Stanley Morgan (10 November 1929 – 24 August 2018) was an English writer and actor. He wrote fiction, in the comedy and thriller genres and had more than 40 books published between 1968 and 2006.

Biography

Originally an actor, Morgan had many jobs as a young man, including sewing machine salesman, debt collector and bank clerk. In 1951, Morgan emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

where he spent some time working in the

Bank of Nova Scotia The Bank of Nova Scotia (), operating as Scotiabank (), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's Big Five banks, it is the third-largest Canadian bank by deposits and ...

. In 1955, he emigrated again, this time to

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

. He resumed his acting career there and was sponsored to return to

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 ...

after winning a Best Actor award. Upon returning to London, Morgan featured mostly in voice-overs ("Mullardability" the documentary he voiced for

Mullard Mullard Limited was a British manufacturer of electronics, electronic components. The Mullard Radio Valve Co. Ltd. of Southfields, London, was founded in 1920 by Captain Stanley R. Mullard, who had previously designed thermionic valves (US ...

was nominated for the Special Film BAFTA in 1970), although he did have a small role in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film '' Dr. No'' playing the Concierge in the casino who first introduces

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

as James Bond. Most of his acting credits were in second-feature crime shorts filmed at Merton Park Studios. Whilst between acting jobs in the late 1960s, Morgan began to write seriously and his first novel ''The Sewing Machine Man'' was published in 1968. Allegedly autobiographical, the novel revolved around the character Russ Tobin and Morgan went on to write a further 18 novels in the series. The latest of the Russ Tobin novels was published in 2005 after Morgan came out of retirement, mainly due to renewed interest in his work via the internet. Along with

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

, Morgan was an alumnus of the

Liverpool Institute High School for Boys The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys was an all-boys grammar school in the English port city of Liverpool. The school had its origins in 1825 but occupied different premises while the money was found to build a dedicated building on M ...

, which he attended between 1945 and 1946. In August 2018, Morgan's webmaster announced his death on his website. Morgan died on 24 August 2018. As of 2024, his estate have begun to publish his work as eBooks via Amazon.

Bibliography

Russ Tobin series

The Russ Tobin series tells the story of a happy-go-lucky 20-something Liverpool lad who travels the world investigating life. Starting in Liverpool, he goes on to have adventures in London, Portugal, Majorca, Nairobi, Nassau, Miami, New York, Toronto, Las Vegas, Tahiti, Sydney, Co. Kildare, Ireland, Los Angeles and finally returning to Brighton for his last hurrah. *'' The Sewing Machine Man'' (1968) The Harcourt Press (hardback)

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reac ...

(paperback) *'' The Debt Collector'' (1970)

(paperback) *'' The Courier'' (1971)

(paperback) *'' Come Again Courier'' (1972)

(paperback) *'' Tobin Takes Off'' (1973)

(paperback) *'' Tobin On Safari'' (1973)

(paperback) *'' Tobin In Paradise'' (1974)

(paperback) *'' Tobin In Trouble'' (1974)

(paperback) *'' Tobin For Hire'' (1975)

(paperback) *'' Tobin in Las Vegas'' (1975)

Fly Boys series

The Fly Boys series spanned three books of high farce, documenting the adventures of Glamour Airlines, a new venture set up by a millionaire who wins a fleet of aircraft in a poker game. *'' The Fly Boys'' (1974) Hart-Davis, MacGibbon (hardback)

(paperback) *'' The Fly Boys In London'' (1975) Hart-Davis, MacGibbon (hardback)

(paperback) *'' Skyjacked'' (1976) WH Allen (hardback) Star Books (paperback)

Michael Morgan Adventure series

The Michael Morgan books feature a rugged British secret agent on missions to Africa with his partner. Octopus Hill was actually written before the first Russ Tobin book, but rejected as too similar to James Bond. It was only published after the Tobin books began to find success. *'' Octopus Hill'' (1970)

(paperback) *'' Mission To Katuma'' (1973)

(paperback)

Randy Comfort series

The Randy Comfort books are comedies, similar in the style to the Tobin books and feature Randy Comfort, a hunky unemployed layabout who lands himself a dream job as handyman to the rich and beautiful in a luxury apartment complex in London. *'' The Rise Of Randy Comfort'' (1976) Futura Books (paperback) *'' Randy Comfort Rise Again'' (1977) Star Books (paperback)

Gabriel Horn series

Gabriel Horn is the spoilt son of a successful business man who is forced to earn his way onto the board of his Father's company, by being sent around the world on a tiny budget. Originally planned as a series in the style of the Tobin books, but only one book was published. *'' A Blow For Gabriel Horn'' (1977) W.H. Allen (hardback) Star Books (paperback)

Albert Shifty series

Another attempted new character intended for further serialisation - Albert Shifty is an odd-job man on a new estate who does loft conversions. *'' Inside Albert Shifty'' (1977) Star Books (paperback)

Other novels (non-comedy)

All of Stanley Morgan's action thriller novels below were loosely themed around power and revenge, although none were related to each other. *'' Too Rich To Live'' (1979) USA Fawcett Gold Medal (paperback) *'' Too Rich To Live'' (1980) UK Hamlyn (hardback) *'' Too Rich To Live'' (1981) UK Hamlyn (paperback) *'' The Dark Side Of Destiny'' (1982) Fawcett Gold Medal *'' Laura Fitzgerald'' (1983) Fawcett Gold Medal (paperback) *''Raven'' (1989) Lynx Books (paperback) *''

Trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

'' (2006
Twenty-First Century
(paperback)

TV and filmography

Films

*'' The Sleepwalkers'' 1959 (unreleased) *'' Gorgo'' (1960) – Sub-Lieutenant in Submarine Control (uncredited) *'' Clue of the Twisted Candle'' (1960, Merton Park Studios) – Sgt. Anson *'' The Clue Of The Silver Key'' (1961, Merton Park Studios) – Sgt. Anson *'' The Silent Weapon'' (1961, Merton Park Studios) – Sergeant Dobbs *''

Konga Konga () is a locality situated in Tingsryd Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway t ...

'' (1961, Merton Park Studios) – Insp. Lawson *'' Partners In Crime'' (1961, Merton Park Studios) – Sergeant Rutledge *'' The Square Mile Murder'' (1961 Merton Park Studios) – Detective Sergeant *'' The Share Out'' (1962, Merton Park Studios) – Detective Sgt. Anson *'' Hair of the Dog'' (1962) – Jim Lester *'' Dr No'' (1962) – Concierge in Casino (uncredited) *''

The L-Shaped Room ''The L-Shaped Room'' is a 1962 British drama romance film written and directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1960 novel by Lynne Reid Banks. It tells the story of Jane Fosset, a young French woman, unmarried and pregnant, who moves into a che ...

'' (1962) – Waiter in Club *'' On the Beat'' (1962) – Policeman (uncredited) *'' Doomsday at Eleven'' (1963) – Wylie *''

Séance on a Wet Afternoon ''Séance on a Wet Afternoon'' is a 1964 British crime thriller film, directed by Bryan Forbes, and starring Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Mark Eden and Patrick Magee (actor), Patrick Magee. Based on the 1961 novel by Mark ...

'' (1964) – Man in Trilby *'' Night Train To Paris'' (1964) – Plainclothesman *'' Troubled Waters'' (1964) – Rvd. Wilcox *''

The Return of Mr. Moto ''The Return of Mr. Moto'' (also known as ''Mr Moto and the Persian Oil Case'') is a 1965 British B movie, second feature ('B') crime film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Henry Silva, Terence Longdon, and Suzanne Lloyd. It was written by ...

'' (1965) – Inspector Jim Halliday

TV

*'' Never Back Losers'' (1962, Merton Park Studios) – Sgt. Anson / Detective Sgt. Anson / Sergeant Rutledge *''

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

'' (1962) – Lieutenant *'' Crane'' (1963) *'' The Invisible Asset'' (1963, Merton Park Studios) – Airline Clerk *''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series that was made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, following the 1958 film, '' Gideon's Day''. The film and series are based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. ...

'' (1964–1966) – Det. Insp. Wallace / Policeman at Hospital (uncredited) (final appearance)

Voice-overs

*'' Someone Special'' (1966) – Women's British Royal Naval Service Recruitment film *'' Sugar As Energy'' (1967) – British Sugar Bureau educational film for Schools *'' Vinyl Plastics in Building Design'' (1967) – Imperial Chemical Industries documentary about the use of vinyl plastics in building *'' Men For Tomorrow'' (1968) – British Army Recruitment film *'' Looking At Paperwork'' (1968) – British Productivity Council film regarding the importance of O & M in business administration *'' Drawing In Metric'' (1969) – Central Office of Information film for architects changing over to metric units within the construction industry. *''

ability'' (1969) – A

film showing their wide range of products in the field of electronics

Interviews

A Comprehensive list of interviews is maintained at the Official website

James Bond interview at From Sweden with Love

References

External links

Official site

Stanley Morgan's Amazon Author Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Stanley 1929 births 2018 deaths English writers English male film actors Writers from Liverpool