Terence Longdon (14 May 1922 – 23 April 2011) was an English actor.

Biography

Born Hubert Tuelly Longdon in

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, England. During World War II, Longdon was a pilot with the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

, protecting Atlantic convoys. While stationed at a naval base near Blackpool, he acted in a show and was seen by actor Douglas Hurn who encouraged him to pursue it. After the war, Longdon trained at

RADA 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 Lond ...

(1946–48), and made his first stage appearance at the Lyceum, Sheffield in 1948, and his West End debut the same year. He was best known for his lead role in the 1950s–1960s British TV series '' Garry Halliday'' where he played a

Biggles James Charles Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the Title role#Title character, title character and Protagonist, hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns ...

-like pilot who flew into various adventure situations; he also co-wrote one episode of the series in 1962. He was also known for his

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

roles in British television productions such as ''

The Sandbaggers ''The Sandbaggers'' is a British spy thriller television series created by Ian Mackintosh, about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV from 1978 to 1980, ''The Sandbaggers'' e ...

'', ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'' and '' The Avengers''. He was in a small role in ''The Woman for Joe'' and according to ''Filmink'' "the film is stolen literally at the last minute" by Longdon. In film, he was Drusus, Messala's personal aide, in the film ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

''. He had a major supporting role in the 1958 film '' Another Time, Another Place'' starring alongside

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 ...

and

Lana Turner Julia Jean "Lana" Turner ( ; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. ...

. He was also in four of the early '' Carry On'' films. He played occasional leading roles, most notably in the tense B-movie thriller '' Clash by Night'' (1963). Terence Longdon lived on the border of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

and

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

. He died from cancer on 23 April 2011, aged 88.

Partial filmography

* '' Appointment with Venus'' (1951) - (uncredited) * ''

Angels One Five ''Angels One Five'' is a 1952 British war film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond and Veronica Hurst. Based on the book ''What Are Your Angels Now?'' by Pelham G ...

'' (1952) - Pimpernel Pilot * '' Never Look Back'' (1952) - Alan Whitcomb * ''

Appointment in London ''Appointment in London'' (known as ''Raiders in the Sky'' in the U.S.) is a 1953 British war film set during the Second World War and starring Dirk Bogarde. The film was directed by Philip Leacock and based on a story by John Wooldridge, who ...

'' (1952) - Dr.Buchanan * '' Forbidden Cargo'' (1954) - A.P.O. at Customs Launch (uncredited) * '' Mr. Arkadin'' (1955) - Secretary * ''

The Woman for Joe ''The Woman for Joe'' is a 1955 British drama film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Diane Cilento, George Baker, Jimmy Karoubi and David Kossoff. The screenplay concerns the owner of a circus sideshow and his prize attraction (a m ...

'' (1955) - Doctor at the Circus (uncredited) * ''

Simon and Laura ''Simon and Laura'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch and Kay Kendall. Play Satirising the early days of BBC Television, ''Simon and Laura'' focuses on an argumentative theatrical couple called Simo ...

'' (1955) - Barney * ''

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

'' (1956) - Patroclus * ''

Jumping for Joy ''Jumping for Joy'' is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway, Joan Hickson and Lionel Jeffries. It was written by Henry Blyth and Jack Davies. It tells of the comic adventures ...

'' (1956) - John Wyndham * ''

The Man Who Never Was ''The Man Who Never Was'' is a 1956 British espionage thriller film produced by André Hakim and directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame and features Robert Flemyng, Josephine Griffin and Stephen Boyd. It is b ...

'' (1956) - Larry * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) - George - House Surgeon * '' Dangerous Exile'' (1957) - Col. Sir Frederick Venner * '' The Silent Enemy'' (1958) - Lieutenant Bailey * '' Another Time, Another Place'' (1958) - Alan Thompson * '' Carry On Sergeant'' (1958) - Miles Haywood * ''

Carry On Nurse ''Carry On Nurse'' is a 1959 British comedy film, the second in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Of the regular team, it featured Joan Sims (in her ''Carry On'' film debut), Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtr ...

'' (1959) - Ted York * ''

'' (1959) - Drusus * ''

Carry On Constable ''Carry On Constable'' is a 1960 British comedy film, the fourth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was released in February 1960. Of the regular team, it featured Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Jo ...

'' (1960) - Herbert Hall * ''

Carry On Regardless ''Carry On Regardless'' is a 1961 British comedy film, the fifth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film revolves loosely around the activities of a job agency, 'Helping Hand', run by Sid James's character, Bert Handy ...

'' (1961) - Montgomery Infield-Hopping * '' Out of the Shadow'' (1961) - Mark Kingston * ''

On the Fiddle ''On the Fiddle'' (U.S. titles ''Operation Snafu'' and ''Operation War Head'') is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Sean Connery, Alfred Lynch, Cecil Parker, Stanley Holloway, Eric Barker, Mike Sarne, Wilfrid H ...

'' (1961) - Air Gunner * ''

What a Whopper ''What a Whopper'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Gilbert Gunn and starring Adam Faith, Sid James and Carole Lesley. It was written by Terry Nation from an original script by Jeremy Lloyd. The film was produced by Edward 'Teddy' Jose ...

'' (1961) - Vernon * '' Clash by Night'' (1963) - Martin Lord * ''

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) - Jonathan Westering * ''The Bellcrest Story'' (1973, 10 episodes) - Bob Orpenshaw * ''

The Wild Geese ''The Wild Geese'' is a 1978 war film starring an ensemble cast led by Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger. The film, which was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, was the result of a long-held ambition of producer Eua ...

'' (1978) - Anonymous Man * ''

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 ...

'' (1979, TV Mini-Series) - Martian Elder * ''

The Sea Wolves ''The Sea Wolves'' is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film, which is based on the 1978 book ''Boarding Party'' by James Leasor, is the true story of Operation Creek during the Second World War. In the ...

'' (1980) - Malverne *''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' (1981-1982, 16 episodes) - Wilf Stockwell *''Letters from the East'' (1995) - Juri * '' Hitler: The Rise of Evil'' (2003, TV Mini-Series) - Baron No. 1 (final appearance)

References

External links

*
Obituary - The Stage

Obituary - The Guardian

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longdon, Terence 1922 births 2011 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors Actors from Newark-on-Trent Male actors from Nottinghamshire Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art