Allan Darling Cuthbertson (7 April 1920 – 8 February 1988) was an Australian actor. He was best known for playing stern-faced military officers in British films of the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life

Cuthbertson was born in

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, son of Ernest and Isobel Ferguson (Darling) Cuthbertson. He performed on stage and radio from an early age. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served as a flight lieutenant with the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

from 6 December 1941 to 1 July 1947, including service with 111 Air Sea Rescue Flight.

Career

Cuthbertson arrived in Britain in 1947, and appeared shortly thereafter as Romeo in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' at the Boltons. In London's West End, he appeared as Laertes in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'', Aimwell in '' The Beaux Stratagem'', and Octavius Robinson in '' Man and Superman'', among many other roles. He was often cast in military roles, which was quite common in actors of his generation, especially those with a military air about them. He made a brief appearance as a harassed staff officer, who then gets blown up, at the beginning of '' Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958). He was Captain Eric Simpson in '' Tunes of Glory'' (1960) as well as being cast as more stuffy regimental types in such films as '' Carrington V.C.'' (1954) and '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961), (both of which starred David Niven) and as the callous and officious Colonel Cavendish in '' The 7th Dawn'' (1964) with

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

. In 1961 he appeared in the TV series ''

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 ...

'' in the episode entitled "The Island" as Mr. Wilson. In 1962 he played a school teacher in '' Term of Trial'' with

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

. He appeared four times in the television series '' The Avengers''. Cuthbertson also had a talent for playing comedy, which led to his best known role, although again playing a mustachioed military character, as Colonel Hall in the " Gourmet Night" episode of the hit sitcom ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, originally broadcast on BBC Two in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a dysfunctional fictional ...

'' in 1975. He appeared in many roles on British television, including with Tommy Cooper, Dick Emery and

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

, and in ''

All Gas and Gaiters ''All Gas and Gaiters'' is a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC One, BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of John Wraith when writing th ...

'', '' Gideon's Way'' episode The V Men (1964) as Chief Supt Bill Parsons and episode The Thin Red Line (1965) as Major Donald Ross, '' The Avengers'' (1967 episode '' Death's Door'' as Lord Melford), ''

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 ...

'' (1969 episode The Experiment as Cranmore), ''

'', '' UFO'' (1970 episode " The Square Triangle"), an episode of ''

The Persuaders! ''The Persuaders!'' is a British action comedy television series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the c ...

'' as Colonel Wright and '' Terry and June'', where he played annoying neighbour Tarquin Spry. He was a regular guest on '' The Morecambe & Wise Show'' from 1973 to 1976. In the acclaimed 1985 Suspense Serial, '' Edge of Darkness'', Allan played as Investigative Speaker Mr. Chilwell. One of his last TV appearances was in

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knig ...

's '' East of Ipswich'' in 1987. One of his last stage roles was in ''

The Corn Is Green ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...

'' by

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flintshi ...

at the Old Vic in 1985.

Personal life

Cuthbertson was long married to Dr Gertrude Willner, a refugee from Nazi-occupied

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, who had been a lawyer originally, but became a teacher in Britain. They had an adopted son. At the time of his death, Cuthbertson was living in

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...

, Greater London.

Filmography

* '' Carrington V.C.'' (1954) – Lt. Col. Henniker * '' Portrait of Alison'' (1955) – Henry Carmichael * '' On Such a Night'' (1956) – 1st Gentleman * '' Doublecross'' (1956) – Clifford * '' Cloak Without Dagger'' (1956) – Colonel Packham * ''

The Man Who Never Was ''The Man Who Never Was'' is a 1956 British espionage thriller film produced by André Hakim and directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame and features Robert Flemyng, Josephine Griffin and Stephen Boyd. It is b ...

'' (1956) – Vice-Admiral * '' Eyewitness'' (1956) – Det Insp (uncredited) * ''

Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...

