Charles Edward Underdown (3 December 190815 December 1989) was an English theatre, cinema and television actor. He was born in London and educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

Notable work

Early theatre credits include:

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's '' Words and Music'' and ''

Tonight at 8.30 ''Tonight at 8.30'' is a cycle of ten one-act plays by Noël Coward, presented in London in 1936 and in New York in 1936–1937, with the author and Gertrude Lawrence in the leading roles. The plays are mostly comedies, but three, '' The Astoni ...

'';

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's '' Nymph Errant'';

Moss Hart Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director. Early years Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

's ''

Stop Press "Stop press" or "Stop the presses" is an idiomatic exclamation when significant information is discovered. The phrase stems from the printed news media industry. If the content of an issue needed to be revised just before, or during its print ...

''; and ''Streamline''.University of Bristol Theatre Collection Database (2011). at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatrecollection, accessed 26 September 2011. His film credits include: ''

They Were Not Divided ''They Were Not Divided'' is a 1950 British war film, which depicted the Guards Armoured Division in Second World War Europe. It was written and directed by Terence Young, a former Guards officer who served in the campaigns depicted in the fi ...

'', '' Beat the Devil'', '' Wings of the Morning'', ''

The Rainbow Jacket ''The Rainbow Jacket'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden, and featuring Robert Morley, Kay Walsh, Bill Owen, Honor Blackman and Sid James. It was made at Ealing Studios produced by Michael Balcon and Michael Relph and sho ...

'', '' The Woman's Angle'', '' Her Panelled Door'', ''

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 war ...

'', '' Dr. Terror's House of Horrors'', '' Thunderball'', ''

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

'', '' The Magic Christian'' and '' Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World''. Television appearances include: ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...

'', ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'', '' The Saint'', '' The Avengers'', ''

The Rat Catchers ''The Rat Catchers'' is a 1960s British television drama series made by Rediffusion and broadcast on ITV. The series was not networked, playing on different days of the week in London from other regions. It is about a top secret British Intel ...

'', '' Weavers Green'', ''

Man in a Suitcase ''Man in a Suitcase'' is a British television private eye thriller series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV from 27 September 1967 to 17 April 1968. ABC broadcast episodes of ''Man in ...

'', '' Doomwatch'', ''

The Regiment The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...

'', ''

Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Colditz Castle, the site of the Oflag IV-C POW camp for officers in World War II. Geography Colditz is situated in the Leipzig Bay, southeast of th ...

'', '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Survivors'', ''

The Duchess of Duke Street ''The Duchess of Duke Street'' is a BBC television drama series set in London between the late 1800s and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It starred Gemma ...

'' and ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

''. Both ''Wings of the Morning'' and ''The Rainbow Jacket'' were set in his beloved racing world, the former being set on

Epsom Downs Epsom Downs is an area of chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 and are open to users such as ramblers, model ...

. ''Wings of the Morning'', starring

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

, was Britain's first

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

film. Edward Underdown was also a gentleman jockey and rode with great aplomb both on the flat and over sticks (see references to his riding career in John Hislop's books). In 1950 he was voted by British exhibitors as the most promising male screen newcomer. According to

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...

's stepson, Underdown was the novelist's preferred choice for

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

Personal life

Edward Underdown was born on 3 December 1908 in London. Underdown was the son of Harry Charles Baillie Underdown and Rachel Elizabeth Orr. He married Hon. Rosemary Sybella Violet Grimston, daughter of

Robert Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury Robert Villiers Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury, 1st Baronet (8 June 1897 – 8 December 1979) was a British Conservative politician. Life and history Grimston was the eldest son of the Rev. and Hon. Robert Grimston, Canon of St Alban ...

and Sybil Rose Neumann, on 10 February 1953. Charles Underdown and Rosemary Grimston were sixth cousins through their common grandparents

Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon, PC (1709 – 11 December 1786) was a British politician and diplomat from the Villiers family. Clarendon was the second son of William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey, and his wife Judith Herne, daughter of ...

and

Lady Charlotte Capell Charlotte Villiers, Countess of Clarendon (2 October 1721 – 3 September 1790), formerly Lady Charlotte Capell, was the wife of Thomas Villiers, the son of William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey. Thomas would later be raised to the peerage as ...

. He died on 15 December 1989 in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

aged 81.

