Basil Radford
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Basil Radford
Biography
Actor Basil Radford was on the British stage from 1922 in twittish, tweedy comedy roles. His first film appearance was in 1929's Barnum Was Right. International fame came Radford's way when he and Naunton Wayne originated the roles of cricket-obsessed Charters and Caldicott in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938). Radford and Wayne continued to play these roles (or facsimiles thereof) in such films as Night Train (1940), Crooks Tour (1941), Next of Kin (1942), Millions Like Us (1945), and Dead of Night (1945). They were supposed to revive Charters and Caldicott once more for Sir Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949), but their roles were streamlined into a solo part for Wilfred Hyde-White. The best of Radford's later roles included the blindsided British bureaucrat in Tight Little Island (1948). Basil Radford died of a heart attack at age 55, shortly after co-starring in White Corridors (1951). ~ Hal Erickson, RoviFilmography:
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Basil Radford
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Basil Radford
| Basil Radford | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 June 1897 Chester, England |
| Died | 20 October 1952 (aged 55) London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1929-1952 |
Basil Radford (25 June 1897 Chester – 20 October 1952 London) was an English character actor who featured in many British films of the 1930s and 1940s. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his first stage appearance in July 1924. He is probably best-remembered for his appearances alongside Naunton Wayne as two cricket-obsessed Englishmen in several films from 1938-1949.
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Film career
The two first appeared as their characters Charters and Caldicott in Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 thriller The Lady Vanishes. They were popular enough to reprise their roles in Night Train to Munich, which was again scripted by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat.
They appeared together in several other 1940s films, including Crook's Tour (1941), Millions Like Us (1943), Dead of Night (1945), Quartet (1948), It's Not Cricket (1949) and Passport to Pimlico (1949).
Apart from his long-running partnership with Naunton Wayne, Radford made many other memorable film appearances in character roles. His other films included Young and Innocent (also for Hitchcock) (1937), The Way to the Stars (1945), The Captive Heart (1946), The Winslow Boy (1948), and Whisky Galore! (1949).
Radford had a crescent-shaped scar on his right cheek from serving in the trenches during the First World War.[1] Depending on the camera angle and the lighting, it was sometimes barely perceptible but sometimes extremely prominent, as in The Way to the Stars.
Death
Radford's health began to seriously fail in the summer of 1951, forcing him to take a long break from acting. He died of a heart attack on 20 October 1952, while rehearsing for a radio show with Naunton Wayne in London.
Personal life
In 1926 he married Shirley Deuchars. They had one son.[2]
Selected filmography
- Barnum Was Right (1929)
- Woman to Woman (1929)
- Seven Day's Leave (1930)
- There Goes the Bride (1932)
- Leave It to Smith (1933)
- A Southern Maid (1933)
- Foreign Affaires (1935)
- Broken Blossoms (1936)
- Dishonour Bright (1936)
- Jump for Glory (1937)
- Young and Innocent (1937)
- Captain's Orders (1937)
- The Lady Vanishes* (1938)
- Convict 99 (1938)
- Climbing High (1938)
- The Royal Family of Broadway (1939) (TV)
- Trouble Brewing (1939)
- Let's Be Famous (1939)
- She Couldn't Say No (1939)
- Jamaica Inn (1939)
- Shall We Join the Ladies? (1939)
- Secret Journey (1939)
- The Four Just Men (1939)
- Just William (1940)
- Girl in the News (1940)
- Night Train to Munich* (1940)
- The Flying Squad (1940)
- Room for Two (1940)
- Crook's Tour* (1941)
- The Next of Kin (1942) (cameo, with Naunton Wayne)
- Unpublished Story (1942)
- Dear Octopus (1943)
- Millions Like Us* (1943)
- The Way to the Stars (1945)
- Dead of Night (1945)
- The Captive Heart (1946)
- The Winslow Boy (1948)
- Quartet (1948)
- It's Not Cricket (1949)
- Passport to Pimlico (1949)
- Whisky Galore! (1949)
- Chance of a Lifetime (1950)
- The Galloping Major (1951), based on a story written by Radford
- White Corridors (1951)
* Charters and Caldicott films
References
- ^ Sweet, Matthew (2001-12-29). "Mustard and cress". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/dec/29/film. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/The_Times_(21/Oct/1952)_-_Obituary:_Basil_Radford
External links
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Mentioned in
Room for Two
(1940 Comedy Film)
Naunton Wayne
(Actor, Comedy/Drama)
Barnum Was Right
(1929 Drama Film)
Crooks Tour
(1940 Comedy Film)
Chance of a Lifetime
(1950 Drama Film)
» More