Donald Daniel Houston (6 November 1923 – 13 October 1991) was a Welsh actor whose first two films—'' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) with

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 ...

, and '' A Run for Your Money'' (1949) with

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

—were highly successful. Later in his career he was cast in military roles and in comedies such as the ''

Doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'' and '' Carry On'' series.

Early life

Houston was born in 10 Thomas Street, Tonypandy, on Tuesday 6 November 1923 in the village of

Clydach Vale Clydach Vale ( and adjoining ''Blaenclydach'') is a village in the Community (Wales), community of Cwm Clydach, northwest of Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the Rhondda Valley, Wales. It is named for its situation on ...

, near

Tonypandy Tonypandy (, ) is a town, community and electoral ward located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, the to ...

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

and was the elder brother of actor

Glyn Houston Glyndwr Desmond Houston (23 October 1925 – 30 June 2019) was a Welsh actor best known for his television work. He was the younger brother of film actor Donald Houston. Early life Houston was born at 10 Thomas Street, Tonypandy, Glamorgan, W ...

and a sister, Jean. His father Alexander Houston, was a professional football player from Scotland, and his mother Elsie M Jones, ran a milk round. Following the death of their mother at age 29, Donald and brother

were raised by their grandmother while their father had to leave Wales in order to find work. After leaving school he worked at a local

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...

before deciding to start an acting career. In 1940 he performed on stage with the Pilgrim Players. He served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

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 ...

as a rear gunner and radio officer.

Acting career

Houston had a successful career as a character actor in British film and television, with prominent parts in several well-known films, including '' Yangtse Incident'' (1957), '' The Longest Day'' (1962, in which he appeared alongside

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

), '' 633 Squadron'' (1964), ''

Where Eagles Dare ''Where Eagles Dare'' is a 1968 action adventure war film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. Set during World War II, it follows a Special Operations Executive team charged with saving a ca ...

'' (1968, again with Burton) and '' The Sea Wolves'' (1981). He would sometimes indulge his Welsh accent, and at other times conceal it behind an English public school voice. His forte tended to be authority figures, often military, such as the brilliant but tough David Caulder, the head of '' Moonbase 3'', or Dr Francis in "Thirteen to Centaurus" (from the anthology series ''

Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction and horror anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were dramatisations of s ...

''). He could also handle comedy, as he proved with ''

Doctor in the House Doctor in the House may refer to: * Doctor in the House (novel), ''Doctor in the House'' (novel), a 1952 novel by Richard Gordon ** Doctor in the House (film), ''Doctor in the House'' (film), a 1954 British film adaptation of the novel *** Doctor i ...

'' (1954) and the later '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963), both significant successes in Europe, and '' Carry On Jack'' (1963). Though preferring quality parts, he was not above journeyman work in films such as '' Maniac'' (1963) and '' Tales That Witness Madness'' (1973).

Death

He died on 13 October 1991, of a stroke. The house in which he was born in Tonypandy, Rhondda is marked with a

Blue Plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

historical marker. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Donald's daughter Sian, his granddaughter Michela, his sister Jean Rees and other family members and friends. Historian Peter Stead spoke about Donald Houston's British film career at the plaque unveiling ceremony.

Selected filmography

* '' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) as Michael Reynolds * '' A Run for Your Money'' (1949) as Dai * ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

'' (1950) as Phil * '' Crow Hollow'' (1952) as Dr. Robert Amour * '' My Death Is a Mockery'' (1952) * '' The Red Beret'' (1953) as Taffy * ''

The Large Rope ''The Large Rope'' (also known as ''The Long Rope'') is a 1953 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Donald Houston, Susan Shaw and Robert Brown. It was written by Ted Willis. Plot Tom Penney returns to ...

'' (1953) as Tom Penney * '' Small Town Story'' (1953) as Tony Warren * ''

'' (1954) as Taffy Evans * '' The Happiness of Three Women'' (1954) as John * '' Devil's Point'' (1954) as Michael Mallard * '' The Flaw'' (1955) as John Millway * '' Doublecross'' (1956) as Albert Pascoe * '' Find the Lady'' (1956) as Bill * '' The Girl in the Picture'' (1957) as Jon Deering * '' Yangtse Incident'' (1957) as Lt Weston RN * '' The Surgeon's Knife'' (1957) as Dr. Alex Waring * '' A Question of Adultery'' (1958) as Mr. Jacobus * '' The Man Upstairs'' (1958) as Dr. Sanderson * '' Room at the Top'' (1959) as Charles Soames * '' Danger Within'' (1959) as Capt. Roger Byfold * '' The Mark'' (1961) as Austin * '' Twice Round the Daffodils'' (1962) as John Rhodes * ''

The 300 Spartans ''The 300 Spartans'' is a 1962 CinemaScope epic historical drama film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. It was directed by Rudolph Maté and stars Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, David Farrar, Diane Baker, and Barry Coe. Produced with ...

'' (1962) as Hydarnes * '' The Longest Day'' (1962) as RAF Pilot * '' Maniac'' (1963) as Henri * '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) as Maj. Tommy Ffrench * '' Carry On Jack'' (1963) as First Officer Jonathan Howett * '' 633 Squadron'' (1964) as Group Capt. Don Barrett * ''

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 ...

'' Episode: 'The Mirror's New' (TV series 1965) - Edward Bierce * '' A Study in Terror'' (1965) as

Doctor Watson Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). "The Adventure of Shosc ...

* ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series that was made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, following the 1958 film, '' Gideon's Day''. The film and series are based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. ...

'' Episode: 'Fall High, Fall Hard' (TV series 1965) - Tony Erickson (his actor brother Glyn Houston also appeared in the episode) * ''

'' Episode: 'Thirteen to Centaurus' (TV series 1965) - Dr. Francis * '' The Viking Queen'' (1967) as Maelgan * ''

'' (1968) as Capt. Olaf Christiansen * '' The Bushbaby'' (1969) as John Leeds * '' My Lover My Son'' (1970) as Robert * '' Now Take My Wife'' (1971) as Harry Love * '' Tales That Witness Madness'' (1973) as Sam Patterson (segment 1 "Mr. Tiger") * ''

Voyage of the Damned ''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama (film and television), drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an Ensemble cast, all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, Lynne Frederick and Malco ...

'' (1976) as Dr. Glauner * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) as Hilliard * '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) as

Acrisius In Greek mythology, Acrisius (; Ancient Greek: Ἀκρίσιος means 'ill-judgment') was a king of Argos. He was the grandfather of the famous Greek demi-god Perseus. Family Acrisius was the son of Abas and Aglaea (or Ocalea, depending on ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Donald 1923 births 1991 deaths Welsh male film actors Welsh male television actors Welsh people of Scottish descent People from Clydach Vale 20th-century Welsh male actors Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force officers Male actors from Rhondda Cynon Taf