'' (1956) – Blond Man (uncredited) * '' The Passionate Stranger'' (1957) – Dr. Stevenson * '' Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst'' (1957) – Captain Donaldson RN * '' Barnacle Bill'' (1957) – Chailey * '' Law and Disorder'' (1958) – Police Inspector * '' Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958) – Brigadier's Staff Officer * '' I Was Monty's Double'' (1958) – Guards Officer * '' Room at the Top'' (1959) – George Aisgill * '' The Crowning Touch'' (1959) – Philip * '' Shake Hands with the Devil'' (1959) – Captain * '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959) – British Captain * '' Killers of Kilimanjaro'' (1959) – Sexton * '' North West Frontier'' (1959) – Monocled Officer (uncredited) * '' The Stranglers of Bombay'' (1960) – Capt. Christopher Connaught-Smith * '' Tunes of Glory'' (1960) – Capt. Eric Simpson * '' The Malpas Mystery'' (1960) – Lacey Marshalt * '' Man at the Carlton Tower'' (1961) * '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961) – Maj. Baker * '' On the Double'' (1961) – Captain Patterson * '' Solo for Sparrow'' (1962) – Supt. Symington * '' Term of Trial'' (1962) – Sylvan-Jones * '' The Boys'' (1962) – Randolph St. John * '' The Brain'' (1962) – Da Silva (uncredited) * '' The Fast Lady'' (1962) – Bodley * '' Freud: The Secret Passion'' (1962) – Wilkie * ''

Nine Hours to Rama ''Nine Hours to Rama'' is a1963 British-American neo noir crime film directed by Mark Robson (film director), Mark Robson that follows a fictionalised Nathuram Godse in the hours before he Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, assassinated the India ...

'' (1963) – Capt. Goff * '' The Running Man'' (1963) – Jenkins * ''

The Mouse on the Moon ''The Mouse on the Moon'' is a 1963 British comedy film, the sequel to ''The Mouse That Roared (film), The Mouse That Roared''. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel ''The Mouse on the Moon (novel), The Mouse on the Moon'' by Irish author Leona ...

'' (1963) – Member of Whitehall Conference * '' Tamahine'' (1963) – Housemaster * '' Bitter Harvest'' (1963) – Mr. Eccles * '' The Informers'' (1963) – Smythe * '' The 7th Dawn'' (1964) – Colonel Cavendish * ''

Operation Crossbow ''Crossbow'' was the code name in World War II for Anglo-American operations against the German V-weapons, long range reprisal weapons (V-weapons) programme. The primary V-weapons were the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket, which were launched agai ...

'' (1965) – German Technical Examiner * '' Life at the Top'' (1965) – George Aisgill * ''

Game for Three Losers ''Game for Three Losers'' is a 1965 British drama film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Michael Gough, Mark Eden and Toby Robins. It was written by Roger Marshall and made at Merton Park Studios as part of the long-running series of ...

'' (1965) – Garsden * '' Cast a Giant Shadow'' (1966) – Immigration Officer * '' Press for Time'' (1966) – Mr. Ballard * '' The Trygon Factor'' (1966) – Det. Thompson * '' Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon'' (1967) – Scuttling * '' Half a Sixpence'' (1967) – Wilkins * '' Sinful Davey'' (1969) – Captain Douglas * '' The Body Stealers'' (1969) – Hindesmith * '' Captain Nemo and the Underwater City'' (1969) – Lomax * '' The Adventurers'' (1970) – Hugh * '' One More Time'' (1970) – Belton * ''

Performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

'' (1970) – The Lawyer * '' The Firechasers'' (1971) – D.O Jarvis * ''

Assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...

'' (1971) – Coroner * '' Diamonds on Wheels'' (1974) – Gus Ashley * ''

'', episode "Gourmet Night" (1975) – Colonel Hall * '' The Outsider'' (1979) – Stanley * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) – Melborne * '' Hopscotch'' (1980) – Chartermain * '' The Mirror Crack'd'' (1980) – Peter Montrose ('Murder at Midnight') * '' The Winds of War'' (miniseries), episodes "Cataclysm" & "The Changing of the Guard" (1983) – Maj. Gen. Tillet * '' Edge of Darkness'' (miniseries), episodes 3-6 (1985) - Mr. Chilwell * '' Thirteen at Dinner'' (1985) – Sir Montague Corner * '' East of Ipswich'' (1987) – Mr. Horrobin

References

External links

*
Allan Cuthbertson Biography (1920–1988)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuthbertson, Allan 1920 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Australian male actors 20th-century English male actors Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Male actors from Perth, Western Australia Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People from Surbiton Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Actors from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames