William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

activist. Before his show business career, he served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

with

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India. The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...

and

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

units.

Early life

Travers was born in

Houghton-le-Spring Houghton-le-Spring ( ) is a town in the Sunderland district, in Tyne and Wear, England which has its recorded origins in Norman times. Historically in County Durham, it is now administered as part of the Tyne and Wear county. It lies betw ...

City of Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most populous settlement in the Wearsid ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, England, the son of Florence (née Wheatley) and William Halton Lindon-Travers, a theatre manager. His sister Linden (1913–2001) and her daughter

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...

became actresses.

Military service

Travers enlisted as a private in the

at the age of 18, a few months after the outbreak of 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 ...

, and was sent to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

then under

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

rule. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

on 9 July 1942. He was promoted war-substantive

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 7 January 1943 and to acting

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 20 September 1944. He served in the Long Range Penetration Brigade 4th Battalion 9th Gorkha Rifles in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

, attached to

Orde Wingate Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Orde Charles Wingate, (26 February 1903 – 24 March 1944) was a senior British Army officer known for his creation of the Chindits, Chindit deep-penetration missions in Japanese-held territory duri ...

's staff, during which he came to know John Masters, his brigade major. (Travers later acted in the film '' Bhowani Junction'', written by Masters.) While deep behind enemy lines, he contracted

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

and volunteered to be left behind in a native Burmese village. To avoid capture, he disguised himself as a Chinese national and walked hundreds of miles through jungle territory until he reached an Allied position. He later joined

Force 136 Force 136 was a far eastern branch of the British World War II intelligence organisation, the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Originally set up in 1941 as the India Mission with the cover name of GSI(k), it absorbed what was left of SOE's O ...

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

and was parachuted into Malaya. He was responsible for training and tactical decisions with the main resistance movement, the communist-led

Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army The Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) was a communist guerrilla army that resisted the Japanese occupation of Malaya from 1941 to 1945 in World War II. Composed mainly of ethnic Chinese guerrilla fighters, the MPAJA was the largest ...

(MPAJA). On 20 December 1944, he was promoted war-substantive

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and temporary major. Travers was one of the first allied operatives to enter the Japanese city of Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bomb. He wrote about his experience in his diary, registering profound horror at the destruction and loss of life. On 7 November 1946, Travers was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished service whilst engaged in Special Operations in South East Asia". He left the armed forces in 1947.

Acting career

Early work

After leaving the army, Travers decided to become an actor. He began working on stage in 1949 appearing in

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observations ...

's '' The Damask Cheek'', and a year later made his film debut in '' Conspirator'' (1949). He had unbilled parts in '' Trio'' (1950) and '' The Wooden Horse'' (1950). He had a slightly bigger part in '' The Browning Version'' (1951) and a good role on TV in "Albert" (later filmed as '' Albert R.N.'') for '' BBC Sunday-Night Theatre'' (1951).

Supporting player

Travers appeared in '' Hindle Wakes'' (1952), '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952), '' The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men'' (1952), '' It Started in Paradise'' (1952), '' Mantrap'' (1953), '' Street of Shadows'' (1953), and '' The Square Ring'' (1953). He was in "The Heel" for '' Douglas Fairbanks Presents''. He was a supporting player in '' Counterspy'' (1953), and appeared 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 ...

'' (1954) as Benvolio, and in '' Footsteps in the Fog'' (1955) starring Stewart Granger and

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Britain during and after the ...

''Geordie'' and MGM

Travers's breakthrough came when he was cast in the title role of ''

Geordie Geordie ( ), sometimes known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English, is an English dialect and accent spoken in the Tyneside area of North East England. It developed as a variety of the old Northumbrian dialect and became espe ...

'' (1955), directed by

Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, ...

. This was popular in Britain and the US and saw him contracted by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, which thought he was going to be a big star and brought him to Hollywood. MGM cast him in the expensive epic '' Bhowani Junction'' (1956), with Granger and

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' att ...

. He followed this as the romantic lead in a remake of '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1957), opposite

Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental-health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned more than five decades, she was nomin ...

Powell and Pressburger The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...

wanted him to star in the lead of '' Ill Met by Moonlight'' but the role went to

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House (film), Doctor in the Hous ...

. Travers briefly returned to Britain to make a comedy, '' The Smallest Show on Earth'' (1957), with his second wife Virginia McKenna, whom he had married in 1957. Back in Hollywood, he was

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged (1950 film), Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story (1951 film), Detective Story'' (1951 ...

