Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series ''

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 ...

'', which ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1959.

Early life

Greene was born in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England. He was raised Roman Catholic, attending Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School (

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London), which he left at 18. His aunt was actress Evie Greene. His father, Richard Abraham Greene and his mother, Kathleen Gerrard, were both actors with the Plymouth Repertory Theatre. He was the grandson of Richard Bentley Greene and a descendant of four generations of actors. It has been stated elsewhere that he was the grandson of the inventor William Friese-Greene, (credited by some as the inventor of

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

) but this was found to be false, as a result of two parallel lines of genealogical research, conducted by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

and Paul Pert respectively, the latter being subsequently published in 2009.

Career

Greene started his stage career as a spear carrier in Shakespeare's ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'' at the Old Vic in 1933. A handsome young man, Greene added to his income by modelling shirts and hats. He appeared in a stage production of '' Journey's End'' and had a small role in '' Sing As We Go'' (1934). He joined the Jevan Brandon Repertory Company in 1936, appearing in ''Antony and Cleopatra''. He won accolades in the same year for his part in Terence Rattigan's '' French Without Tears'', which brought him to the attention of MGM,

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

and Darryl F. Zanuck, who all made offers for films. On 17 January 1938 Greene signed with Fox.

20th Century Fox

At 20, he joined

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

as a rival to

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

's Robert Taylor. His first film for Fox was

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's '' Four Men and a Prayer'' (1938). Greene was a huge success, especially with female film goers, who sent him mountains of fan mail which at its peak rivalled that of Fox star Tyrone Power. Greene co-starred with Sonia Henie in '' My Lucky Star'' (1938) and was reunited with Ford in '' Submarine Patrol'' (1939). Zanuck put him in ''

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

'' (1938) with

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Michaela Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1989. She received numerous honors including an Academy Awards ...

and Walter Brennan. Greene was the romantic male lead in the Shirley Temple vehicle '' The Little Princess'' (1939) and was Sir Henry Baskerville in the 1939

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

film '' The Hound of the Baskervilles''. The film marked the first pairing of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but it was Greene who was top billed. Greene had a supporting part in '' Stanley and Livingstone'' (1939) with Spencer Tracy and the lead in '' Here I Am a Stranger'' (1939). He co-starred with Alice Faye and Fred MacMurray in '' Little Old New York'' (1940) and supported Vera Zorina in ''

I Was an Adventuress ''I Was an Adventuress'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Gregory Ratoff, starring Vera Zorina, Richard Greene, Erich von Stroheim, and Peter Lorre. An actress/ballerina works as decoy for two international con artists. Plot Countess Ta ...

'' (1940). He had failed to become a major star but he was still playing leads in "A" movies when World War II began.

World War II

Greene tried to enlist in the Seaforth Highlanders in Vancouver, but they would not give him a commission. He obtained a release from Fox and travelled to England where he enlisted in the 27th Lancers, where he distinguished himself. After three months, he went to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and was commissioned and given the service number of 184251. He was promoted to captain in the 27th Lancers in May 1944. He was given leave in 1942 to appear in the British propaganda films '' Flying Fortress'' (1942) for Warners and '' Unpublished Story'' (1942) with Valerie Hobson. In 1943, he appeared in the Anna Neagle thriller '' Yellow Canary'' while on leave. He also appeared in a British comedy '' Don't Take It to Heart'' (1944). He later toured in Shaw's '' Arms and the Man'', entertaining the troops. Greene was discharged in December 1944 and appeared in the stage play ''Desert Rats''.

Return to Hollywood

After the war Greene starred in a British musical, distributed by Warners, '' Gaiety George'' (1946), which was a flop. He returned to Hollywood, and appeared in Fox's big budget '' Forever Amber'' (1947), but in support of Cornel Wilde. He went to Universal to play the villain in '' The Fighting O'Flynn'' (1948) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. At Fox he was third billed in '' The Fan'' (1949), based on the play '' Lady Windermere's Fan''. Greene returned to England to appear in '' That Dangerous Age'' (1949) and '' Now Barabbas'' (1949). He went back to Universal in Hollywood to play the hero in a

Yvonne de Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film star and sex symbol in the 1940s a ...

eastern, '' The Desert Hawk'' (1950). Director de Cordova said Greene was "everything a man or woman could want in a desert hero." In Britain he was in '' My Daughter Joy'' (1950), and '' Shadow of the Eagle'' (1950). He went to Italy to make '' The Rival of the Empress'' (1951). In 1951, he divorced his wife, Patricia Medina, whom he had married in 1941. In Hollywood Edward Small asked him to play the male hero of '' Lorna Doone'' (1951). He stayed on to star in '' The Black Castle'' (1952) and support Peter Lawford in '' Rogue's March'' (1952). For Small he made '' The Bandits of Corsica'' (1953), then he was in another swashbuckler, '' Captain Scarlett'' (1953) shot in Mexico.

