Alan Fernand Badel (; 11 September 1923 – 19 March 1982) was an English stage actor who also appeared frequently in the

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and was noted for his richly textured voice which was once described as "the sound of tears".

Early life

Badel was born in

Rusholme Rusholme () is an area of Manchester, England, two miles south of the city centre. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 13,643. Rusholme is bounded by Chorlton-on-Medlock to the north, Victoria Park and Longsight to the east, F ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, and educated at

Burnage High School Burnage Academy for Boys, formerly known as Burnage High School for Boys, is a secondary school with academy status, located in Burnage, Manchester, England. History Grammar school The school was founded in September 1932 as Burnage High Schoo ...

. He fought in France and Germany 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 opposi ...

, serving as a paratrooper on D-Day. He partially lost his hearing when a shell exploded near him.

Career

In his early career, he played leading parts, including Romeo and Hamlet, with the Old Vic and Stratford companies. Badel's earliest film role was as

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

in the

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

version of '' Salome'' (1953), a version in which the story was altered to make Salome a Christian convert who dances for Herod in order to save John rather than have him condemned to death. He portrayed Richard Wagner in ''

Magic Fire ''Magic Fire'' is a 1955 American biographical film about the life of composer Richard Wagner, released by Republic Pictures. Directed by William Dieterle, the film made extensive use of Wagner's music, which was arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korng ...

'' (1955), a biopic about the composer. He also played the role of Karl Denny, the impresario, in the film '' Bitter Harvest'' (1963). Around the same time, he played opposite

Vivien Merchant Ada Brand Thomson (22 July 1929 – 3 October 1982), known professionally as Vivien Merchant, was an English actress. She began her career in 1942, and became known for dramatic roles on stage and in films. In 1956 she married the playwright Ha ...

in a television version of Harold Pinter's play '' The Lover'' (also 1963) and as

Edmond Dantès Edmond Dantès () is a title character and the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 adventure novel '' The Count of Monte Cristo''. Within the story's narrative, Dantès is an intelligent, honest and loving man who turns bitter and vengeful af ...

in a BBC television adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' (1964). Badel also played the villainous sunglasses-wearing Najim Beshraavi in ''

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

'' (1966) with Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. He played the French Interior Minister in ''

The Day of the Jackal ''The Day of the Jackal'' (1971) is a political thriller novel by English author Frederick Forsyth about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French dissident paramilitary organisation, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the Presid ...

'' (1973), a political thriller about the attempted assassination of President Charles de Gaulle. In the political television drama '' Bill Brand'' (1976) he played David Last, the government's Employment Minister, a left-wing former backbench MP who had recently joined the front bench after 30 years in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. One of his last roles was that of Baron

Nicolas de Gunzburg Nicolas Louis Alexandre de Gunzburg (; 12 December 1904 – 20 February 1981), also known as Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, was a French-born magazine editor and socialite. He became an editor at several American publications, including '' Town & Cou ...

in the

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

film ''

Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

'' (1980). A television adaptation for the BBC of '' The Woman in White'' (1982) by

Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for '' The Woman in White'' (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for '' The Moonstone'' (1868), which has b ...

, in which Badel played the role of Count Fosco, was shown posthumously.

Personal life

Badel married the actress

Yvonne Owen Maire Yvonne Owen (28 July 1923 – December 1990) was a British stage and film actress. Life and career Born in London in 1923, she was married to Alan Badel for 40 years; they had a daughter Sarah. In 1946 she appeared in the West End mel ...

in 1942 and they remained married until his death from a heart attack in

Chichester Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...

, aged 58. Their daughter

Sarah Badel Sarah M. Badel (born 30 March 1943) is a retired British stage and film actress. She is the daughter of actors Alan Badel and Yvonne Owen. Life and career Badel was born in London to actor, Alan Badel and actress, Yvonne Owen. She was educ ...

is an actress.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Badel, Alan 1923 births 1982 deaths Military personnel from Manchester English male film actors English male stage actors People from Rusholme British Army personnel of World War II 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Manchester Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners British Parachute Regiment soldiers