Colin Martin Douglas (28 July 1912 – 21 December 1991) was an
English actor. Born in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
,
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
, Douglas was educated at the Farm School in
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
. Following his elder brother Jock, he emigrated to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
when he was sixteen, working in sheep farming and lumberjacking, but only stayed for five years before auditioning to study at
RADA, after begging his father to let him return to try to become an actor. He did some time in
repertory
A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation.
United Kingdom ...
, but 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 ...
halted his career. In the armed forces he went to
Catterick and the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...
, became Captain and Adjutant in
the Border Regiment, and served in the
1st Airborne Division. During the
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allies of World War II, Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis p ...
his
glider, like many others, was released too early, and the crew were in the sea for two days (many members of other crews perished). He was also dropped by glider at
Arnhem
Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
, during the ill-fated
Operation Market Garden but in later years was reluctant to talk about it. He was appearing on stage in
Alan Plater
Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. He is best known for the sitcom ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' and th ...
's play ''
Close the Coalhouse Door'' when he heard he had been chosen for a leading part in ''
A Family at War''. This popular series ran for 52 episodes from 1970.
His
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
credits include ''
The Trollenberg Terror'' (1958), ''
Captain Clegg'' (1962) and ''
Mister Ten Per Cent'' (1967).
His theatre credits include ''One For the Pot'', one of
Brian Rix's
Whitehall farces in the '60s, a spell with the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
which included a production of ''
Toad of Toad Hall
''Toad of Toad Hall'' is a play written by A. A. Milne – the first of several dramatisations of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 novel ''The Wind in the Willows'' – with incidental music by Harold Fraser-Simson. It was originally produced by William ...
'' with
David Suchet, and ''Exchange'' in the late '80s, with his good friend
Martin Jarvis.
His television credits include ''
Dr. Finlay's Casebook'', ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' (in the serials ''
The Enemy of the World'' and ''
Horror of Fang Rock''). Also the 1955 version of ''
The Children of the New Forest''. He also had roles in ''
Fire Crackers'', ''
The Buccaneers
''The Buccaneers'' is the last novel written by Edith Wharton. The story is set in the 1870s, around the time Wharton was a young girl. It was unfinished work, unfinished at the time of her death in 1937 and published in that form in 1938. Whar ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', ''Love Story'', ''Rooms'', ''
Angel Pavement
''Angel Pavement'' is a novel by J. B. Priestley, published in 1930 after the enormous success of ''The Good Companions'' (1929).
It is a social panorama of the city of London, seen largely through the eyes of the employees of the firm Twigg & ...
'', ''
Follyfoot'', ''
Telford's Change'', ''
When The Boat Comes In'', ''
The Sweeney'', ''
Dick Barton: Special Agent'', ''The Seventh Juror'', ''
The Flockton Flyer'', ''Headmaster'', ''Thicker than Water'' (an instalment of the anthology series ''
Play for Today
''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...
''), ''
The Night People'', ''
The Omega Factor'', ''The Greenhill Pals'' and ''
The Pickwick Papers
''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was the Debut novel, first novel serialised from March 1836 to November 1837 by English author Charles Dickens. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Bo ...
''.
[
Colin Douglas had a lead role in the drama '' A Family at War'' (1970–72) where he played Edwin Ashton in a glum portrayal of a ]Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
family in the 1930s and '40s. Fifty-two episodes were made by Granada TV
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend Television was its ...
and the series proved to be very popular and often drew a weekly audience of over 22 million viewers, sometimes knocking ''Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
'' off the top spot.[ It was also loved by audiences in ]Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
, and the cast were treated like superstars when they visited.
Another lead role was Bonehead in the comical children's black and white BBC TV series ''Bonehead'' which lasted two seasons between 1960 and 1962. It was about three hopeless crooks, Paul Whitsun-Jones as Boss, Douglas Blackwell as Happy and Colin Douglas as Bonehead. Boss would devise a criminal scheme and along with the eternally miserable Happy and the idiot Bonehead (whose catchphrase was "Shall I bash 'im, Boss?"), they would try to carry the scheme out. But things always went wrong, often thanks to Bonehead and the watchful eye of PC Pilchard. To try to rescue something from the mess, Boss would suggest an alternative scheme with the phrase "plan B Bonehead".
Colin Douglas's last role was as troubled Labour Party veteran Frank Twist in Alan Bleasdale's TV series '' GBH''.
He was married to actress Gina Cachia for 40 years, until her death in 1989.Battersea
Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park.
Hist ...
, London, and his hobbies were sea fishing, golf and cooking. He also served on the actors' Equity Council for several years.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Colin
English male television actors
English male stage actors
English male film actors
Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne
Border Regiment officers
British Army personnel of World War II
1912 births
1991 deaths
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
20th-century English male actors