Arthur Basil RadfordAdam Greaves, "Radford, (Arthur) Basil (1897–1952)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, May 201
available online
Retrieved 3 August 2020. (25 June 189720 October 1952) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

character actor who featured in many

British films The United Kingdom has had a significant film industry for over a century. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936, the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors D ...

of the 1930s and 1940s. He trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

and made his first stage appearance in July 1924. He is probably best remembered for his appearances alongside Naunton Wayne as two

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

-obsessed Englishmen in several films from 1938 to 1949.

Early life

Radford was born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, on 25 June 1897.

First World War

He was a commissioned officer in the British South Staffordshire Regiment in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, in 1918 transferring into the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, ending the war as a subaltern when he was demobilised in 1920. Radford had a crescent-shaped scar on his right cheek from a wound sustained during his time in the trenches. Depending on the lighting and camera angle it varied from barely perceptible to prominent.

Film career

Radford first appeared with Naunton Wayne as their characters Charters and Caldicott in

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 ...

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...

thriller '' The Lady Vanishes''. They were popular enough to reprise their roles in '' Night Train to Munich'', which was again scripted by

Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire ...

and

Sidney Gilliat Sidney Gilliat (15 February 1908 – 31 May 1994) was an English film director, producer and writer. He was the son of George Gilliat, editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1928 to 1933. Sidney was born in the district of Edgeley in Sto ...

. They appeared together in several other 1940s films, including '' Crook's Tour'' (1941), '' The Next of Kin'' (1942), ''

Millions Like Us ''Millions Like Us'' is a 1943 British propaganda film, showing life in a wartime aircraft factory in documentary detail. It starred Patricia Roc, Gordon Jackson, Anne Crawford, Eric Portman and Megs Jenkins. It was co-written and co-directed ...

'' (1943), '' Dead of Night'' (1945), ''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'' (1948), '' It's Not Cricket'' (1949), '' Stop Press Girl'' (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 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 ...

) (1937), '' The Way to the Stars'' (1945), '' The Captive Heart'' (1946), ''

The Winslow Boy ''The Winslow Boy'' is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an incident involving George Archer-Shee in the Edwardian era. The incident took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Background Set against the strict c ...

'' (1948) and '' Whisky Galore!'' (1949).

Personal life

In 1926, he married Shirley Deuchars. They had one son.

Death

Radford's health began seriously to fail in the summer of 1951, forcing him to take a long break from acting. He died at St George's Hospital, Westminster, London, on 20 October 1952, from liver failure due to cirrhosis of the liver.

Complete filmography

* Charters and Caldicott films

Selected stage appearances

* '' Night Must Fall'' by Emlyn Williams (1935) * '' Someone at the Door'' by Campbell Christie (1935) * '' Blondie White'' by

Bernard Merivale Bernard Merivale (1882–1939) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Several of his plays were adapted into films including '' Blondie White'', '' The Wrecker'' and ''The Unguarded Hour''.Goble p.323 Selected filmography * '' The Flying Fo ...

and Jeffrey Dell (1937) * '' The Innocent Party'' by H.M. Harwood (1938) * ''

Warn That Man! ''Warn That Man!'' is a 1941 comedy thriller play by the British writer Vernon Sylvaine. A comedy-thriller, its plot concerns an attempt to kidnap wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill from an English country house. Having debuted at the ...

'' by Vernon Sylvaine (1941) * '' The Blind Goddess'' by

Patrick Hastings Sir Patrick Gardiner Hastings (17 March 1880 – 26 February 1952) was an English barrister and politician noted for his long and highly successful career as a barrister and his short stint as Attorney General. He was educated at Charterhouse ...

(1947) * ''

A Penny for a Song ''A Penny for a Song'' is a 1951 historical comedy play by the British writer John Whiting. In 1967 it was adapted into an opera of the same title by Richard Rodney Bennett, performed at Sadler's Wells. It premiered at Wimbledon Theatre before ...

'' by John Whiting (1951)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Radford, Basil 1897 births 1952 deaths English male film actors People from Chester 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British male comedy actors British Army personnel of World War I South Staffordshire Regiment officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force officers Deaths from cirrhosis Military personnel from Chester