Rupert Davies

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

(22 May 191622 November 1976) was a British actor. He is best remembered for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of '' Maigret'', based on Georges Simenon's novels.

Life and career

Military service

Davies was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

. After service in the

British Merchant Navy The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom and comprises the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard ...

he was a Sub-Lieutenant Observer with the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...

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 ...

. In 1940, the

Swordfish Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordf ...

aircraft in which he was flying ditched in the sea off the Dutch coast, following which he was captured and interned in the

Stalag Luft III Stalag Luft III (german: Stammlager Luft III; literally "Main Camp, Air, III"; SL III) was a ''Luftwaffe''-run German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II, prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Allies of World ...

prisoner of war camp. He made three attempts to escape, all of which failed. During his captivity he began to take part in theatre performances, entertaining his fellow prisoners.

Acting

On his release Davies resumed his career in acting almost immediately, starring in an ex-prisoner of war show, ''Back Home'', which was hosted at the

Stoll Theatre Stoll is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Barbara J. Stoll, American pediatrician and professor * Cal Stoll, American football coach * Caspar Stoll, entomologist * Clifford Stoll, American astronomer * David Stoll, American a ...

, London. In 1959, he played the role of the Colonel in

Alun Owen Alun Davies Owen (24 November 1925 – 6 December 1994) was a Welsh playwright, screenwriter and actor, predominantly in television. However, he is best remembered by a wider audience for writing the screenplay of The Beatles' debut feature fi ...

's ''The Rough and Ready Lot'' when it received its stage debut on 1 June 1959 in a production by the 59 Theatre Company at the Lyric Opera House, Hammersmith, as well as in the television adaptation which was broadcast that September. He became a staple of British television, appearing in numerous plays and series, including '' Quatermass II'', ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting ...

'', ''

Emergency – Ward 10 ''Emergency Ward 10'' is a British medical soap opera series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like ''The Grove Family'', a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, ''Emergency Ward 10'' is considered to be one of British television's ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on IT ...

'', '' Doctor at Large'' (1971), '' Arthur of the Britons'' and ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (1972). He also provided the voice of Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine in the

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s produ ...

series ''

Joe 90 ''Joe 90'' is a 1968–1969 British Science fiction on television, science-fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company, AP Films#Century 21, Century 21, for ITC Enterta ...

''. A

pipe Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circular ...

smoker, like

Jules Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created b ...

, in 1964, having released a 45rpm single "Smoking My Pipe" late the previous year that capitalised on the '' Maigret'' opening sequence, he became the first person to win the

Pipe Smoker of the Year Pipe Smoker of the Year was an award given out annually by the British Pipesmokers' Council, to honour a famous pipe-smoking individual. Initiated in 1965 as Pipeman of the Year by the Briar Pipe Trade Association, it was presented at a lunch in ...

award. He was the subject 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 ...

'' in October 1962 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

in central London. Davies also played supporting roles in many films, appearing briefly as

George Smiley George Smiley OBE is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is a career intelligence officer with "The Circus", the British overseas intelligence agency. He is a central character in the novels ''Call for the Dead'', ''A Mur ...

in '' The Spy Who Came In from the Cold'' (1965). He also appeared in several

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

s in the late 1960s, including '' Witchfinder General'' (1968) and ''

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave ''Dracula Has Risen from the Grave'' is a 1968 British supernatural horror film directed by Freddie Francis and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is the fourth entry in Hammer's ''Dracula'' series, and the third to feature Christopher Lee ...

'' (1968), as well as such international films as '' Waterloo'' (1970) and ''

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

'' (1971).

Death

He died of cancer in London in 1976, leaving a wife, Jessica, and two sons, Timothy and Hoagan. Davies is buried at

Pistyll Pistyll is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, located on the Llŷn Peninsula midway between Nefyn and Llanaelhaearn.Berry, D. (2014), "Walks on the Llŷn Peninsula", Kittiwake Books, p. 34 The Larger village of Llithfaen, ...

Cemetery, near Nefyn,

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, an ...

, Wales.

Selected filmography

* '' Private Angelo'' (1949) (uncredited) * '' Seven Days to Noon'' (1950) as Bit Part (uncredited) * '' The Dark Avenger'' (1955) as Sir John * '' The Traitor'' (1957) as Clinton * '' The Key'' (1958) as Baker * ''

Next to No Time ''Next to No Time'' is a 1958 British comedy, filmed in colour, starring Kenneth More, Betsy Drake, John Laurie, Sid James and Irene Handl. It was written and directed by Henry Cornelius and was based on Paul Gallico's short story "The Enchante ...

'' (1958) as Auction Organiser (uncredited) * '' Sea Fury'' (1958) as Bosun * '' Violent Moment'' (1959) as Bert Glennon * '' Breakout'' (1959) as Morgan * '' Idol on Parade'' (1959) as Sergeant (uncredited) * ''

Life in Emergency Ward 10 ''Life in Emergency Ward 10'' is a 1959 film directed by Robert Day. It stars Michael Craig and Wilfrid Hyde-White. It was based on the television series ''Emergency – Ward 10''. Cast * Michael Craig as Dr. Stephen Russell * Wilfrid Hyde-Wh ...

'' (1959) as R.S.O. Tim Hunter * ''

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

'' (1959) as Jack Ferris * ''

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

'' (1959) as British Captain * '' Bobbikins'' (1959) as Jock Fleming * ''

Devil's Bait ''Devil's Bait'' is a 1959 black and white British drama film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Geoffrey Keen, Jane Hylton and Gordon Jackson.Chibnall & McFarlane, pp. 274-76. It was a second feature, made for release by the Rank Organ ...

'' (1959) as Landlord * ''

Danger Tomorrow ''Danger Tomorrow'' is a 1960 British noir crime film directed by Terry Bishop and starring Zena Walker, Robert Urquhart and Rupert Davies. Plot A doctor and his wife move into an old house in an English village where he is to start a new jo ...

'' (1960) as Dr. Robert Campbell * '' The Criminal'' (1960) as Edwards * '' The Spy Who Came In from the Cold'' (1965) as

* ''

The Uncle ''The Uncle'' is a 1965 British drama film directed by Desmond Davis and starring Rupert Davies. Premise Seven-year-old Gus (Robert Duncan) faces trouble when his difficult seven-year-old nephew Tom (Christopher Arris) arrives to spend the summ ...

'' (1965) as David Morton * ''

The Brides of Fu Manchu ''The Brides of Fu Manchu'' is a 1966 British/West German Constantin Film co-production adventure crime film based on the fictional Chinese villain Dr. Fu Manchu, created by Sax Rohmer. It was the second film in a series, and was preceded by ...

'' (1966) as Jules Merlin * '' Target for Killing'' (1966) as Kommissar Saadi * ''

Five Golden Dragons ''Five Golden Dragons'' is a 1967 international co-production comedy action film set in Hong Kong and photographed in Techniscope on location in September 1966 at the Tiger Balm Pagoda and Shaw Brothers studios. It was directed by Jeremy Summer ...

'' (1967) as Comm. Sanders * '' Submarine X-1'' (1968) as Vice-Adm. Redmayne (uncredited) * '' Witchfinder General'' (1968) as John Lowes * ''

'' (1968) as Monsignor * ''

Curse of the Crimson Altar ''Curse of the Crimson Altar'' is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele and Mark Eden. The film was produced by Louis M. Heyward for Tigon British Film Productions. The ...

'' (1968) as The Vicar * '' The Oblong Box'' (1969) as Kemp * '' Waterloo'' (1970) as Gordon * ''

The Firechasers ''The Firechasers'' is a 1971 British crime film directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Chad Everett, Anjanette Comer, and Keith Barron. Its plot concerns an insurance investigator who tries to find out who is behind a series of arson attacks. ...

'' (1971) as Prentice * '' The Night Visitor'' (1971) as Mr. Clemens * ''

'' (1971) as Captain Whitney * ''Danger Point'' (1971) as Man * '' Frightmare'' (1974) as Edmund Yates * '' King Arthur, the Young Warlord'' (1975) as Cerdig, Chief of the Saxons

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Rupert 1916 births 1976 deaths 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Liverpool Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners English male film actors English people of Welsh descent British Merchant Navy personnel British World War II prisoners of war English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors Deaths from cancer in England Fleet Air Arm personnel of World War II Royal Navy officers of World War II Stalag Luft III prisoners of World War II