Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor.

Life and career

Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then

Transvaal Colony The Transvaal Colony () was the name used to refer to the Transvaal region during the period of direct British rule and military occupation between the end of the Second Boer War in 1902 when the South African Republic was dissolved, and the ...

, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

in 1929 and had many television and film roles from the 1930s to the 1980s, including Mowbray in the 1950 BBC Television version of ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

'',

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Meth ...

in the 1954 film of the same name and Lord Mount Severn in '' East Lynne'' from 1976. He founded an Old Time Music Hall, named the

Players' Theatre The Players' Theatre was a London theatre which opened at 43 King Street, Covent Garden, on 18 October 1936. The club originally mounted period-style musical comedies, introducing Victorian-style music hall in December 1937. The threat of Worl ...

, in Villiers Street, Charing Cross, London. He appeared as the Chairman of the Leeds City Varieties in the long-running BBC television series '' The Good Old Days'', which ran from 1953 to 1983, and became known for his elaborate, sesquipedalian introductions of the performers. Sachs was honoured in a 1977 episode of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

''. Sachs appeared in ''

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 ...

'' with

Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engl ...

. He had two appearances in the science fiction series ''

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 ...

'': as Admiral Gaspard de Coligny in ''

The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve ''The Massacre'' (also known as ''The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve'') is the completely missing fourth serial of the third season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly par ...

'' in 1966 and as Lord President

Borusa Borusa is a fictional character in the series ''Doctor Who'', a member of the race of Time Lords from Gallifrey. Within the context of the series, Borusa is a former teacher of the Doctor who appears in four serials. Notably, Borusa was portraye ...

in ''

Arc of Infinity ''Arc of Infinity'' is the first serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 12 January 1983. The serial is set in Amsterdam a ...

'' in 1983. He also appeared in the 1985

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

in a tribute to ''The Good Old Days''.

Personal life

Sachs married the actress

Eleanor Summerfield Eleanor Audrey Summerfield (7 March 1921 – 13 July 2001) was an English actress who appeared in many plays, films and television series. She is known for her roles in '' Laughter in Paradise'' (1951), '' Final Appointment'' (1954), '' Odongo'' ...

in 1947. The couple had two sons, the actor

Robin Sachs Robin Sachs (5 February 1951 – 1 February 2013) was an English actor, active in the theatre, television and films. He was also known for his voice-over work in films and video games. Born to a theatrical family, Sachs studied at the Royal Acad ...

and Toby Sachs. In January 1984, he was fined £75 for " importuning men for an immoral purpose" at Notting Hill Gate tube station. Sachs died from kidney failure in on 15 June 1990 in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, at the age of 80.Death of 'Good Old Days' Star
The Courier, 16 June 1990, p. 3

Selected filmography

* ''

The Secret of Stamboul ''The Secret of Stamboul'', also known as ''The Spy in White'', is a 1936 British thriller film, taken from the 1935 novel '' The Eunuch of Stamboul'' by Dennis Wheatley, directed by Andrew Marton and starring Valerie Hobson, James Mason and Fran ...

'' (1936) – Arif * '' State Secret'' (1950) – Dr. Poldoi * '' The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan'' (1953) – Smythe * ''

'' (1954) – John Wesley * '' Malaga'' (1954) – Paul Dupont * ''

The Men of Sherwood Forest ''The Men of Sherwood Forest'' is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Val Guest and starring Don Taylor, Reginald Beckwith, Eileen Moore and David King-Wood. The film follows the exploits of Robin Hood and his followers. Doreen Carwith ...

'' (1954) – Sheriff of Nottingham * '' Gentlemen Marry Brunettes'' (1955) – M. Dufy * ''Count of Twelve'' (1955) – Mark Dyson (episode "Blind Man's Bluff") * ''

The Gamma People ''The Gamma People'' is a 1956 British-American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by John Gossage, directed by John Gilling, that stars Paul Douglas, Eva Bartok, and Leslie Phillips. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures and ...

'' (1956) – Telegraph Clerk * '' Odongo'' (1956) – Game Warden * '' Face in the Night'' (1957) – Victor * '' After the Ball'' (1957) – Richard Warner * '' Seven Thunders'' (1957) – German Officer (uncredited) * '' Man from Tangier'' (1957) – Heinrich * '' The Man Who Wouldn't Talk'' (1958) – Professor Horvard * '' Behemoth the Sea Monster'' (1959) – Scientist * '' The Dover Road Mystery'' (1960) – Herbert Roberts * ''

Beyond the Curtain ''Beyond the Curtain'' is a 1960 British drama film written and directed by Compton Bennett, and starring Richard Greene and Eva Bartok. Plot A refugee from East Germany finds herself trapped in her home city of Dresden when a plane she is t ...

'' (1960) – Waiter * ''

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

'' (1960) – Richard Legallienne * '' The Siege of Sidney Street'' (1960) – Svaars (uncredited) * '' The Bulldog Breed'' (1960) – Yachtsman (uncredited) * ''

Five Golden Hours ''Five Golden Hours'' is a 1961 Italian-British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi and written by Hans Wilhelm, starring Ernie Kovacs, Cyd Charisse and George Sanders, and featuring Dennis Price and John Le Mesurier. Plot Aldo Bondi (Kovacs ...

'' (1961) – Mr. Morini * '' Konga'' (1961) – Bob's Father * ''

Taste of Fear ''Taste of Fear'' is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Seth Holt. The film stars Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd, and Christopher Lee in a supporting role. It was released in the United States as ''Scream of Fear''. Plot After ...

'' (1961) – Mr. Spratt * ''

Pit of Darkness ''Pit of Darkness'' is a 1961 British thriller film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring William Franklyn and Moira Redmond. The film is an amnesia thriller dealing with a man's attempts to piece together a sequence of strange events in which ...

'' (1961) – Clifton Conrad * '' Bomb in the High Street'' (1961) – Freeling * '' Locker Sixty-Nine'' (1962) – Spencer * '' She Knows Y'Know'' (1962) – John Dawson * '' Freud: The Secret Passion'' (1962) – Brouhardier * '' Stranglehold'' (1963) – The Dutchman * ''

Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reac ...

'' (1963) – Len Collier * ''

The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders ''The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders'' is a 1965 British historical comedy film directed by Terence Young and starring Kim Novak, Richard Johnson, and Angela Lansbury. It is based on the 1722 novel ''Moll Flanders'' by Daniel Defoe. Pl ...

'' (1965) – Prison Doctor * '' Thunderball'' (1965) – Group Captain Pritchard * '' Once Is Not Enough'' (1975) – Dr. Peterson

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Leonard 1909 births 1990 deaths British male television actors British male film actors South African male television actors South African male film actors South African Jews South African emigrants to the United Kingdom Bisexual male actors LGBT entertainers from South Africa LGBT actors from England LGBT Jews People from Roodepoort People prosecuted under anti-homosexuality laws Jewish British male actors 20th-century British male actors 20th-century LGBT people