airborne Division returned to the UK to reconstitute and went back to the continent three months later as emergency reinforcements to halt the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

the German offensive in the Ardennes. Short of transport as they advanced into Germany, Todd, as the motor transport officer, was responsible for gathering a rag-tag selection of commandeered vehicles to ferry troops forward. After VE day, the division returned to the UK for a few weeks, then was sent on counter-insurgency operations in Palestine. During this posting he was seriously injured when his

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors ...

overturned, breaking both shoulders and receiving a concussion. He returned to the UK to be demobilised in 1946.

Career

Associated British Picture Corporation

After the war, Todd was unsure what direction to take in his career. His former agent, Robert Lennard, had become a casting agent for

Associated British Picture Corporation Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

and advised him to try out for the Dundee Repertory Company. Todd did so, performing in plays such as ''Claudia'', where he appeared with Catherine Grant-Bogle, who became his first wife. Lennard arranged for a screen test and Associated British offered him a long-term contract in 1948. He was cast in the lead in '' For Them That Trespass'' (1949), directed by

Alberto Cavalcanti Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (February 6, 1897 – August 23, 1982) was a Brazilian-born film director and producer. He was often credited under the single name "Cavalcanti". Early life Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of ...

. The film was a minor hit and Todd's career was launched. Todd had appeared in the Dundee Repertory stage version of John Patrick's play ''

'', portraying the role of Yank and was chosen to appear in the 1948 London stage version of the play, this time in the leading role of Cpl. Lachlan McLachlan. This led to his being cast in that role in the Warner Bros. film adaptation of the play, filmed in Britain, alongside

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

and Patricia Neal. Todd was nominated for the

for the role in 1949.Todd, Richard. ''Caught in the Act'', Hutchinson, 1986 He was also voted favourite British male film star in Britain's National Film Awards. The film was the tenth most popular movie at the British box office in 1949. Todd became much in demand. He was lent to Constellation Films to appear in the thriller ''

The Interrupted Journey ''The Interrupted Journey'' is a 1949 British thriller film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Valerie Hobson, Richard Todd, Christine Norden and Tom Walls. The railways scenes were shot at Longmoor in Hampshire. The film includes a train cr ...

'' (1949).

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

then used him in '' Stage Fright'' (1950), opposite

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and Jane Wyman – Hitchcock's first British film in Britain since 1939. Associated British put him in the drama '' Portrait of Clare'' (1950), which did not perform well at the box office. Neither did '' Flesh and Blood'' (1951) for London Films, in which Todd had a dual role. Director

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

offered Todd a lead in '' Lightning Strikes Twice'' (1951).

Disney

Far more popular was ''

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men ''The Story of Robin Hood'' is a 1952 action-adventure film produced by RKO- Walt Disney British Productions, based on the Robin Hood legend, made in Technicolor and filmed in Buckinghamshire, England. It was written by Lawrence Edward Watkin and ...

'' (1952), in which Todd played the title role for Walt Disney Productions. Associated British put him in ''

24 Hours of a Woman's Life ''24 Hours of a Woman's Life'', also known as ''Affair in Monte Carlo'', is a 1952 British romantic drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Merle Oberon, Richard Todd and Leo Genn. It is loosely based on the novella by Stefan Zweig. P ...

'' (1952), with Merle Oberon. The Rank Organisation borrowed him for '' Venetian Bird'' (1952), directed by Ralph Thomas. Disney reunited the ''Robin Hood'' team in '' The Sword and the Rose'' (1953), with Todd as Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. It was not as popular as ''Robin Hood'' in the U.S. but performed well in Europe. The same went for Disney's '' Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue'' (1953), in which Todd played the title role. Disney pulled back on making costume films as a result. In 1953, he appeared in a BBC television adaptation of the novel '' Wuthering Heights'' as Heathcliff.

Nigel Kneale Thomas Nigel Kneale (28 April 1922 – 29 October 2006) was a Manx screenwriter who wrote professionally for more than 50 years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and was twice nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Scr ...

