Robert Rutherford Beatty (19 October 1909 – 3 March 1992) was a Canadian actor who worked in

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.

Early years

Beatty was born in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, the son of Charles Thompson Beatty and Blanch Sarah Rutherford. He attended Delta Collegiate School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 35–38. He began his acting career in Britain in 1939.

Career

Stage

Beatty joined the Players' Guild of Hamilton after graduation from the University of Toronto. He went to London, England, in 1936 and joined 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 ...

. It was with the RADA that he made his English stage debut. In 1939 he appeared in the West End in N.C. Hunter's comedy '' Grouse in June''.

Film

Beatty's film credits include: '' San Demetrio London'' (1943), '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' Another Shore'' (1948), '' Against the Wind'' (1948), '' Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.'' (1951), '' The Square Ring'' (1953), '' Portrait of Alison / Postmark for Danger'' (1955), '' Something of Value'', ''

Time lock A time lock (also timelock) is a part of a locking mechanism commonly found in bank vaults and other high-security containers. The time lock is a timer designed to prevent the opening of the safe or vault until it reaches the preset time, ev ...

'' (1957), '' The Amorous Prawn'' (1962), '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968), ''

Where Eagles Dare ''Where Eagles Dare'' is a 1968 action adventure war film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. Set during World War II, it follows a Special Operations Executive team charged with saving a ca ...

'' (1968), '' The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' (1976), '' Superman III'' (1983), '' Minder on the Orient Express'' (1985) and '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987). Beatty appeared in two "critically acclaimed war propaganda films" in 1942 – '' 49th Parallel'' and '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missing''.

Television

In the 1950s, he was host of the BBC programme ''Saturday Night Out'', a live outside-broadcast magazine programme, in which he was known as "The Man with the Mike". He played Bulldog Drummond in 1957 in the episode "The Ludlow Affair" of Douglas Fairbanks Presents. In 1958–59, he played Detective Inspector Mike Maguire in the police series '' Dial 999'' (a co-production between Britain's ABC and the US company Ziv). He also appeared in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' (" The Tenth Planet" as General Cutler), ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four series of thirteen 50-minute episodes were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, prod ...

'' ("The Way Back" as Bran Foster), '' The Gathering Storm'', '' Thriller'' (1976), '' The New Avengers'', and '' Minder''. He was in

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...

's TV mini-series ''

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...

'' and the American series of

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...

's ''

The Martian Chronicles ''The Martian Chronicles'' is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, by Americans leaving a troubled Earth tha ...

''. He portrayed

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in ''Breakthrough at Reykjavik'' (Granada Television UK 1987).

Radio

Beatty reported descriptions of

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

from London to North America via the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

during World War II. He played Philip Odell, a fictional Irish

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

created by Lester Powell, between 1947 and 1961. The series debuted on BBC radio with the story "Lady in a Fog" in October 1947. The series was made available to overseas broadcasters by the BBC Transcription Services. His other radio credits included '' Shadow of Sumuru'' on the BBC Home Programme in 1945–46, ''Shadow Man'' on

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

in 1955, ''Destination – Fire!'' Stories of a Fire Investigator on the BBC Light Programme (1962–1966), General Sternwood in a BBC version of

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

's '' The Big Sleep'' (1977), ''Pay Any Price'' (BBC 1982), ''The Mystery of the Blue Train'' (BBC 1985/1986), and as Henry Hickslaughter in Elizabeth Troop's

Sony Award The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy ...

winning adaptation of

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

's short story ''Cheap in August'' (1993).

Death

Beatty died 3 March 1992, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium.

Filmography

* '' Black Limelight'' (1939) as Extra (uncredited) * ''

Murder in Soho Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...

'' (1939) as Jack (uncredited) * ''

Dangerous Moonlight ''Dangerous Moonlight'' (U.S. title: ''Suicide Squadron'') is a 1941 British film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Anton Walbrook. The film is perhaps best known for its score, written by Richard Addinsell and orchestrated by Ro ...

'' (1941) as Reporter with Carol (uncredited) * '' 49th Parallel'' (1941) as RCMP Mountie in Alberta (voice, uncredited) * '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missing'' (1942) as Sgt. Hopkins * '' Suspected Person'' (1942) as Franklin * '' Flying Fortress'' (1942) as Connor (uncredited) * ''

The First of the Few ''The First of the Few'' (US title ''Spitfire'') is a 1942 British black-and-white biographical film produced and directed by Leslie Howard (actor), Leslie Howard, who stars as R. J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter air ...

'' (1942) as American Airman (uncredited) * '' San Demetrio London'' (1943) as 'Yank' Preston * ''

It Happened One Sunday ''It Happened One Sunday'' is a 1944 British romantic comedy film directed by Karel Lamač and starring Robert Beatty, Barbara White and Marjorie Rhodes. It was written by Paul Vincent Carroll, Frederic Gotfurt and Frank Harvey based on th ...

