David Oxley (7 November 1920 – 30 October 1985) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

who made many film, television and stage appearances over a 28-year period. He is best known for portraying

Gilles de Rais Gilles de Rais (c. 1405 – 26 October 1440), Baron de Rais (), was a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known for his reputation and later co ...

in '' Saint Joan'' (1957), Sir Hugo Baskerville in ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in '' The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is se ...

'' (1959) and for the major role of Captain W. Stanley Moss in ''

Ill Met by Moonlight ''Ill Met by Moonlight: The Abduction of General Kreipe'' is a non-fiction partly-autobiographical book written by W. Stanley Moss, a British soldier, writer and traveller. It describes an operation in Crete during the Second World War to capt ...

'' (1957), based on the true story of the

Kidnap of General Kreipe The kidnapping of Heinrich Kreipe was an operation executed jointly by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and local resistance members in Crete in German-occupied Greece during the Second World War. The operation was launched ...

in 1944. David Oxley had an extraordinarily powerful voice that he used to great effect, being able to fill an auditorium without the aid of microphones, and seen to best effect as Sir Hugo Baskerville. He trained at the Central School of Dramatic Art in 1946. His stage work included early appearances at Stratford, as well as touring

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

with J. C. Williamson Theatres in 1961 as Henry Higgins, in one of two original

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecolo ...

n productions of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flowe ...

''. Oxley suffered a stroke in October, 1985 whilst sunbathing at his hotel in Málaga, Spain. His friend, author Graham Murray, was at his bed-side when he died. He also appeared in '' Bonjour Tristesse'' (1958), '' Sea Fury'' (1958), ''

Yesterday's Enemy ''Yesterday's Enemy'' is a 1959 Hammer Films British war film in MegaScope directed by Val Guest and starring Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern and Gordon Jackson set in the Burma Campaign during World War II. It is based on a 1958 BBC tele ...

'' (1959), ''

Life at the Top ''Life At The Top'' is the third novel by the English author John Braine, first published in the UK by Eyre & Spottiswoode and in the US by Houghton Mifflin & Co. in 1962. It continues the story of the life and difficulties of Joe Lampton, an am ...

'' (1965), ''

Bunny Lake Is Missing ''Bunny Lake Is Missing'' is a 1965 British-American psychological drama film, directed and produced by Otto Preminger. Filmed in black-and-white widescreen format in London, it was based on the 1957 novel '' Bunny Lake Is Missing'' by Merria ...

'' (1965) and ''

House of the Living Dead ''House of the Living Dead'' (''Skaduwees Oor Brugplaas'', or ''Shadows over Bridge Farm''), also known as ''Doctor Maniac'', is a 1974 science-fiction horror film directed by Ray Austin. The film, an international co-production between Great ...

'' (1974). His television appearances included ''

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 ...

'' (1960).http://digiguide.tv/person.asp?redirfrom=uktv&id=4156 David Oxley at digiguide.tv. retrieved 13 June 2011

Filmography

References

External links

* 1920 births 1985 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama {{england-actor-stub