, responsible for the adaptation, said the production came about purely because Todd had turned up at the BBC and told them that he would like to play Heathcliff for them. Kneale had to write the script in only a week as the broadcast was rushed into production.

20th Century Fox

Todd's career received a boost when

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

signed him to a non-exclusive contract and cast him as the United States Senate Chaplain

Peter Marshall Peter Marshall may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Marshall (entertainer) (born 1926), American game show host of ''The Hollywood Squares'', 1966–1981 * Peter Marshall (author, born 1939) (1939–1972), British novelist whose works include ''T ...

in the film version of Catherine Marshall's best selling biography '' A Man Called Peter'' (1955), which was a popular success. Even more popular was '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) in which Todd played Wing Commander

. This was the most successful film at the British box office in 1955 and became the defining role of Todd's movie career. 20th Century Fox offered Todd '' The Virgin Queen'' (1955), playing

opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

. It did not do as well as ''Peter''. In France, he played Axel Fersen opposite Michèle Morgan in ''

Marie Antoinette Queen of France ''Marie Antoinette Queen of France'' (french: Marie-Antoinette reine de France and also known as ''Shadow of the Guillotine'') is a 1956 French-Italian historical drama film directed by Jean Delannoy who co-wrote the screenplay with Pierre Erlange ...

'' (1956), which was popular in France but not widely seen elsewhere. Fox cast him in '' D-Day the Sixth of June'' (1956), opposite Robert Taylor, which was a mild success. '' Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst'' (1957) was an attempt to repeat the success of ''The Dam Busters'', with the same director (Michael Anderson) and Todd playing another real-life hero. It was popular in Britain but not on the scale of ''The Dam Busters''. He was Dunois, Bastard of Orléans in '' Saint Joan'' (1957), directed by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

Decline as Star

'' Chase a Crooked Shadow'' (1958) was a thriller with director Anderson for Associated British. '' Intent to Kill'' (1958) was another thriller, this time for Fox, with Betsy Drake. He returned to war films with '' Danger Within'' (1958), a POW story. Then there were more thrillers, with '' Never Let Go'' (1960), directed by John Guillermin and co-starring Peter Sellers in a rare straight acting role; Todd gave what has been called one of his best performances. Few of these films had been overly popular but Todd was still the top-billed star of '' The Long and the Short and the Tall'' (1961), with Laurence Harvey and Richard Harris. He tried comedy with '' Don't Bother to Knock'' (1961), then made '' The Hellions'' (1961). Todd's cinema career rapidly declined in the 1960s as the

counter-culture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

movement in the Arts became fashionable in Britain, with social-realist dramas commercially replacing the more middle-class orientated dramatic productions that Todd's performance character-type had previously excelled in. '' The Boys'' (1962) was a courtroom drama film in which Todd played the lead prosecuting barrister. He had a good part among the many stars in '' The Longest Day'' (1962), playing Major John Howard during the airborne action just before and on D-Day in which he had taken part in 1944 (another actor portrayed Todd); this was his biggest hit for some time. He appeared in '' The Very Edge'' (1963), a thriller, then he played Harry Sanders in two films for

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 f ...

: ''

Death Drums Along the River ''Death Drums Along the River'' (titled ''Sanders'' in the USA) is a 1963 British-German international co-production, using the characters from Edgar Wallace's 1911 novel ''Sanders of the River'' and Zoltán Korda's 1935 film based on the nove ...

(1963)'' and ''

Coast of Skeletons ''Coast of Skeletons'' is a 1965 adventure film, directed by Robert Lynn and starring Richard Todd and Dale Robertson. It is a sequel to the 1963 film '' Death Drums Along the River'', and just as that film, it uses the characters from Edgar ...

'' (1965). He also had a small role in Anderson's '' Operation Crossbow'' (1965). In 1964. he was a member of the jury at the

14th Berlin International Film Festival The 14th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 26 June to 7 July 1964. The Swedish film ''491'' by Vilgot Sjöman was rejected by festival director ''Alfred Bauer'' owing to its controversial nature. The Golden Bear was awarded ...

. He had a supporting part in '' The Battle of the Villa Fiorita'' (1965) and the lead in ''

The Love-Ins ''The Love-Ins'' is a 1967 American counterculture-era exploitation movie about LSD that was directed by Arthur Dreifuss. The film is loosely based on the 1960s American figure Timothy Leary and represents the 1960s San Francisco scene, particu ...

'' (1968).

Later career

In the 1970s, he gained new fans when he appeared as the reader for Radio Four's ''Morning Story''. In the 1980s, his distinctive voice was heard as narrator of ''Wings Over the World'', a 13-part documentary series about the history of aviation shown on Arts & Entertainment television. He appeared before the camera in the episode about the

Lancaster bomber The Avro Lancaster is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the S ...

. Todd continued to act on television, including roles in '' Virtual Murder''; ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel ...

'' and in the ''

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 ...

'' story '' "Kinda"'' in 1982. In 1989, he appeared in the first episode of the sixth season of ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'' in which he played Colonel Alex Schofield in the episode titled "Appointment in Athens". He formed Triumph Theatre Productions with Duncan C. Weldon and Paul Elliott in the late 1960s. This company produced more than 100 plays, musicals and pantomimes all over the country; some of them starred Todd. His acting career extended into his 80s, and he made several appearances in British shows such as '' Heartbeat'' and ''

The Royal ''The Royal'' is a British period medical drama, produced by Yorkshire Television (later part of ITV Studios), and broadcast on ITV1 from 2003 until its cancellation in 2011. The series is set in the 1960s and focuses on the lives of the ...

''. He appeared in The Royal as Hugh Hurst, a retired solicitor, in the episode "Kiss and Tell" (2003); his last appearance in ''Heartbeat'' was as Major Harold Beecham in the 2007 episode "Seeds of Destruction". Richard Todd was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1993. He was the subject of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' on two occasions: in March 1960 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

at the BBC's

Lime Grove Studios Lime Grove Studios was a film, and later television, studio complex in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The complex was built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915. It was situated in Lime Grove, a residential street in Shepherd's Bush, a ...

; and in November 1988 when Michael Aspel surprised him on stage at the Theatre Royal Windsor.

Unmade projects

Todd was the first choice of author

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...

to play

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 ...

in '' Dr. No'', but a scheduling conflict gave the role to

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

. In the 1960s, Todd unsuccessfully attempted to produce a film of Ian Fleming's ''

The Diamond Smugglers ''The Diamond Smugglers'' is a non-fiction work by Ian Fleming that was first published in 1957 in the United Kingdom and in 1958 in the United States. The book is based on two weeks of interviews Fleming undertook with John Collard, a member o ...

'' and a television series based on true accounts of the

Queen's Messenger The Corps of King's Messengers (or Corps of Queen's Messengers during the reign of a female monarch) are couriers employed by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). They hand-carry secret and important documents to Br ...

s. He was also announced for a proposed film about

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. In his book ''British Film Character Actors'' (1982), Terence Pettigrew described Todd as "an actor who made the most of what he had, which could be summed up as an inability to sit still while there was a horse to leap astride, a swollen river to swim or a tree to vanish into."

Personal life

Todd was married twice; both marriages ended in divorce. His first wife was actress Catherine Grant-Bogle, whom he met in Dundee Repertory. They were married from 1949 until 1970. They had a son, Peter (1952–2005), and a daughter, Fiona. In 1960 he had a son Jeremy Todd-Nelson with model Patricia Nelson. He was married to model Virginia Mailer from 1970 until 1992; they had two sons, Andrew and Seumas (1977–1997). In retirement, Todd lived in the village of Little Ponton and later in

Little Humby Little Humby or Humby is a hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of Ropsley and Humby, east from Grantham, south-east from Ropsley and south from the A52 road. Great Humby, a smaller h ...

, eight miles from

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

. Two of Todd's five children died by suicide. In 1997, Seumas Palethorpe-Todd shot himself in the head at the family home in Lincolnshire; an inquest determined that the suicide might have been a depressive reaction to the drug he was taking for severe acne. On 21 September 2005, Peter killed himself with a shotgun in East Malling,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, following marital difficulties. Todd was a supporter of Second World War commemoration events, particularly those associated with the Normandy landings and 617 Squadron RAF. He continued to be identified in the public consciousness with

from his portrayal of him in the 1950s film, and attended 617 Squadron anniversaries up to 2008. He narrated a television documentary about the Squadron, and contributed forewords to several books on the subject, including ''The Dam Buster Story'' (2003); ''Filming the Dam Busters'' (2005); and ''Bouncing-Bomb Man: The Science of Sir Barnes Wallis'' (2009).

Death

Todd died after a battle with cancer at his home near Grantham in Lincolnshire on 3 December 2009. His body was buried between his two sons Seumas and Peter at St. Guthlac's Church in Little Ponton in the county of Lincolnshire. The gravestone's epitaph reads "Richard Andrew Palethorpe Todd, 1919–2009, husband of Virginia and Kitty, loving father of Peter, Fiona, Andrew, Seumas and Jeremy, Exit Dashing Young Blade" (a reference to the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

's description of him).

Selected filmography

Box-office rankings

British exhibitors regularly listed Todd among the most popular local stars at the box office in various polls: *1950 – 7th most popular British star *1952 – 5th most popular British star in Britain *1954 – 9th most popular British star *1955 – 7th most popular British star *1957 – 3rd most popular star in Britain

Select theatre credits

*''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' by

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 ...

(1965) – Strand Theatre, London with

Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), ''Night Train to Munich' ...

, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray and Roger Livesey – also toured South Africa *''

Dear Octopus ''Dear Octopus'' is a comedy by the playwright and novelist Dodie Smith. It opened at the Queen's Theatre, London on 14 September 1938. On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the run was halted after 373 performances; after a ...

'' by Dodie Smith (1967) – Haymarket Theatre, London * "The Winslow Boy" (1971) – national tour with Patrick Barr, Elizabeth Sellars and David Nicholas Wilkinson * " A Christmas Carol" (1971–72) – Theatre Royal, Brighton with Patrick Barr, Elizabeth Sellars,

Mervyn Johns Mervyn Johns (born David Mervyn John; 18 February 18996 September 1992) was a Welsh stage, film and television character actor who became a star of British films during the Second World War. Johns was known for his "mostly mild-mannered, lugubri ...

and David Nicholas Wilkinson *''

Sleuth Sleuth may refer to: *Detective *Sleuth, collective noun for a group of bears Computing * The Sleuth Kit, a collection of forensic analysis software *SLEUTH assembler language for the UNIVAC 1107 Entertainment and media *Cloo Cloo (stylized ...

'' (1972–73) – Australian tour *'' Equus'' (1975) – Australian tour *''

The Business of Murder ''The Business of Murder'' is a British play that ran for eight years in the West End. Plot Stone, a humourless and dour man, invites Dee, a television playwright, over to his flat on the premise of discussing a script. Once there, she is surpris ...

'' (1983–91) – Mayfair Theatre, London

Books

*''Caught in the Act'' (1986) *''In Camera, an Autobiography Continued'' (1989)

References

External links

British Army Officers 1939−1945Sixty-seconds interview with Richard Todd
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– Daily Telegraph obituary
Selected performances in Theatre Archive, University of BristolBBC Inside Out – Richard ToddImperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Richard 1919 births 2009 deaths 20th-century British actors Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts British male film actors British male television actors British male stage actors British Army personnel of World War II British Parachute Regiment officers Deaths from cancer in England Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry officers Male actors from Devon Male actors from Dublin (city) New Star of the Year (Actor) Golden Globe winners Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Wimborne Minster People educated at Shrewsbury School People from South Kesteven District Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England 20th Century Studios contract players British people in colonial India Burials in Lincolnshire Military personnel from Dublin (city)