'' (1944) as Tom Stevens * '' A Matter of Life and Death'' (1946) as US Crewman (uncredited) * ''

Appointment with Crime ''Appointment with Crime'' is a 1946 British crime film directed and written by John Harlow (director), John Harlow and starring William Hartnell, Raymond Lovell, Joyce Howard and Robert Beatty. Plot Leo Martin works for a criminal gang run by ...

'' (1946) as Det. Insp. Rogers * '' Odd Man Out'' (1947) as Dennis * '' Green Fingers'' (1947) as Thomas Stone * '' Against the Wind'' (1948) as Father Philip * ''

Counterblast ''Counterblast'' (also known as ''Devil's Plot'') is a 1948 British thriller film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Robert Beatty, Mervyn Johns and Nova Pilbeam. It was written by Guy Morgan and Jack Whittingham, and made by British Na ...

'' (1948) as Dr. Paul Rankin * '' Another Shore'' (1948) as Gulliver * '' Portrait from Life'' (1948) as Campbell Reid * '' The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery'' (1950) as Bob Beacham * '' Her Favourite Husband'' (1950) as Antonio Pellegrini * '' Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.'' (1951) as Lt. William Bush * ''

Calling Bulldog Drummond ''Calling Bulldog Drummond'' is a 1951 British crime film directed by Victor Saville and featuring Walter Pidgeon, Margaret Leighton, Robert Beatty, David Tomlinson and Bernard Lee.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; 20 October 1951, page 167 ...

'' (1951) as Arthur Gunns * ''

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)Release date for The Magic Box
in IMDb. as Lord Beaverbrook * '' Wings of Danger'' (1952) as Nick Talbot * '' The Gentle Gunman'' (1952) as Shinto * '' The Broken Horseshoe'' (1953) as Dr. Mark Fenton * '' The Net'' (1953) as Maj. Sam Seagram * ''

Man on a Tightrope ''Man on a Tightrope'' is a 1953 American drama directed by Elia Kazan, starring Fredric March, Terry Moore and Gloria Grahame. The screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood was based on a 1952 novel of the same title by Neil Paterson. Paterson based ...

'' (1953) as Barovic * '' The Oracle'' (1953) as Bob Jefferson * '' The Square Ring'' (1953) as Kid Curtis * '' Albert R.N.'' (1953) as Jim * '' Loves of Three Queens'' (1954) as Menelao (segment: The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships) * '' Out of the Clouds'' (1955) as Nick Millbourne * '' Portrait of Alison'' (1955) as Tim Forrester * '' Tarzan and the Lost Safari'' (1957) as Tusker Hawkins * '' Something of Value'' (1957) as Elizabeth's Husband – Jeff Newton * ''

Time Lock A time lock (also timelock) is a part of a locking mechanism commonly found in bank vaults and other high-security containers. The time lock is a timer designed to prevent the opening of the safe or vault until it reaches the preset time, ev ...

'' (1957) as Pete Dawson * '' The Shakedown'' (1960) as Chief Insp. Bob Jarvis * '' Invitation to Murder'' (1962) * '' The Amorous Prawn'' (1962) as Larry Hoffman * '' The Secret of Dr. Mabuse'' (1964) as Col. Matson *"

" (1966) The Tenth Planet as General. Cutler * ''

The 25th Hour ''The 25th Hour'' is the 2001 debut novel by David Benioff. A film adaptation, for which Benioff wrote the screenplay, was directed by Spike Lee and released in 2002. Background The idea for the book came when Benioff returned home to New Yor ...

'' (1967) as Col. Greenfield * '' Bikini Paradise'' (1967) as Commissioner * '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968) as Dr. Ralph Halvorsen * ''

'' (1968) as General George Carnaby / Corporal Cartwright Jones * '' Sitting Target'' (1972) as Gun Dealer * ''

Pope Joan Pope Joan (''Ioannes Anglicus'', 855–857) is a woman who purportedly reigned as popess (female pope) for two years during the Middle Ages. Her story first appeared in chronicles in the 13th century and subsequently spread throughout Europe. ...

'' (1972) as Dr. Corwin * '' The Spikes Gang'' (1974) as Sheriff (credit only) * '' The Gathering Storm'' (1974) as Lord Beaverbrook * '' The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' (1976) as U.S. Admiral * ''

'' (1977, TV Mini-Series) as Proculus * '' Golden Rendezvous'' (1977) as Dr. Taubman * '' The Spaceman and King Arthur'' (1979) as Senator Milburn * '' The Amateur'' (1981) as Ambassador Neville * '' Superman III'' (1983) as Tanker Captain * ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

'' (1986) as Left Door Knocker (voice) * '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987) as U.S. President

References

External links

*
Robert Beatty Obituary in ''The New York Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatty, Robert 1909 births 1992 deaths University of Toronto alumni Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male radio actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male voice actors 20th-century Canadian male actors Male actors from Hamilton, Ontario Canadian expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom