Derek William Douglas Bond
MC (26 January 1920 – 15 October 2006) was a British actor. He was President of the
trade union Equity from 1984 to 1986.
Life and career
Bond was born on 26 January 1920 in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
.
He attended
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Haberdashers' Boys' School (also known as Haberdashers', Habs, or Habs Boys), until September 2021 known as Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, is a public school for pupils age 4 to 18 in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. The school is a m ...
in
Hampstead,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
[Gavin Gaughan]
Obituary: Derek Bond
''The Guardian'', 8 November 2006 Bond enlisted into the
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremoni ...
soon after the outbreak of war where his education marked him out for officer training, and he was duly sent to
Sandhurst. Opting to transfer to the
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
he was invited, with other hopefuls, to dinner by the Adjutant, Captain E H Goulburn. After being plied with drinks and subjected to a grilling, at which most of the cadets managed to maintain a suitable air of sycophancy, Bond was asked: “So, Bond, you were an actor! Aren’t all actors sh*ts?” After replying “no more than regular soldiers, Sir!” – his future was assured. After the evacuation of Dunkirk in May 1940 such was the apparent threat of invasion that the cadets were deployed in the defence of Camberley. However, with only one Bren gun between three hundred their effectiveness must have been limited. Finally, Bond was commissioned in July 1940.
Serving with 3rd Grenadiers, Bond saw action in Tunisia and on 12 December 1942 was wounded in the leg by a machine gun bullet. Evacuated home and awarded a Military Cross in February 1943, he dined with future prime Minister, Harold Macmillan who had commanded the same Platoon until wounded in the Great War.
He spent the last few months of the war in
Stalag VII-A
Stalag VII-A (in full: ''Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager VII-A'') was the largest prisoner-of-war camp in Nazi Germany during World War II, located just north of the town of Moosburg in southern Bavaria. The camp covered an area of . It ser ...
, a
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
n POW camp.
He enjoyed a varied film, stage and television career, which began in 1938 with experience with the
Finchley Amateur Dramatic Society. His conventional good looks secured him a number of dramatic and light comedy roles. He made a lasting impression in the title role of the
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever ...
production of ''
Nicholas Nickleby
''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...
'' (1947).
As well as acting, he wrote a number of scripts; a stage play ''Akin to Death'' written in 1954, which he took on tour in 1955. His first drama for television was ''Unscheduled Stop'', produced for ITV's ''
Armchair Theatre
''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968.
The Canad ...
'' in 1968 and directed by
Toby Robertson
Sholto David Maurice Robertson (29 November 1928, London - 4 July 2012, London), known as Toby Robertson, was the artistic director of the Prospect Theatre Company from 1964 to 1978. He was recognised as having "re-established the good name and ...
.
White, Leonard. ''Armchair Theatre: The Lost Years''
Kelly Publications, 2003: p. 211
He was president of the Actors' Union Equity for a tempestuous period during the 1980s. Because of his intention to perform in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
(the country's apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
system was the cause of a UN-backed cultural boycott), a motion urging Bond to resign was proposed, but rejected, in July 1984. He resigned when a ban on members working in South Africa became union policy after his return to the UK.
Derek Bond was married three times. He died on 15 October 2006, at St George's Hospital
St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...
in Tooting
Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross.
History
Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. ...
, London, and is survived by his third wife Annie, a son, a daughter and a stepson.
Selected filmography
* ''The Captive Heart
''The Captive Heart'' is a 1946 British war drama, directed by Basil Dearden and starring Michael Redgrave. It is about a Czechoslovak Army officer who is captured in the Fall of France and spends five years as a prisoner of war, during which ...
'' (1946) – Lt. Harley
* ''Nicholas Nickleby
''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...
'' (1947) – Nicholas Nickleby (title role)
* '' The Loves of Joanna Godden'' (1947) – Martin Trevor
* '' Uncle Silas'' (1947) – Lord Richard Ilbury
* ''Broken Journey
''Broken Journey'' (also known as ''Rescue'') is a 1948 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin and featuring Phyllis Calvert, James Donald, Margot Grahame, Raymond Huntley and Guy Rolfe. ''Broken Journey'' deals with people struggling to sur ...
