Geoffrey Toone (15 November 1910 – 1 June 2005) was an English actor and former matinee idol. He was born in Ireland to English parents. Most of his film roles after the 1930s were in supporting parts, usually as authority figures, though he did play the lead character in the Hammer Films production ''

The Terror of the Tongs ''The Terror of the Tongs'' is a 1961 British adventure film directed by Anthony Bushell and starring Geoffrey Toone, Christopher Lee and Yvonne Monlaur. Plot In 1910, Mr. Ming is an agent of a group which secretly fights against tongs, China ...

'' in 1961.

Early life

Born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland to English parents, he was educated at

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

and

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...

. He served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

during

World War II 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 ...

, but was invalided out in 1942.

Career

Toone's notable appearances include: * As Sir Edward Ramsay in the musical film ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...

'' (he dances with

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...

in the banquet sequence, much to the annoyance of the King). * As retired boxer and pimp Denny Lipp in "Jeff", a noteworthy 1960 episode of the TV series '' The Westerner'', produced, directed and co-written by Sam Peckinpah. The episode also featured in a small role Warren Oates, who became a Peckinpah stalwart. * 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 Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

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 ...

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 ...

'': ** As Temmosus in the film of '' Dr. Who and the Daleks'' (1965) ** As Hepesh in the

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, ...

story '' The Curse of Peladon'' in 1972. * In '' Freewheelers'' as the Nazi officer Karl von Gelb who continually tries to avenge Germany's World War II defeat. * As R. A. Crichton in " The Greasy Pole", a 1981 episode of ''

Yes Minister ''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes f ...

''. * As Lord Ridgemere, owner of the

stately home 300px, Oxfordshire.html" ;"title="Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire">Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a To ...

where Delboy and Rodney dropped a

chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

in the ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

'' episode, " A Touch of Glass". * As Lord Bittlesham, a recurring character in the TV adaptation of P. G. Wodehouse's ''

Jeeves and Wooster ''Jeeves and Wooster'' is a British comedy television series adapted by Clive Exton from P. G. Wodehouse's "Jeeves" stories. It aired on the ITV network from 22 April 1990 to 20 June 1993, with the last series nominated for a British Aca ...

''.

Personal life

For many years Toone shared a house with his close friend, the actor Frank Middlemass. "To their general amusement", they were often mistaken to be lovers, but in fact were not.

Death

Toone died from natural causes, aged 94, at Denville Hall in Northwood, London. At the time of his death, Toone was one of the last survivors of the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

theatre company of the 1930s, having appeared alongside the likes of

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...

and

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

in productions of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. At the time, he was also the longest-lived actor to have appeared in ''Doctor Who''.

Selected filmography

* '' Queer Cargo'' (1938) .... Lieutenant Stocken * '' Luck of the Navy'' (1938) .... Commander Clive Stanton * '' Night Journey'' (1938) .... Johnny Carson * ''

Sword of Honour The ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh which loosely parallel Waugh's experiences during the World War II, Second World War. Published by Chapman & Hall from 1952 to 1961, the novels are: Men at Arms (Waugh novel), ''M ...

'' (1939) .... Bill Brown * '' Poison Pen'' (1940) .... David * '' An Englishman's Home'' (1940) .... Peter Templeton * '' Hell Is Sold Out'' (1951) .... Swedish Consulate Clerk * '' The Woman's Angle'' (1952) .... Count Cambia * '' The Great Game'' (1953) .... Jack Bannerman * '' The Man Between'' (1953) .... Martin Mallison * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1955) (Season 1 Episode 5: "Into Thin Air" aka "The Vanishing Lady") - Basil Farnham * '' Captain Lightfoot'' (1955) .... Captain Hood * '' Diane'' (1956) .... Duke of Savoy * ''

'' (1956) .... Sir Edward Ramsey * '' Johnny Tremain'' (1957) .... Major Pitcairn * '' Zero Hour!'' (1957) .... Dr. Baird * '' Murder at Site 3'' (1959) .... Sexton Blake * ''

Once More, with Feeling! ''Once More, with Feeling!'' is a 1960 British comedy film starring Yul Brynner and Kay Kendall in her final film appearance and directed and produced by Stanley Donen from a screenplay by Harry Kurnitz, based on his play. The film was rele ...

'' (1960) .... Dr. Richard Hilliard * '' The Entertainer'' (1960) .... Harold Hubbard * ''

'' (1961) .... Captain Jackson Sale * '' Captain Sindbad'' (1963) .... Mohar * '' Echo of Diana'' (1963) .... Colonel Justin * '' Dr. Crippen'' (1963) .... Mr. Tobin * ''Blaze of Glory'' (1963) .... Roche * '' The River Line'' (1964) .... Julian * '' Dr. Who and the Daleks'' (1965) .... Temmosus * ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with her husband Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in Lo ...

'' (1982) .... Marquis de St. Cyr * The Stone Carriers (1982) .... Narrator

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Toone, Geoffrey 1910 births 2005 deaths 20th-century English male actors Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge British Army personnel of World War II English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from Dublin (city) Military personnel from Dublin (city) People educated at Charterhouse School Royal Artillery personnel