Harry Stuart Latham (11 July 1912 – 31 August 1993) was an English theatre and film
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...
,
director and
television producer.
[ ]
Biography
Latham was born in
Kingston upon Thames,
Surrey on 11 July 1912.
After an apprenticeship in
repertory theatre, including a period at
Birmingham Rep, he played several small roles in films by
Michael Powell in the 1930s.
He also worked as a studio manager at
Alexandra Palace before the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
His acting work included minor parts in such films as ''
Contraband
Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...
'' (1940), ''
The Ghost Train'' (1941) and ''
The Man in the White Suit
''The Man in the White Suit'' is a 1951 British satirical science fiction comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The film was nominated for an A ...
'' (1951).
His work as a television director included ''ITV Television Playhouse'' (1950s), ''
Biggles
James Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles made his first appearanc ...
'' (1960s), ''Kipps'' (1960), ''The Victorians'' (1963), ''The Villains'' (1960s) and ''Victoria Regina'' (1966).
In 1960, he became the first producer of the long-running soap opera, ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based ...
'', for episodes 1–60, returning briefly for episodes 332–339.
He was married to the
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...
Barbara Lott
Barbara Dulcie Lott (15 May 1920 – 19 December 2002) was a British actress probably best remembered as Ronnie Corbett's character's mother, Phyllis Lumsden in the BBC television sitcom '' Sorry!''. She also appeared in ''Coronation Street' ...
from 1940 until his death on 31 August 1993.
Selected filmography
*''
The Ghost Train'' (1941)
*''
Tawny Pipit
The tawny pipit (''Anthus campestris'') is a medium-large passerine bird which breeds in much of the central Palearctic from northwest Africa and Portugal to Central Siberia and on to Inner Mongolia. It is a migrant moving in winter to tropi ...
'' (1944)
*''
The Man in the White Suit
''The Man in the White Suit'' is a 1951 British satirical science fiction comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The film was nominated for an A ...
'' (1951)
*''
The Galloping Major'' (1951)
References
External links
*
20th-century English male actors
English television producers
1912 births
1993 deaths
People from Kingston upon Thames
English theatre directors
BBC people
{{UK-actor-stub