Lionel Charles Jeffries (10 June 1926 – 19 February 2010) was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

for his role in '' The Spy with a Cold Nose''.

Early life

Jeffries was born in Forest Hill,

south London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

. Both his parents were social workers with the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

. As a boy, he attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wimborne Minster in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

. In 1945, he received a

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and served in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

at the

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

radio station 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 ...

, being awarded the

Burma Star The Burma Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Burma Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War. One clasp, Pacific, was i ...

. (He blamed the humidity there for his hair loss at the age of 19.) He also served as a captain in the Royal West African Frontier Force.

Career

He trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

. He entered

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

at the David Garrick Theatre,

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

for two years and appeared in early British television plays. Jeffries built a successful career in British films mainly in comic character roles and as he was prematurely bald he often played characters older than himself, such as the role of father to

Caractacus Pott Caractacus Pott (Caractacus Potts in the film adaptation) is one of the main characters in Ian Fleming's novel ''Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang'' and its Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, film adaptation. The film version of the story makes several changes to h ...

s (played by

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. Dick Van Dyke on screen and stage, His work spans screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Dick Van Dyke, his awards includ ...

) in the film ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 children's film, children's Musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, ...

'' (1968), although Jeffries was actually six months younger than Van Dyke, who was born on 13 December 1925. His acting career reached a peak in the 1960s with leading roles in other films like '' Two-Way Stretch'' (1960), '' The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (1960), '' Murder Ahoy!'' (opposite

Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Rutherford came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's ''Blithe Spirit (1945 f ...

), '' First Men in the Moon'' (1964) and '' Camelot'' (1967). Jeffries turned to writing and directing children's films, including a well-regarded version of '' The Railway Children'' (1970) and '' The Amazing Mr. Blunden'' (1972). He was a member of the British Catholic Stage Guild. Jeffries had a negative attitude towards television and avoided the medium for many years. He reluctantly appeared on television in an acting role in the 1980

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

Dennis Potter drama '' Cream in My Coffee'' and realised that television production values were now little different from those in the film industry; as a result he developed a belated career in television. He appeared in an episode of the

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

/ ITV

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

'' Minder'' in 1983 as Cecil Caine, an eccentric widower, and in an episode of ''

Inspector Morse Endeavour Morse, GM, is the namesake character of the series of "Morse" detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, a Detective Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. On television he was portrayed by John ...

'' in 1990 (Central Television/

Zenith The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (Vertical and horizontal, plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The z ...

/ITV). He starred as Tom (Thomas Maddisson) in the Thames/ITV

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Tom, Dick and Harriet'' with Ian Ogilvy and Brigit Forsyth. During location filming with Ogilvy for a 1983 episode, a stunt involving a car and a lake went very badly wrong, ending up with Jeffries only just managing to get out of the car's front window before the vehicle sank in of water.

Retirement and death

Jeffries began to suffer from

vascular dementia Vascular dementia is dementia caused by a series of strokes. Restricted blood flow due to strokes reduces oxygen and glucose delivery to the brain, causing cell injury and neurological deficits in the affected region. Subtypes of vascular dement ...

in 1998 and retired from acting in 2001. His health declined in the following years. He died on 19 February 2010, at a nursing home in

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

. He was 83. The name of Jeffries is mentioned before the ending titles of the film '' The First Men in the Moon'', released in 2010: "For Lionel Jeffries 1926–2010".

Personal life

Jeffries was married to Eileen Mary Walsh from 1951 until his death. They had a son and two daughters. Their son Ty Jeffries is a composer, lyricist and cabaret artist. Their granddaughter Amy Mason is a novelist and playwright.

Filmography

Acting roles * ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

'' (1950) – Bald RADA Student (uncredited) * '' Will Any Gentleman...?'' (1953) – Mr. Frobisher * '' The Black Rider'' (1954) – Martin Bremner * '' The Colditz Story'' (1955) – Harry Tyler * '' The Quatermass Xperiment'' (1955) – Blake * '' No Smoking'' (1955) – George Pogson * '' All for Mary'' (1955) – Maitre D', Hotel * '' Windfall'' (1955) – Arthur Lee * '' Jumping for Joy'' (1956) – Bert Benton * '' Bhowani Junction'' (1956) – Captain McDaniel * '' The Baby and the Battleship'' (1956) – George * '' Eyewitness'' (1956) – Man in Pub * '' Lust for Life'' (1956) – Dr. Peyron * '' High Terrace'' (1956) – Monkton * '' Up in the World'' (1957) – Wilson * '' The Man in the Sky'' (1957) – Keith * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) – Dr. Hatchet * '' Hour of Decision'' (1957) – Elvin Main * '' The Vicious Circle'' (1957) – Geoffrey Windsor * '' Barnacle Bill'' (1957) – Garrod * '' Blue Murder at St Trinian's'' (1957) – Joe Mangan * ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

'' (1958) – Colonel – Medical Officer * ''Charles and Mary'' (1958, TV Movie) – George Dyer * '' Up the Creek'' (1958) – Steady Barker * ''

The Revenge of Frankenstein ''The Revenge of Frankenstein'' is a 1958 Technicolor British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews (actor), Francis Matthews, Michael Gwynn, Oscar Quitak, Eunice Gayson and Michael Ripper. Made by H ...