''The Adventures of Robin Hood''

Greene returned to Britain looking for work. Reflecting on his career he said "I haven't had the big build-up part I expected. They turned me into a cloak-and-dagger merchant. After four dungeon pictures in a row I decided to throw it up." Greene got a role on stage in a production of '' I Capture the Castle'' with Virginia McKenna. Then Yeoman Films of Great Britain approached him for the lead role in the TV series ''

'' (1955–59). He was an immediate success in it. The series and a number of related marketing products bearing his likeness, such as comic books and "Robin Hood Shoes", solved his financial problems, with success both in the United Kingdom and the United States. During the series' run he made the occasional film such as '' Contraband Spain'' (1955), '' Beyond the Curtain'' (1960), and '' Sword of Sherwood Forest'' (1960), as Robin Hood. He had a long love affair in the 1950s with Nancy Oakes, wealthy daughter of

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

tycoon Sir

Harry Oakes Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet (23 December 1874 – 8 July 1943) was a British gold mine owner, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. He earned his fortune in Canada and moved to the Bahamas in the 1930s for tax purposes. Though American by b ...

TV and Fu Manchu

Amongst other TV programmes, Greene was in ''A Man For Loving'', '' The Doctors'', '' The Morecambe and Wise Show'', ''

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 ...

'', ''Scarf Jack'', as corrupt businessman Neil Turvey in '' The Professionals'' episode "Everest Was Also Conquered", and the '' Tales of the Unexpected'' episode " Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat". Greene replaced Douglas Wilmer to play Sir Denis Nayland Smith in two of

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 f ...

's Fu Manchu films, '' The Blood of Fu Manchu'' (1968) and '' The Castle of Fu Manchu'' (1969). Both films were directed by Jess Franco and shot in Spain.

Later life and death

In 1972 Greene was unwittingly embroiled in the '' Lewis v Averay'' court case, after a fraudster pretending to be Greene had purchased a vehicle. Greene died in 1985 of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

at his home at Kelling Hall,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, England, aged 66. His daughter, Patricia, said he had never completely recovered from an injury sustained from a fall three years earlier. "He still had quite a fan club and was receiving letters requesting signed pictures", she said.

Filmography

* '' Sing As We Go'' (1934) – Bit * '' Four Men and a Prayer'' (1938) – Geoffrey Leigh * '' My Lucky Star'' (1938) – Larry Taylor * '' Submarine Patrol'' (1938) – Perry Townsend III * ''

'' (1938) – Jack Dillon * '' The Little Princess'' (1939) – Geoffrey Hamilton * '' The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1939) – Sir Henry Baskerville * '' Stanley and Livingstone'' (1939) – Gareth Tyce * '' Here I Am a Stranger'' (1939) – David Paulding * '' Little Old New York'' (1940) – Robert Fulton * ''

'' (1940) – Paul Vernay * '' Flying Fortress'' (1942) – James "Jim" Spence Jr. * '' Unpublished Story'' (1942) – Bob Randall * '' Yellow Canary'' (1943) – Lieutenant Commander Jim Garrick * '' Don't Take It to Heart'' (1944) – Peter Hayward * '' Gaiety George'', also known as ''Showtime'' (1946) – George Howard * '' Forever Amber'' (1947) – Lord Harry Almsbury * '' The Fighting O'Flynn'' (1949) – Lord Philip Sedgemonth * '' The Fan'' (1949) – Lord Arthur Windermere * '' That Dangerous Age'' or ''If This Be Sin'' (1949) – Michael Barcleigh * '' Now Barabbas'' (1949) – Tufnell * '' The Desert Hawk'' (1950) – Omar aka The Desert Hawk * '' My Daughter Joy'' (''Operation X'') (1950) – Larry * '' Shadow of the Eagle'' (1950) – Count Alexei Orloff * '' The Rival of the Empress'' (1951) – Conte Alexei Orloff * '' Lorna Doone'' (1951) – John Ridd * '' The Black Castle'' (1952) – Sir Ronald Burton, alias Richard Beckett * '' Rogue's March'' (1953) – Capt. Thomas Garron * '' The Bandits of Corsica'' (1953) – Mario / Carlos * '' Captain Scarlett'' (1953) – Capt. Carlos Scarlett * '' Contraband Spain'' (1955) – Treasury Agent Lee Scott * '' Beyond the Curtain'' (1960) – Capt. Jim Kyle * '' Sword of Sherwood Forest'' (1960) – Robin Hood * '' Island of the Lost'' (1968) – Josh MacRae * '' The Blood of Fu Manchu'' (1968) – Sir Dennis Nayland-Smith * '' The Castle of Fu Manchu'' (1969) – Sir Dennis Nayland-Smith * '' Tales from the Crypt'' (1972) – Ralph Jason (segment 4 "Wish You Were Here")

References

External links

*
Paul Pert: "From Lens Hood to Robin Hood!" ''Fishko Files'', WNYC, 25 June 2010.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Richard 1918 births 1985 deaths Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon 20th-century English male actors 20th Century Studios contract players 27th Lancers officers English expatriate male actors in the United States English male film actors English male television actors English people of Irish descent English people of Scottish descent British Army personnel of World War II Seaforth Highlanders soldiers Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Male actors from Plymouth, Devon