Walter Fitzgerald Bond (18 May 1896 – 20 December 1976) was an English character actor.

Early life

Born in Stoke, Plymouth, Fitzgerald was a former stockbroker before he began his theatrical training at

RADA 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 Se ...

. He joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, serving with the

Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment f ...

, the

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

, and the

Somerset Light Infantry The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry to form the Som ...

Career

Fitzgerald made his professional stage bow in 1922 and his first film appearance in 1930. He toured with Sir

John Martin-Harvey Sir John Martin-Harvey (22 June 1863 – 14 May 1944), known before his knighthood in 1921 as John Martin Harvey, was an English stage actor-manager. Born in Bath Street, Wivenhoe, Essex, he was the son of John Harvey, a yacht-designer an ...

and Sir

Seymour Hicks Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...

. He was understudy to Sir

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1903, he ...

(1928–29). Fitzgerald appeared in films from the 1930s, often in 'official' roles (policemen, doctors, lawyers). He appeared on British television in the 1950s and 1960s before his retirement. His best-remembered film roles include Simon Fury in ''

Blanche Fury ''Blanche Fury'' is a 1948 British Technicolor drama film directed by Marc Allégret and starring Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger and Michael Gough. It was adapted from a 1939 novel of the same title by Joseph Shearing. In Victorian era Englan ...

'' (1948), Dr. Fenton in '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), and Squire Trelawney in ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' (1950). In the opening scenes of '' H.M.S. Defiant'' (1962) he played the admiral who listens to – and then disregards – Captain Crawford's complaints about maritime cruelty.

Personal life

He married Rosalie Constance Grey in 1924. They had one son, Michael Lewis Fitzgerald-Bond. His second marriage was to Angela Kirk in 1938, and they had three sons (Jonathan, Timothy, and Charles) and one daughter (Julia).

Filmography

* '' Murder at Covent Garden'' (1932) – Donald Walpace * '' The Show Goes On'' (1937) – Soldier with His Family on Troopship (uncredited) * '' This England'' (1941) – Vicar * '' In Which We Serve'' (1942) – Colonel Lumsden * '' Squadron Leader X'' (1943) – Inspector Milne * '' San Demetrio London'' (1943) – Chief Engineer Charles Pollard * '' Strawberry Roan'' (1945) – Walter Morley * '' Great Day'' (1945) – Bob Tyndale * ''

Mine Own Executioner ''Mine Own Executioner'' is a 1947 British psychological thriller drama film starring Burgess Meredith and directed by Anthony Kimmins, and based on the novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. ...

'' (1947) – Dr. Norris Pile * '' This Was a Woman'' (1948) – Arthur Russell * ''

'' (1948) – Simon Fury * '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948) – Dr. Fenton * ''

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) – First Lord * ''

The Small Back Room ''The Small Back Room'', released in the United States as ''Hour of Glory'', is a 1949 film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar and Kathleen Byron and featuring Jack Hawk ...

'' (1949) – Brine * '' Edward, My Son'' (1949) – Mr. Kedner * ''

'' (1950) –

Squire Trelawney Squire John Trelawney is a supporting character from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''. Character overview Stevenson describes him as a tall man, over six feet high, and plump in proportion, and he has a bluff, rough-and-rea ...

* '' Flesh and Blood'' (1951) – Dr. Cooper * ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...

'' (1952) – Mr. Wardle * '' The Ringer'' (1952) – Commissioner * '' The Net'' (1953) – Sir Charles Craddock * ''

Appointment in London ''Appointment in London'' (known as ''Raiders in the Sky'' in the U.S.) is a 1953 British war film set during the Second World War and starring Dirk Bogarde. The film was directed by Philip Leacock and based on a story by John Wooldridge, who ...