Theatre appearances

* '' Words and Music'', Adelphi Theatre, London (1932-1933). The production was written and directed by ''

''. * '' Nymph Errant'', Adelphi Theatre, London (1933-1934). The production featured music and lyrics by

. * '' Streamline'' (

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

), Palace Theatre, London (1932-1933). * ''

'', Adelphi Theatre, London (1934-1935). This was the London production of

and

's revue, ''As Thousands Cheer''. * ''

'' (billed as ''To-night at 7:30, due to the local curtain time), Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool (November 1935) * ''

'', Phoenix Theatre, London (opened 9 January 1936) and New York (opened 24 November 1936). * '' You Can't Take It with You'', St. James's Theatre, London (opened 1937). * ''

The Grass is Greener ''The Grass Is Greener'' is a 1960 British romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. The screenplay was adapted by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner from the The Gra ...

'', St Martin's Theatre, London (1958) and Theatre Royal, Brighton. * ''The Long Sunset'', Mermaid Theatre, London (1961). * ''Past Imperfect'', Theatre Royal, Brighton (1965).

Filmography

* ''

The Warren Case ''The Warren Case'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by Walter Summers and starring Richard Bird, Nancy Burne and Diana Napier. It was made at Welwyn Studios by British International Pictures.Wood p.80 Cast * Richard Bird as Louis Bevan ...

'' (1934) - Hugh Waddon * '' Girls, Please!'' (1934) - Jim Arundel * '' Annie, Leave the Room!'' (1935) - John Brandon * '' Wings of the Morning'' (1937) - Don Diego * '' The Drum'' (1938) - Undetermined Role (uncredited) * ''

Inspector Hornleigh Inspector Hornleigh is a fictional British detective from Scotland Yard, the protagonist of a popular BBC radio series of the 1930s, three British films, a German television series, and three books (two of them language text books). The radio ser ...

'' (1939) - Peter Dench the Chancellor's Secretary * ''

Lucky to Me ''Lucky to Me'' is a 1939 British musical comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Stanley Lupino, Phyllis Brooks and Barbara Blair. It was based on Lupino's own 1928 stage show ''So This is Love'' which he had co-written with actor ...

'' (1939) - Malden's Friend (uncredited) * ''

Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It ''Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It'' is a 1941 British detective film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Alastair Sim, Phyllis Calvert and Edward Chapman. It was the third and final film adaptation of the Inspector Hornle ...

'' (1941) * ''

The October Man ''The October Man'' is a 1947 mystery film/film noir starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood, written by novelist Eric Ambler, who also produced. A man is suspected of murder, and the lingering effects of a brain injury he sustained in an earlier ...

'' (1947) - Passport Official * '' The Woman in the Hall'' (1947) - Neil Ingelfield * '' Brass Monkey'' (1948) - Max Taylor * '' Man on the Run'' (1949) - Slim Elfey * ''

'' (1950) - Philip * ''

The Woman with No Name ''The Woman with No Name'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Ladislao Vajda and starring Phyllis Calvert, Edward Underdown, Helen Cherry, Richard Burton and James Hayter. In the United States it was released as ''Her Panelled Door''. Pl ...

'' (1950) - Lake Winter * '' The Dark Man'' (1951) - Detective Inspector Viner * '' The Promise'' (1952) * '' The Woman's Angle'' (1952) - Robert Mansell * ''

The Voice of Merrill ''The Voice of Merrill'' is a 1952 British mystery film directed by John Gilling and starring Valerie Hobson, James Robertson Justice and Edward Underdown. ''The Voice of Merrill'' was made by Tempean Films, the company owned by the film's produc ...

'' (1952) - Hugh Allen * '' Street of Shadows'' (1953) - Det. Insp. Johnstone * ''

Recoil Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force r ...

'' (1953) - Michael Conway * '' Beat the Devil'' (1953) - Harry Chelm * ''

'' (1954) - Tyler * ''

'' (1958) - Major Dawes * '' The Two-Headed Spy'' (1958) - Kaltenbrunner * '' Information Received'' (1961) - Drake * '' The Third Alibi'' (1961) - Dr. Murdoch * '' The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' (1961) - Dick Sanderson * ''

Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''The E ...

'' ('' Locker 69)'' (1962) - Bennett Sanders * '' The Bay of St. Michel'' (1963) - Col. Harvey * '' Dr. Crippen'' (1963) - The Prison Governor * '' Man in the Middle'' (1963) - Major Wyclif * ''

Woman of Straw ''Woman of Straw'' is a 1964 crime thriller directed by Basil Dearden and starring Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery. It was written by Robert Muller and Stanley Mann, adapted from the 1954 novel ''La Femme de paille'' by Catherine Arley. ...

