John Alexander Fraser (18 March 1931 – 6 November 2020) was a Scottish actor and author. He is best known for his performances in the films '' The Dam Busters'' (1955), ''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It wo ...

'' (1957), '' The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (1960), '' El Cid'' (1961), '' Repulsion'' (1965) and ''

Isadora Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis"). The male equivalent is Isidore. The name sur ...

'' (1968).

Career

One of his earliest roles was as Inigo Jollifant in the second film version of J.B. Priestley's ''

'' (1957). Later, Fraser had leading roles in films such as '' El Cid'', '' Tunes of Glory'', '' The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (playing

Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carried a homoer ...

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

's '' Repulsion'', ''

'' and '' Schizo''. He made appearances on television series including ''

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 ...

'' (1964), '' Randall and Hopkirk'' (1969), ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...

'' (1972), '' Doctor Who'' (1981) and ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' (1995). He released several singles in the late 1950s. In 2004, he published his autobiography, ''Close Up'', in which he wrote frankly about his gay life and friendships. In the book, Fraser wrote that actor

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

was gay and that his long-term lover was his manager James Woolf.''The Guardian'
"Sexy self-image that revved up Dirk Bogarde"
2 October 2004 Of

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Orga ...

, Fraser wrote, "Dirk's life with nthony Forwood had been so respectable, their love for each other so profound and so enduring, it would have been a glorious day for the pursuit of understanding and the promotion of tolerance if he had screwed up the courage ... to make one dignified allusion to his true nature. Self-love is no substitute for self-respect."

Personal life and death

Fraser died from

oesophageal cancer Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voi ...

on 6 November 2020 at the age of 89.

Selected filmography

Selected recordings

* 1957 - Bye Bye Love / Why Don't They Understand * 1958 - Presenting John Fraser (EP) with Tony Osborne, the Beryl Stott Group, the Kim Drake Orchestra * 1958 - Trolley Stop / Bye Bye Love with the Beryl Stott Group * 1959 - Bye Bye Baby Goodbye * 1960 - Jaula Dorada / Adios Adios Muchacha / Adios Amor / Por Que No Comprenden

Footnotes

Bibliography of works

* * * *

External links

* *
The Guardian obituary
1931 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Scottish male actors 21st-century Scottish male actors Deaths from cancer in the United Kingdom Deaths from esophageal cancer Scottish gay actors British gay writers LGBT writers from Scotland Male actors from Glasgow Scottish expatriates in Italy Scottish male film actors Scottish male stage actors Scottish male television actors Scottish writers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people {{Scotland-actor-stub