Michael Gwynn (30 November 1916 – 29 January 1976) was an English actor. He attended

Mayfield College Mayfield College is a defunct Roman Catholic boys' boarding school founded as thin 1865–1866 by the American-born Dowager Duchess of Leeds one mile from Mayfield, East Sussex. The main building and attached chapel were built in the Gothic sty ...

near Mayfield, Sussex. During the

Second World War 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served in East Africa as a major and was adjutant to the 2nd (Nyasaland) Battalion of the King's African Rifles.

Life and career

6ft 3inch tall Gwynn is perhaps best remembered for his role in the first episode of the BBC comedy ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Televisio ...

'' " A Touch of Class" (1975) as the conman "Lord" Melbury who eventually humiliates Basil Fawlty. For Hammer Films, he performed in several productions including the war film ''

The Camp on Blood Island ''The Camp on Blood Island'' is a 1958 British World War II film, directed by Val Guest for Hammer Film Productions and starring André Morell, Carl Möhner, Edward Underdown and Walter Fitzgerald. The film is set in a Japanese prisoner of ...

'' (1958), and ''

Never Take Sweets from a Stranger ''Never Take Sweets from a Stranger'' (US ''Never Take Candy from a Stranger'') is a 1960 British film, directed by Cyril Frankel and released by Hammer Film Productions. The screenplay was developed by John Hunter from the play ''The Pony Trap ...

'' (1960), a rare drama film for the studio; the actor also appeared in one of their very best horror movies, ''

The Revenge of Frankenstein ''The Revenge of Frankenstein'' is a 1958 Technicolor British horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Terence Fisher, the film stars Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Michael Gwynn and Eunice Gayson. In the United States, it wa ...

'' (1958), in which he played a tragic experimental subject who turns into a cannibalistic killer, and the less well-regarded ''

Scars of Dracula ''Scars of Dracula'' is a 1970 British horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker for Hammer Films. It stars Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, along with Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, Patrick Troughton, and Michael Gwynn. Although disparaged by ...

'' (1970) in the role of a priest determined to battle

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by som ...

. He had a lead role in 1960's '' Village of the Damned'', produced and distributed by

MGM-British Studios MGM-British was a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer initially established (as MGM London Films Denham) at Denham Film Studios in 1936. It was in limbo during the Second World War; however, following the end of hostilities, a facility was acquire ...

. Gwynn also appeared on several adaptations of plays on the

Caedmon Records Caedmon Audio and HarperCollins Audio are record label imprints of HarperCollins Publishers that specialize in audiobooks and other literary content. Formerly Caedmon Records, its marketing tag-line was Caedmon: a Third Dimension for the Printe ...

label. Among them were ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'', in which he played Le Bret, and ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

'', in which he played Casca. Both productions starred Ralph Richardson in the title roles. Gwynn also appeared in a BBC serialised adaptation of '' Great Expectations'' as Joe Gargery in 1959. Gwynn died on 29 January 1976 in London , aged 59. Earlier that day, he had finished filming on ''Spawn'', a television play for

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...

Plays

*1956 – '' A View from the Bridge'' (opening season) by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...

; director

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

– Alfieri.

Filmography

*1954: ''

The Runaway Bus ''The Runaway Bus'' is a 1954 British comedy film produced, written, and directed by Val Guest. It stars Frankie Howerd, Margaret Rutherford and Petula Clark and an ensemble cast of character actors in a story about a bus caught in fog while ...

'' - 1st Transport Officer *1957: '' The Secret Place'' - Steve Waring *1958: '' Dunkirk'' - Commander – Sheerness *1958: ''

'' – Tom Shields *1958: ''

'' – Karl *1958: '' The Doctor's Dilemma'' – Dr. Blenkinsop *1960: ''

'' – Prosecutor *1960: '' Village of the Damned'' – Alan Bernard *1961: ''

Question 7 ''Question 7'' is a 1961 American-West German film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Michael Gwynn, Margaret Jahnen and Christian de Bresson. It won the National Board of Review Award for Best Film. It was also entered into the 11th Berl ...

'' – Friedrich Gottfried – Pastor *1961: '' What a Carve Up!'' – Malcolm Broughton *1961: ''

Barabbas Barabbas (; ) was, according to the New Testament, a prisoner who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast. Biblical account According to all four canoni ...

'' – Lazarus *1962: '' Some People'' – Vicar *1963: ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

'' – Cimber *1963: '' Jason and the Argonauts'' –

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, wikt:Ἑρμῆς, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travelle ...

*1964: '' The Fall of the Roman Empire'' – Cornelius *1965: ''The Saint'' – Martin Jeffroll *1965: ''

Catch Us If You Can "Catch Us If You Can" is a 1965 song from The Dave Clark Five, written by group's drummer Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson. It was the title song for the film of the same name, which was retitled ''Having a Wild Weekend'' in the Unite ...

'' – Hardingford *1966: ''

The Deadly Bees ''The Deadly Bees'' is a 1966 British horror film based on H.F. Heard's 1941 novel '' A Taste for Honey''.Ed. Allan Bryce, ''Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood'', Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 43-45 It was directed by Freddie Francis, and ...

'' – Dr. George Lang *1967: ''The Crowning Gift'' – Jesus Christ *1969: '' The Virgin Soldiers'' – Lt. Col. Bromley-Pickering *1970: ''

'' – Priest *1974: ''Rooms'' - 2-part TV episode "Mr Cotgrove & Miss Hicks" - Mr Cotgrove *1976: '' Spy Story'' – Dawlish (final film role) •1969: Randall and Hopkirk Deceased – Episode 16 "The Man from Nowhere", as Hyde Watson

References

External links

* 1916 births 1976 deaths British Army personnel of World War II English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors King's African Rifles officers People from Bath, Somerset 20th-century English male actors {{UK-screen-actor-stub