Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A

matinée idol Matinée idol is a term used mainly to describe film or theatre stars who are adored to the point of adulation by their fans. The term almost exclusively refers to adult male actors. Matinée idols often tend to play romantic and dramatic lea ...

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 Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia ...

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

Early life

Greene of Irish and Scottish ancestry, and was born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England. He was raised Roman Catholic, attending Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School ( Kensington, London), which he left at age 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 (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of Film, motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (o ...

) 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 film-making 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

He started his stage career as a spear carrier in Shakespeare's '' Julius Caesar'' in 1933. A handsome young man, Greene added to his income by modelling shirts and hats. His professional career began at the age of 15, with a walk-on role in ''Julius Caesar'' at the Old Vic. He did some modelling work and 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 with whom he appeared in ''Antony and Cleopatra''. He won accolades in the same year for his part in

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wa ...

's '' French Without Tears'', which brought him to the attention of MGM,

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)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. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

as a rival to MGM's Robert Taylor. His first film for Fox was

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

'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 Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

. 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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

'' (1938) with

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen 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 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...

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 film ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in '' The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is se ...

''. The film marked the first pairing of Basil Rathbone and

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series '' The New Adventures of Sherloc ...

as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but it was Greene who was top billed. Greene had a support part in '' Stanley and Livingstone'' (1939) with

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two conse ...

and the lead in '' Here I Am a Stranger'' (1939). He co-starred with Alice Faye and

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

in '' Little Old New York'' (1940) and supported Vera Zorina in '' I Was an Adventuress'' (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 The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw serv ...

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 The 27th Lancers was a British Army cavalry regiment from 1941 to 1945. History The regiment was raised in June 1941 from a cadre of personnel taken from the 12th Royal Lancers. It was assigned to the 11th Armoured Division as the divisional reco ...

, where he distinguished himself. After three months, he went to the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry ...

and was commissioned and given the

service number A service number is an identification code used to identify a person within a large group. Service numbers are most often associated with the military; however, they may be used in civilian organizations as well. National identification numbers ma ...

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 Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was John Profumo, a British government minister who became the subject of the Pro ...

. In 1943, he appeared in the Anna Neagle thriller ''

Yellow Canary The yellow canary (''Crithagra flaviventris'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islands. ...

'' 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 he starred in a British musical, distributed by Warners, ''

Gaiety George ''Gaiety George'' is a 1946 British historical musical film directed by George King and Leontine Sagan and starring Richard Greene, Ann Todd and Peter Graves.Harper p.179 It is set in the late Victorian music hall, when an Irish impresario ar ...

'' (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 Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited ap ...

. He went to Universal to play the villain in ''

The Fighting O'Flynn ''The Fighting O'Flynn'' is a 1949 American adventure film directed by Arthur Pierson. The film's screenplay by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is based on the novel of the same name by Justin Huntly McCarthy. Fairbanks stars, along with Helena Carter. ...

'' (1948) with

Douglas Fairbanks Jr Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939) ...

. 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 Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and late ...

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 ''My Daughter Joy'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Gregory Ratoff and starring Edward G. Robinson, Peggy Cummins and Richard Greene. The screenplay concerns a millionaire who spoils his only daughter, but has a strained relationship w ...

'' (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 ''Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor'' is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly ar ...

'' (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 ''The Bandits of Corsica'', alternative title ''The Return of the Corsican Brothers'', is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Richard Greene, Paula Raymond and Raymond Burr. It is loosely based on the 1844 novella ...

'' (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 ''

'' (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 and made him a star. 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 extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

tycoon Sir

Harry Oakes Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet (23 December 1874 – 7 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 ...

Later career

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'' was 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 19 ...

'', ''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's

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, comi ...

films, ''

The Blood of Fu Manchu ''The Blood of Fu Manchu'' (german: Der Todeskuss des Dr. Fu Man Chu, lit=The Death-Kiss of Dr. Fu Manchu, es, Fu-Manchú y el beso de la muerte), also known as ''Kiss of Death'', ''Kiss and Kill'' (U.S. title) and ''Against All Odds'' (orig ...

'' (1968) and '' The Castle of Fu Manchu'' (1969). Both films were directed by

Jess Franco Jess is a unisex given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Jessica, Jesse, Jessie, etc., and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Jess Atkinson (born 1961), American football player * Jess Cain (1926–2008), American radio host * Jes ...

and shot in Spain.

Later life and death

In 1972 Greene was unwittingly embroiled in the ''

Lewis v Averay ''Lewis v Averay'' 971EWCA Civ 4 is a case in English contract law on fraudulent misrepresentation or "mistake" about identity. Facts Impersonating Richard Greene, a popular actor from ''The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)'', a rogue gave ...

'' court case, after a fraudster pretending to be Greene had purchased a vehicle. Greene died in 1985 of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

at his home at

Kelling Hall Kelling Hall is a Grade II* listed building situated in the civil parish of Kelling in the English county of Norfolk. It is 0.7 miles from the parish of Holt and overlooks the North Norfolk coastline at a height of 171 feet above sea level. Th ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...

, 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 * ''

'' (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 * '' I Was an Adventuress'' (1940) – Paul Vernay * '' Flying Fortress'' (1942) – James "Jim" Spence Jr. * '' Unpublished Story'' (1942) – Bob Randall * ''

'' (1943) – Lieutenant Commander Jim Garrick * '' Don't Take It to Heart'' (1944) – Peter Hayward * ''

'', also known as ''Showtime'' (1946) – George Howard * '' Forever Amber'' (1947) – Lord Harry Almsbury * ''

'' (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 * ''

'' (''Operation X'') (1950) – Larry * '' Shadow of the Eagle'' (1950) – Count Alexei Orloff * '' The Rival of the Empress'' (1951) – Conte Alexei Orloff * ''

'' (1951) – John Ridd * '' The Black Castle'' (1952) – Sir Ronald Burton, alias Richard Beckett * '' Rogue's March'' (1953) – Capt. Thomas Garron * ''

'' (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 * ''

'' (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 British 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