Alexander Joseph Doré (28 August 1923 – 16 April 2002) was a British actor, director and screenwriter. He was best known for his appearance as the First Spy in the 1968 film ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 children's film, children's Musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, ...

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

(BFI) database He also co-starred in the 1968 TV series ''

Virgin of the Secret Service ''Virgin of the Secret Service'' is a British television series which ran for one season in 1968, produced by the ITV (TV network), ITV franchise, Associated Television. The series was created by Ted Willis. The show was a tongue-in-cheek adven ...

'' (as villain Karl Von Brauner) as well as playing Bertram Bright in '' Bright's Boffins'' (1970-1972). Doré's other screen appearances include '' At the Stroke of Nine'' (1957), ''Tales from Dickens'' (1958), ''ITV Television Playhouse'' (1958), '' Emergency-Ward 10'' (1960), ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'' (1964), '' Casino Royale'' (1967), '' ITV Playhouse'' (1968), and ''

A Very Peculiar Practice ''A Very Peculiar Practice'' is a British surreal black-comedy drama set in the health centre of a university, produced by the BBC, which ran for two series in 1986 and 1988. The two series were followed by a 90-minute made-for-television film ...

'' (1986). His credits as a

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

include ''Jungle Street'' (1961) and '' The Wind of Change'' (1961), while his directing credits include ''Hé... mag ik mĳn echtgenote terug?'' (1975), ' (1982) and ''Privé Voor Twee'' (1988) for Dutch television. He directed the plays '' See How They Run'' at London's

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

, ''The Sunday Man'' at the

Morosco Theatre The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial. History Located at 217 West 45th Stre ...

on Broadway in 1964, and the world premiere of ''We Who Are About To...'' (with

Anton Rodgers Anthony Rodgers (10 January 1933 – 1 December 2007) was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film, in television dramas and sitcoms. He starred in several sitcoms, including '' Fresh Fields'' (ITV, 1984– ...

) in 1968 at the Hampstead Theatre Club. In 1988 he directed the Dutch-language version of the play ''Never Judge a Book by Its Cover'' which undertook a successful fifty-city tour of the Netherlands and Belgium.Doré on the Seymour Blicker website
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Personal life

Doré married actress Edna Gorring in 1946 in Pancras,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and the two of them ran their own company for five years at the Little Theatre in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

. They had a son, Michael. Alexander Doré died in London in 2002, aged 78.

Selected filmography

* '' At the Stroke of Nine'' (1957) – Carter * '' The Ugly Duckling'' (1959) – Shop Customer * '' Casino Royale'' (1967) – Extra (uncredited) * ''

'' (1968) – First Spy * ''Ik ben Joep Meloen'' (1981) – Drunken man

References

External links

Doré's credits on Fandango.comDoré
on the

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Dore, Alexander 1923 births 2002 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male screenwriters English television directors 20th-century British screenwriters 20th-century English male writers