'' (1948) – Richard Faber
* '' The Weaker Sex'' (1948) – Lt. Comdr. Nigel Winan
* '' Scott of the Antarctic'' (1948) – Captain L.E.G. Oates
* '' Marry Me!'' (1949) – Andrew Scott
* ''Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
'' (1949) – Diego de Arana
* '' Poet's Pub'' (1949) – Saturday Keith
* '' Tony Draws a Horse'' (1950) – Tim Shields
* ''The Quiet Woman
''The Quiet Woman'' is a 1951 British crime film directed by John Gilling and based on a story by Ruth Adam, about a criminal's wife who attempts to build a new life after her husband goes to prison, only to be menaced by him when he escapes. It ...
'' (1951) – Duncan McLeod
* '' Distant Trumpet'' (1952) – David Anthony
* '' Love's a Luxury'' (1952) – Robert Bentley
* ''The Hour of 13
''The Hour of 13'' is a 1952 British historical mystery film directed by Harold French and starring Peter Lawford, Dawn Addams and Roland Culver. It was made at Elstree Studios by the British subsidiary of MGM. The film's sets were designed by the ...
'' (1952) – Sir Christopher Lenhurst
* '' Trouble in Store'' (1953) – Gerald
* ''Stranger from Venus
''Stranger from Venus'' (also known as ''Immediate Disaster'' and ''The Venusian'' in the United States) is a 1954 independently made UK black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Burt Balaban (who also directed), Gene Martel, and Roy Ri ...
'' (1954) – Arthur Walker
* ''Svengali
Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer.
Definition ...
'' (1954) – The Laird
* '' Tale of Three Women'' (1954) – Max (segment "Wedding Gift" story)
* ''Three Cornered Fate'' (1955) – Robert Parker
* '' High Terrace'' (1956) – John Mansfield
* '' Rogue's Yarn'' (1957) – John Marsden
* ''Gideon's Day
''Gideon's Day'' is the first in a series of police procedural novels by John Creasey writing as J.J. Marric. Published in 1955, it features a day in the professional life of Detective Superintendent George Gideon of the C.I.D., Scotland Y ...
'' (1958) – Sgt. Kirby
* ''Stormy Crossing
''Stormy Crossing'' is a 1958 British crime, drama, thriller, mystery film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards and starring John Ireland, Derek Bond, Leslie Dwyer, and Maureen Connell. John Schlesinger and Arthur Lowe appear in supporting r ...
'' (1958) – Paul Seymour
* '' The Hand'' (1960) – Roberts / Roger Crawshaw
* '' Saturday Night Out'' (1964) – Paul
* '' Wonderful Life'' (1964) – Douglas Leslie
* '' Secrets of a Windmill Girl'' (1966) – Inspector Thomas
* '' Press for Time'' (1966) – Maj. R. E. Bartlett
* '' When Eight Bells Toll'' (1971) – Lord Charnley
* ''Intimate Reflections
''Intimate Reflections'' is a 1975 British independent drama film directed by Don Boyd and starring Anton Rodgers, Lillias Walker, Sally Anne Newton and Jonathan David. It was Boyd's first feature film and premiered at the 1975 London Film Festiva ...
'' (1974) – Bank manager
* ''Hijack!'' (1975) – Power boat owner
* ''Visions'' (1998) – Shooter (final film role)
Selected television appearances
* ''Picture Parade'' (co-presenter)
* ''Cooperama'' (with Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick Cooper (19 March 1921 – 15 April 1984) was a Welsh prop comedian and magician. As an entertainer, his appearance was large and lumbering at , and he habitually wore a red fez when performing. He served in the British Army ...
, 1966)
* ''Callan
Callan is a given name and surname of Irish and Scottish origin. It can derive from Ó Cathaláin, meaning ''descendant of Cathalán''. Callan can also be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Allin or Mac Callin. Notable people with the name includ ...
'' (1969)
* ''Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
'' (1974)
References
Bibliography
War Memoirs, Steady, Old Man! Don't You Know There's a War on? Derek Bond, Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 1990.
External links
*
The Times Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Derek
1920 births
2006 deaths
English male film actors
English male stage actors
English male television actors
Grenadier Guards officers
Recipients of the Military Cross
British Army personnel of World War II
Male actors from Glasgow
Coldstream Guards soldiers