'' (1958) – Fritz * '' Law and Disorder'' (1958) – Major Proudfoot * '' Orders to Kill'' (1958) – Interrogator * '' Girls at Sea'' (1958) – Harry, the Tourist * '' Behind the Mask'' (1958) – Walter Froy * '' Further Up the Creek'' (1958) – Steady Barker * '' Nowhere to Go'' (1958) – Pet Shop Clerk (uncredited) * '' Idol on Parade'' (1959) – Bertie * ''

The Nun's Story ''The Nun's Story'' is a 1956 novel by Kathryn Hulme. It was a Book of the Month selection and reached No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Premise The lead character of the book, Sister Luk ...

'' (1959) – Dr. Goovaerts * '' Bobbikins'' (1959) – Gregory Mason * '' Please Turn Over'' (1959) – Ian Howard * '' Two-Way Stretch'' (1960) – Chief P.O. Crout * '' Jazz Boat'' (1960) – Sergeant Thompson * '' Life Is a Circus'' (1960) – Genie * '' Let's Get Married'' (1960) – Marsh * '' The Trials of Oscar Wilde'' (1960) – John Sholto Douglas, Marquis of Queensberry * '' Tarzan the Magnificent'' (1960) – Ames * '' Fanny'' (1961) – Monsieur Brun (The Englishman) * '' The Hellions'' (1961) – Luke Billings * ''

Operation Snatch ''Operation Snatch'' (also known as ''Top Secret'' ) is a 1962 British comedy film starring Terry-Thomas and George Sanders and directed by Robert Day (director), Robert Day. It was written by Alan Hackney, Len Heath and John Warren (actor), ...

'' (1962) – Evans * '' Mrs. Gibbon's Boys'' (1962) – Lester Gibbons * '' The Notorious Landlady'' (1962) – Inspector Oliphant * '' Kill or Cure'' (1962) – Det. Insp. Hook * '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) – Inspector Fred 'Nosey' Parker * '' Call me Bwana'' (1963) – Ezra * '' The Scarlet Blade'' (1963) – Col. Judd * '' The Long Ships'' (1964) – Aziz * '' First Men in the Moon'' (1964) – Cavor / Joseph Cavor * '' Murder Ahoy!'' (1964) – Captain Sydney De Courcy Rhumstone * '' The Truth About Spring'' (1965) – 'Cark' / Cark * '' You Must Be Joking!'' (1965) – Sgt. Maj. McGregor * '' The Secret of My Success'' (1965) – Insp. Hobart / Baron von Lukenberg / The Earl of Aldershot / President Esteda * '' The Spy with a Cold Nose'' (1966) – Stanley Farquhar * '' Drop Dead Darling'' (1966) – Parker * '' Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad'' (1967) – Airport Commander * '' Camelot'' (1967) – King Pellinore * '' Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon'' (1967) – Sir Charles Dillworthy * ''

'' (1968) – Grandpa Potts * '' 12 + 1'' (1969) – Randomhouse * '' Twinky'' (1970) – Solicitor * '' Eyewitness'' (1970) – Grandpa * '' The Railway Children'' (1970) – Malcolm (uncredited) * '' Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?'' (1972) – Inspector Ralph Willoughby * '' Royal Flash'' (1975) – Kraftstein * '' What Changed Charley Farthing?'' (1976) – Houlihan * '' Wombling Free'' (1978) – Womble (voice) * '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1979) – General Sapt * '' Cream in My Coffee'' (1980, TV Movie) – Bernard Wilsher * '' Father Charlie'' (1982, TV Series) - Father Charlie * '' Better Late Than Never'' (1983) – Bertie Hargreaves * '' Abel's Island'' (1988 short) – Gower (voice) * '' Danny, the Champion of the World'' (1989, TV Movie) – Mr. Snoddy * '' A Chorus of Disapproval'' (1989) – Jarvis Huntley-Pike * ''First and Last'' (1989, TV Movie) – Laurence * ''Ending Up'' (1989, TV Movie) – Shorty * '' Inspector Morse. The Sins of the Fathers'' (1990, TV Series) - Charles Radford * '' Jekyll & Hyde'' (1990, TV Movie) – Jekyll's Father * ''Heaven on Earth'' (1998, TV Movie) – Isaac Muller

References

External links

* * *
Lionel Jeffries
– Daily Telegraph obituary
Lionel Jeffries
– Times obituary {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffries, Lionel 1926 births 2010 deaths 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English screenwriters Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British Army personnel of World War II Converts to Roman Catholicism Deaths from dementia in England Deaths from vascular dementia English male film actors English male screenwriters English male stage actors English male television actors English film directors English Roman Catholics Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers Male actors from Dorset Military personnel from the London Borough of Lewisham Actors from the London Borough of Lewisham Male actors from London People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Wimborne Minster Royal West African Frontier Force officers Audiobook narrators People from Forest Hill, London