Patrick Holt (31 January 1912 – 12 October 1993) was an English film and television actor.

Biography

Born Patrick Parsons in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Holt spent some of his childhood in India with his uncle, after which he was sent to

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

, a famous

charity school Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...

in Britain. Here he formed a close friendship with a boy in the same boarding house, the future film star Michael Wilding. He started his acting career in repertory theatres, and in 1939, landed a leading part on the London stage, as well as minor roles in films such as '' The Return of the Frog'' (1938) but his career was interrupted when the Second World War broke out and he joined the army. His army service saw him in Burma, Singapore and India, often on secret missions behind enemy lines, and he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Career

After the war he joined the J. Arthur Rank charm school and after supporting roles in films such as '' Hungry Hill'', '' Frieda'' and '' The October Man'' (all 1947), steadily established himself as a lead actor in films of the late 1940s, including '' The Mark of Cain'' (1947), '' My Sister and I'' (1948), '' Marry Me'' and '' A Boy, a Girl and a Bike'' (both 1949). His leading man status in prestige films was brief and he found himself as the star of 'B' movies during the fifties and early sixties, with the film writer David Quinlan calling him "the Dennis Price of the B film", although something of a misnomer as the actors were not alike, Holt playing a wider variety of character types. These second features included '' Guilt Is My Shadow'' (1950), '' Stolen Assignment'' (1955), '' Miss Tulip Stays the Night'' (1955) and '' Suspended Alibi'' (1957), with his final lead roles coming in the 1962 films '' Serena'', '' Flight from Singapore'' ''and Night of the Prowler''. During this period he also took on supporting roles in bigger budget movies such as ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

'' (1952) and '' I Was Monty's Double'' (1958). He also appeared on stage during the decade and in 1953 co-starred with

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in British cinema for 2 ...

in the musical '' The Glorious Days'' in the West End. He was one of many leading men and women of the 1950s who struggled to maintain their status as leads beyond the early 1960s. However, by evolving into a character actor, he sustained his career into old age, working on stage and television as well as in the cinema, and he was still listed in the Spotlight casting directory at the time of his death. Later film appearances include '' Guns at Batasi'' (1964), '' Thunderball'' (1965), '' Young Winston'' (1972) and '' The Wild Geese'' (1978), while television included '' The Avengers'', '' The Saint'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Armchair Theatre'', ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

'', '' Shabby Tiger'', '' Survivors'', '' Poldark'' and ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

''.

Personal life

His first wife was the actress Sonia Holm. In 1954, he married Sandra Dorne, with whom he had occasionally co-starred.

Selected filmography

* '' The Challenge'' (1938) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' The Return of the Frog'' (1938) - Cadet with Question (uncredited) * ''

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) - Lord Talmadge * ''

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

'' (1940) - Holt (uncredited) * '' Hungry Hill'' (1947) - Ward * '' Frieda'' (1947) - Alan * '' The October Man'' (1947) - Harry Carden * '' Master of Bankdam'' (1947) - Lemuel Pickersgill * '' When the Bough Breaks'' (1947) - Robert Norman * '' The Mark of Cain'' (1947) - John Howard * '' My Sister and I'' (1948) - Roger Crisp * '' Portrait from Life'' (1948) - Ferguson * '' Fly Away Peter'' (1948) - John Neilson * '' A Boy, a Girl and a Bike'' (1949) - Sam Walters * '' Marry Me!'' (1949) - Martin Roberts * '' Boys in Brown'' (1949) - Tigson * '' Guilt Is My Shadow'' (1950) - Kit * ''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivie ...

'' (1951) - Sitter in Bath Studio * '' 13 East Street'' (1952) - Inspector Gerald Blake * '' Come Back Peter'' (1952) - John Neilson * ''

'' (1952) - Philip DeMalvoisin * ''

Circumstantial Evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact, such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly, i.e., without need ...

'' (1952) - Michael Carteret * ''

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

'' (1954) - Thomas Maxfield * '' A Stranger Came Home'' (1954) - Job Crandall * '' The Golden Link'' (1954) - Terry Maguire * '' The Men of Sherwood Forest'' (1954) - King Richard * '' The Dark Avenger'' (1955) - Sir Ellys * '' Miss Tulip Stays the Night'' (1955) - Andrew Dax * '' Stolen Assignment'' (1955) - Henry Crossley * '' Alias John Preston'' (1955) - Sylvia's Husband in Dream * '' The Gelignite Gang'' (1956) - John Rutherford * '' The Girl in the Picture'' (1957) - Inspector Bliss * '' Operation Murder'' (1957) - Dr. Bowen * '' Suspended Alibi'' (1957) - Paul Pearson * '' Murder Reported'' (1957) - Bill Stevens * '' There's Always a Thursday'' (1957) - Middleton * '' Fortune Is a Woman'' (1957) - Fred Connor * '' I Was Monty's Double'' (1958) - Col. Dawson * '' Further Up the Creek'' (1958) - First Lieutenant (uncredited) * '' Too Hot to Handle'' (1960) - Inspector West * '' The Challenge'' (1960) - Max * '' Dentist on the Job'' (1961) - Newsreader * '' The Frightened City'' (1961) - Supt. Dave Carter * '' Serena'' (1962) - Inspector Gregory * '' Flight from Singapore'' (1962) - Squadron Leader Hill * '' Night of the Prowler'' (1962) - Robert Langton * '' Girl in the Headlines'' (1963) - Walbrook * '' Guns at Batasi'' (1964) - Captain * ''

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

'' (1965) - Kuchluk * '' Thunderball'' (1965) - Group Captain Dawson (uncredited) * '' The Fighting Prince of Donegal'' (1966) * '' The Vulture'' (1967) - Jarvis, the butler * '' Hammerhead'' (1968) - Huntzinger * '' The Desperados'' (1969) - Haller * '' The Magic Christian'' (1969) - Duke in Sotheby's * '' Cromwell'' (1970) - Captain Lundsford * '' No Blade of Grass'' (1970) - David Custance * ''

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth'' (titled ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the World'' in the U.K.) is a 1970 British fantasy film from Hammer Films, written and directed by Val Guest, and starring Victoria Vetri. It was produced by Aida Young. This w ...

'' (1970) - Ammon * '' Young Winston'' (1972) - Colonel Martin * '' Psychomania'' (1973) - Sergeant * '' Diamonds on Wheels'' (1974) - Steward * '' The Amorous Milkman'' (1975) - Tom * '' Legend of the Werewolf'' (1975) - Dignitary * '' Let's Get Laid'' (1978) - The Commissioner * '' The Wild Geese'' (1978) - Skyjacker * '' The Sea Wolves'' (1980) - Barker * '' Priest of Love'' (1981) - Arthur Lawrence * '' The Whistle Blower'' (1987) - Irate Driver * '' Playing Away'' (1987) - The Colonel * '' Strike It Rich'' (1990) - Lecherous Man with Wink (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Patrick 1912 births 1993 deaths English male film actors English male television actors Male actors from Cheltenham 20th-century English male actors People educated at Christ's Hospital British people in colonial India British Army personnel of World War II British Army officers