's character's love interest in '' The Seventh Sin'' (1957), a remake of a

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

film. MGM tested him for the lead in ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

'' (1959) and he wrote a swashbuckler to star himself, ''The Falcon''. However his MGM films all performed disappointingly at the box office – ''Barretts'' and ''Seventh Sin'' were notable flops – and enthusiasm for Travers in Hollywood cooled. Travers returned to the UK in March 1957 to attend to divorce proceedings and marry Virginia McKenna after which he went back to America in October, for "A Cook for Mr. General" for '' Kraft Theatre'' (1958) on TV.

Return to Britain

Travers and McKenna starred in a melodrama for the Rank Organisation, '' Passionate Summer'' (1958). He tried to get up a war film set in Greenland, ''The Sledge Patrol'', but it does not appear to have been made. He and Launder tried to repeat the success of ''Geordie'' with '' The Bridal Path'' (1960), but the film was not a success. In the second half of 1959, Travers made a British monster film, '' Gorgo''. In America he recorded "Born a Giant" for '' Our American Heritage'' (1960) on TV, then returned to Britain where Travers and McKenna reteamed on a thriller, '' Two Living, One Dead'' (1961). He then starred in a race car drama for MGM, '' The Green Helmet'' (1961), and a comedy with

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

, ''

Invasion Quartet ''Invasion Quartet'' is a 1961 British World War II comedy-drama film directed by Jay Lewis and starring Bill Travers and Spike Milligan. It was publicised as a parody of ''The Guns of Navarone (film), The Guns of Navarone''. The screenplay was ...

'' (1961). He was in a Broadway production of ''A Cook for Mr General'' (1961). Travers starred in a TV adaptation of '' Lorna Doone'' (1963). He returned to Hollywood to do some episodes of '' The Everglades'', '' Rawhide'' ("Incident at Two Graves") and ''Espionage'' ("A Camel to Ride"). Back on Broadway he played the title role in ''Abraham Cochrane'' which had a short run.

''Born Free''

His most famous film role was that of game warden

George Adamson George Alexander Graham Adamson MBE (3 February 1906 – 20 August 1989), also known as the ''Baba ya Simba'' ("Father of Lions" in Swahili), was a British wildlife conservationist and author based in Kenya. His wife Joy Adamson related in h ...

in the highly successful 1966 film ''

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple, who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood and released h ...

'', about which experience the two co-wrote the book ''On Playing with Lions''. He co-starred with McKenna and the experience made him and his wife conscious of the many abuses of wild animals in captivity that had been taken from Africa and other natural environments around the world. Travers received an offer to play a support role in '' Duel at Diablo'' (1967); during filming he broke a leg and dislocated a shoulder. He played the title role in a British TV version of ''

The Admirable Crichton ''The Admirable Crichton'' is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. Origins Barrie took the title from the sobriquet of a fellow Scotland, Scot, the polymath James Crichton, a 16th-century genius and athlete. The epigram-loving E ...

'' (1968), alongside his wife, and had a small part in Peter Hall's adaptation of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' (1968).

Documentaries

Travers teamed up with James Hill, the director of ''Born Free'', to make the documentary, ''The Lions Are Free'' (1969), which both men directed. Travers and McKenna made another "animal movie", '' Ring of Bright Water'' (1969) for which he also wrote the script. They followed this with ''An Elephant Called Slowly'' (1970), which Travers helped write and produce with James Hill, who directed. In 1969, he played

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter and Wendy, Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain of the br ...

on a stage production of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

''. Travers worked as an actor only on '' Rum Runners'' (1971) with

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French former actress, singer, and model as well as an animal rights activist. Famous for portraying characters with Hedonism, hedonistic life ...

and

Lino Ventura Angiolino Giuseppe Pasquale Ventura (14 July 1919 – 22 October 1987), known as Lino Ventura, was an Italian-born actor and philanthropist, who lived and worked for most of his life in France. He was considered one of the greatest leading men ...

. He directed and appeared in a documentary, ''The Lion at World's End'' (1971), about Christian the lion, an animal bought in ''

Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...

'' and then returned to Africa. He was reunited with James Hill on '' The Belstone Fox'' (1973) and co-wrote a documentary, "The Wild Dogs of Africa", for '' The World About Us'' (1973). He later produced "The Baboons of Gombe" (1975) for the same show. He and Hill wrote and produced ''The Queen's Garden'' (1977) together, and Travers helped produce ''Bloody Ivory'' (1980).

Later years

Travers appeared in "Tramps and Poachers", an episode of '' To the Manor Born'' (1980). In '' The First Olympics: Athens 1896'' (1984) he and McKenna played the parents of Edwin Flack. One of his last credits was "Highland Fling" on ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...

'' (1992).

Animal rights campaigner

The importance of animal rights led to Travers and his wife becoming involved in the "Zoo Check Campaign" in 1984 that evolved to their establishing the Born Free Foundation in 1991. Travers spent his last three years travelling around Europe's slum zoos and a TV documentary that he made exposed the appalling suffering of thousands of animals.

Death

Travers died from a

coronary thrombosis Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart ...

in his sleep at his home in the village of South Holmwood, near

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...

, Surrey, aged 72. He was survived by his wife and children. His widow, Virginia McKenna, carries on his work to help suffering animals, as does their son, Will Travers, who is president of the Born Free Foundation.

Credits

Filmography

* '' Conspirator'' (1949) - Mnor Role (undetermined, uncredited role) * '' Trio'' (1950) - Fellowes (segment "Mr. Know-All") * '' The Wooden Horse'' (1950) - Prisoner (uncredited) * '' The Browning Version'' (1951) - Fletcher * '' The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men'' (1952) - Posse Man * '' The Planter's Wife'' (1952) - Planter (uncredited) * '' It Started in Paradise'' (1952) - 2nd Photographer (uncredited) * '' Hindle Wakes'' (1952) - Bob * '' Mantrap'' (1953) - Victor Tasman * '' Street of Shadows'' (1953) - Nigel Langley * ''The Genie'' (1953) - Morgan (segment "The Heel") * '' The Square Ring'' (1953) - Rowdie Rawlings * '' Counterspy'' (1953) - Rex * ''

'' (1954) - Benvolio * '' Footsteps in the Fog'' (1955) - David Macdonald * ''

'' (1955) - Geordie MacTaggart * '' Bhowani Junction'' (1956) - Patrick Taylor * '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1957) -

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

* '' The Smallest Show on Earth'' (1957) - Matt Spenser * '' The Seventh Sin'' (1957) - Walter Carwin * '' Passionate Summer'', aka ''Storm Over Jamaica'' (1958) - Douglas Lockwood * '' The Bridal Path'' (1959) - Ewan McEwan * '' Gorgo'' (1961) - Joe * '' Two Living, One Dead'' (1961) - Andersson * '' The Green Helmet'' (1961) - Greg Rafferty * '' The Invasion Quartet'' (1961) - Freddie Oppenheimer * ''

'' (1966, as wildlife expert

) - George Adamson * '' Duel at Diablo'' (1966) - Lt. Scotty McAllister * ''The Admirable Crichton'' (1967, TV Movie) - Crichton * ''

'' (1968) - Snout * ''The Lions are Free'' (1969, Documentary) - Himself in the real-life sequel to ''Born Free''. * '' Ring of Bright Water'' (1969) - Graham Merrill * ''An Elephant Called Slowly'' (1970) - Bill * '' The Lion at World's End'' (1971, Documentary) - Himself * ''Rum Runners'' (1971) - Sanderson * '' The Belstone Fox'' (1973) - Tod * ''How to Handle a Wine'' (1984, Documentary) - Himself / Dinner Guest

Television

* '' The Everglades'' as Rand in "The Hostage", syndicated US television series (1962) * '' Lorna Doone'', as John Ridd, 11 episodes (1963 TV series) * '' Rawhide'' as Jeremiah O'Neal in "Incident at Two Graves" (1963) * '' To the Manor Born'', as Arthur Smith (Tramp) in Tramps and Poachers, 1980, series 2 number 4 * ''

'', BBC, two episodes 1992 (final appearance)

References

External links

*
Photos of Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna and George Adamson and Lions.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Travers, Bill 1922 births 1994 deaths Deaths from coronary thrombosis British Indian Army officers English activists English male film actors English male stage actors Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne Military personnel from Newcastle upon Tyne Male actors from Northumberland Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English male actors Special Operations Executive personnel British Army soldiers British Army personnel of World War II Indian Army personnel of World War II Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players