'' (1953) – Mulvaney * '' The Cruel Sea'' (1953) – Warden (uncredited) * '' Twice Upon a Time'' (1953) – Professor Reynolds * ''

Personal Affair ''Personal Affair'' is a 1953 British drama film directed by Anthony Pelissier and starring Gene Tierney, Leo Genn and Glynis Johns.''Monthly Film Bulletin'' review; 1953, page 160. It was made at Pinewood Studios by Two Cities Films. Plot s ...

'' (1953) – Henry Vining * '' Our Girl Friday'' (1953) – Captain * ''

Front Page Story ''Front Page Story'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Jack Hawkins, Elizabeth Allan and Eva Bartok. It was shot in black-and-white at Shepperton Studios with some location shooting in London. The film's sets we ...

'' (1954) – Black * '' Lease of Life'' (1954) – The Dean * ''

The Cockleshell Heroes ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, the ...

'' (1955) – Gestapo Comdt. * ''

Around The World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' (1956) – Club Member * '' The Man in the Sky'' (1957) – Conway * ''

Something of Value ''Something of Value'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Richard Brooks and starring Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter, and Sidney Poitier. The film was reissued under the title ''Africa Ablaze''. The film, based on the book of the same name by ...

'' (1957) – A White Settler – Henry McKenzie * ''

The Birthday Present ''The Birthday Present'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Pat Jackson. The film also featured Thorley Walters and Ian Bannen in small roles. Plot Simon Scott, a top toy salesman, returns from a business trip to Germany with a watch hidd ...

'' (1957) – Sir John Dell * ''

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 ...

'' (1958) – Cyril Beattie * ''

Darby O'Gill and the Little People ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' is a 1959 American fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the ''Darby O'Gill'' stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. Directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Lawrence ...

'' (1959) – Lord Fitzpatrick * '' Third Man on the Mountain'' (1959) – Herr Hempel * '' H.M.S. Defiant'' (1962) – Admiral Jackson * '' We Joined the Navy'' (1962) – Admiral Thomas * '' Decision at Midnight'' (1963) – Prime Minister

Selected stage roles

* '' Debonair'' by

Frank Vosper Frank Permain Vosper (15 December 1899, in London – 6 March 1937) was an English actor who appeared in both stage and film roles and a dramatist, playwright and screenwriter. Stage Vosper made his stage debut in 1919 and was best known for pl ...

(1930) * '' Black Coffee'' by Agatha Christie (1931) * '' Someone at the Door'' by Campbell Christie (1935) * ''

Poison Pen A poison pen letter is a letter or note containing unpleasant, abusive, or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party. It is usually sent anonymously. In the term "poison pen" (or poisoned pen), the word poison is u ...

'' by

Richard Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (; 8 December 1906 – 30 November 1983), known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn ( , ), was an English-born novelist of Welsh descent, who is best remembered for his 1939 novel '' How Green Was My Va ...

(1938) * '' Death on the Table'' by

Michael Pertwee Michael Henry Pertwee (24 April 1916, Kensington, London – 17 April 1991, Camden, London) was an English playwright and screenwriter. Among his credits were episodes of '' The Saint'', ''Danger Man'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', '' B-A ...

(1938) * '' The Duke in Darkness'' by Patrick Hamilton (1942) * ''

The Green Bay Tree ''The Green Bay Tree'' is a 1933 three-act drama written by Mordaunt Shairp that explores a "half-suggested homosexual relationship" between a man and his protégé or, in the words of one critic "a rich hot-house sybarite" and someone "he ado ...

'' by

Mordaunt Shairp Mordaunt Shairp (13 March 1887 – 18 January 1939) was an English dramatist and screenwriter born at Totnes. Educated at St Paul's School, London, and Lincoln College, Oxford, he spent much of his life as a schoolmaster in London and wrote ...

(1950)

References

External links

* * 1896 births 1976 deaths English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors People from Harborough District Male actors from Leicestershire 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Male actors from Plymouth, Devon British Army personnel of World War I Worcestershire Regiment soldiers Devonshire Regiment soldiers Somerset Light Infantry soldiers Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon {{England-actor-stub