'' (1964) - First Executive (uncredited) * '' Traitor's Gate'' (1964) - Inspector Adams * '' Dr. Terror's House of Horrors'' (1965) - Tod (segment 1 "Werewolf") * '' Thunderball'' (1965) - Sir John, Air Vice Marshal * ''

'' (1966) - Col. William Hicks * '' Triple Cross'' (1966) - Air Marshal * '' The Great Pony Raid'' (1968) - Snowy * ''

The Hand of Night ''The Hand of Night'' is a 1968 British horror film directed by Frederic Goode and starring William Sylvester, Diane Clare and Aliza Gur. It is also known by the alternative title ''Beast of Morocco''. Its plot concerns a man who encounters a da ...

'' (1968) - Otto Gunhter * '' The Magic Christian'' (1969) - Prince Henry (uncredited) * '' The Last Valley'' (1971) - Gnarled Peasant * '' Running Scared'' (1972) - Mr. Betancourt * '' Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World'' (1973) - Grandfather * '' The Abdication'' (1974) - Gustav II Adolf, Christina's father * ''

Tarka the Otter ''Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers'' is a novel by English writer Henry Williamson, first published in 1927 by G.P. Putnam's Sons with an introduction by the Hon. Sir John Fortescue. It won the ...

'' (1979) - Hibbert

Television appearances

* '' Dial 999 (TV series)'' (1959) - ''Heads or Tails'', Episode 36, (filmed in 1958). Harley. * ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

'' (1961) -''The Tiger'', Season 3, Episode 34, 20 June 1961. Mr. Hayes. * ''

'' (1964-1966) - Max Dell / Capt. Morgan / Lord Anthony Denby * '' The Saint'' (1965) - Jack Laurie * '' The Avengers'' - episodes ''The Murder Market'' , '' The Living Dead'' (1965, 1967) - Jonathan Stone / Rupert Staplow * ''

'' (1966) - Lemnitz * '' Weavers Green'' (1966) - Bobby Brent * ''

'' (1967-1968) - Maxted / Ranki * '' Doomwatch'' (1970) - Chairman of Tribunal * ''

'' (1972) - Major General Sir Charles Holland * ''

'' (1973) - ICS Man * ''

'' (1974) - Col. Mansell * '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' - episode '' News from the Front'' (1974) - General Nesfield * '' Survivors'' (1977) - Frank Garner * ''

'' (1977) - Adjutant-General * ''

'' (in the serial '' Meglos)'' (1980) - Zastor (final appearance)

Love of horses

Edward Underdown's father owned a

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

estate in the

Stanford Battle area Stanford Training Area (STANTA), originally known as Stanford Battle Area, is a British Army training area situated in the English county of Norfolk. The area is approximately in size; it is some north of the town of Thetford and south-west ...

. It was here that Edward learnt and developed his riding. Before his career as an actor Edward was a gentleman jockey and rode with great aplomb both on the flat and over sticks (see references to his riding career in John Hislop's books). The Norfolk estate is mentioned in Bill Pertwee's book about the making of ''

''. One of the Dad's Army episodes was by co-incidence filmed at the estate. By this time the estate was owned by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

and nothing was left except for the verandah and stables. As soon as

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...

arrived he realised it was familiar to him from weekend parties Edward's father had invited him to in the 1930s. So it was that Edward found himself working in a television series that featured part of his old home. The films ''Wings of the Morning'' and ''The Rainbow Jacket'' were set in his beloved racing world, the former being set on

. Finally, after his acting career he worked as a steward at

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat ...

. This was described by Bill Pertwee as "fitting for a man who not only loved horses but was also an expert rider." (ibit, page 86).

Military service

On wanting to sign-up, Edward Underdown's first approach was to the

Wiltshire Yeomanry The Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry (RWY) was a Yeomanry regiment of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom established in 1794. It was disbanded as an independent Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army unit in 1967, a time when t ...

. He reputedly appeared at the depot with his friend, Sandy Carlos Clarke, who had recently returned from Canada working as a ranch hand. When asked by the recruiting Sergeant to state their professions, Underdown replied, "film star" and Carlos Clarke answered, "cowboy" and thinking this was a joke, the sergeant stated that their services were not required. Underdown did subsequently join the Wiltshire Yeomanry whilst Clarke found a post with another Yeomanry regiment. Underdown went on to have a distinguished

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 ...

record as an officer in the Wiltshire Yeomanry serving in the 8th Army in Africa. After the war Edward resumed his acting career but remained in the Territorial Army. He remained in the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers until he reached the age limit. He retired as captain on 7 November 1959 and retained the rank of honorary major.''The London Gazette'', No. 41861, Supplement of Tuesday, 3 November 1959.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Underdown, Edward 1908 births 1989 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male stage actors People educated at Eton College Male actors from London 20th-century English male actors