Duncan William Ferguson Lamont (17 June 1918 – 19 December 1978) was a British actor.Brian McFarlane (Ed): ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'' (BFI/Methuen • London • 2000) p397''Picture Show Who's Who on the Screen'' (Amalgamated Press • London) 956p87 Born in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, Portugal, and brought up in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, he had a long and successful career in

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 ...

and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, appearing in a variety of high-profile productions.

Career

He trained as an actor at RADA in London, and had a considerable amount of stage experience before the Second World War. He acted in repertory, and at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. During the War he served as a sergeant pilot in the Glider Pilot Regiment of the British airborne forces. He resumed acting after the War, and entered films in the early 1950s. On film, he appeared in ''

The Man in the White Suit ''The Man in the White Suit'' is a 1951 British satirical science fiction comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The film was nominated for an ...

'' (1951, as Harry), '' The Adventures of Quentin Durward'' (1955, as the villain De La Marck), '' The 39 Steps'' (1959, as Kennedy), '' Ben-Hur'' (1959, as Marius, an associate of Messala), '' Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1962, as John Williams), '' Arabesque'' (1966, as Kyle Webster) and ''

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

'' (1969, as Flight Sergeant Arthur). Lamont is particularly memorable in his role as the wry, urbane Viceroy in

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...

's '' The Golden Coach'' (1952). From 1958 to 1960, Lamont was a semi-regular as David MacMorris in the CBS western

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, '' The Texan'', starring

Rory Calhoun Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...

. Lamont also appeared in guest roles in a range of popular British programmes from the 1950s to the 1970s, including ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...

'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'', '' Danger Man'', '' The Avengers'', '' Callan'', '' Secret Army, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'', ''

The Persuaders! ''The Persuaders!'' is a British action comedy television series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the c ...

'' and ''

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 1953, he appeared in the major role of astronaut Victor Carroon in Nigel Kneale's ground-breaking BBC science-fiction serial '' The Quatermass Experiment'', and fourteen years later returned to the series when he played the role of Sladden in the Hammer Films version of the third serial, '' Quatermass and the Pit''. He died in 1978 in Tunbridge Wells,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at the age of 60. He was working at the time on "Hostage", an episode of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

science-fiction series '' Blake's 7''. Although he had completed location work for the episode, he died before the studio scenes had been shot, necessitating a re-mount of the location material performed by his replacement John Abineri. He was married to the Irish actress Patricia Driscoll until his death in 1978. They had two children together.

Filmography

* '' Waterfront'' (1950) – 3rd Engineer On Ship (uncredited) * '' The Woman in Question'' (1950) – Barney (uncredited) * '' She Shall Have Murder'' (1950) – Police Sergeant * '' The Galloping Major'' (1951) – 2nd Trainer * '' There Is Another Sun'' (1951) – Policeman (uncredited) * ''

'' (1951) – Harry * '' Song of Paris'' (1952) – Undetermined Role (uncredited) * '' Emergency Call'' (1952) – Police Constable * '' The Lost Hours'' (1952) – Bristow * '' The Night Won't Talk'' (1952) – Sergeant Robbins * '' The Golden Coach'' (1952) – Ferdinand, Le Viceroy * '' The Final Test'' (1953) – Unpleasant Pub Customer (uncredited) * '' The Intruder'' (1953) – Donald Cope * '' The End of the Road'' (1953) – Barney * ''

Meet Mr. Malcolm ''Meet Mr. Malcolm'' is a 1954 British B movie, 'B' crime film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Adrianne Allen, Sarah Lawson (actress), Sarah Lawson and Meredith Edwards (actor), Meredith Edwards. It was written by Brock Williams (screenwrite ...

'' (1954) – Superintendent Simmons * '' Time Is My Enemy'' (1954) – Inspector Charles Wayne * '' The Teckman Mystery'' (1954) – Insp. Hilton * '' The Passing Stranger'' (1954) – Fred * '' Burnt Evidence'' (1954) – Jack Taylor * '' Passage Home'' (1955) – 1st Mate Llewllyn * '' Strike'' (1955, TV film) * '' The Adventures of Quentin Durward'' (1955) – Count William De La Marck * '' The Baby and the Battleship'' (1956) – Master-at-Arms * '' High Flight'' (1957) – Weapons Corporal * ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...

'' (1958) – Ernest Defarge * '' I Was Monty's Double'' (1958) – Wing Cdr. Bates * '' The 39 Steps'' (1959) – Kennedy * '' Ben-Hur'' (1959) – Marius (uncredited) * '' A Touch of Larceny'' (1959) – 1st Special Branch man Gregson * '' A Circle of Deception'' (1960) – Jules Burlard * '' The Queen's Guards'' (1961) – Wilkes * '' Sodom and Gomorrah'' (1962) * '' Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1962) – John Williams * '' Panic'' (1963) – Inspector Saunders * '' Murder at the Gallop'' (1963) – Hillman * '' The Scarlet Blade'' (1963) – Maj. Bell * '' The Devil-Ship Pirates'' (1964) – The Bosun * '' The Evil of Frankenstein'' (1964) – Chief of Police * '' Coast of Skeletons'' (1964) – Charlie Singer (voice, uncredited) * '' The Brigand of Kandahar'' (1965) – Colonel Drewe * '' The Murder Game'' (1965) – Inspector Telford * '' Arabesque'' (1966) – Webster * '' The Witches'' (1966) – Bob Curd * '' Frankenstein Created Woman'' (1967) – The Prisoner * '' Quatermass and the Pit'' (1967) – Sladden * '' The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1968, TV Movie) – Sergeant Grimes * '' Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher'' (1968) – Inspector Bruce * ''

'' (1969) – Flight Sgt. Arthur * '' Burke & Hare'' (1971) – Dr. Saint * '' Pope Joan'' (1972) – 1st Wounded Soldier * '' Nothing But the Night'' (1973) – Dr. Knight * '' The Creeping Flesh'' (1973) – Inspector * ''

'' (1974) – '' Death to the Daleks'' – Dan Galloway * '' Poldark'' (1975) – Bartholomew Tregirls * '' Escape from the Dark'' (1976) * '' Robin's Nest'' (1976) – Mr MacGregor

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamont, Duncan 1918 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Scottish male actors Male actors from Lisbon Scottish male film actors Scottish male television actors