Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Reign of Terror

The Doctor (William Hartnell) bargains
with a French shopkeeper (John Barrard)
Six episodes (A Land of Fear, Guests of Madame Guillotine, A Change of Identity, The Tyrant of France, A Bargain of Necessity, Prisoners of Conciergerie)
First broadcast Aug 8 to Sep 12 1964
Average audience for serial: 6.73m
REGULAR CAST

William Hartnell (The Doctor) Jan 8 1908 to Apr 23 1975 (heart failure after a series of strokes) For a full career biography for William Hartnell, click here.

William Russell (Ian Chesterton) Nov 19 1924 to Jun 3 2024 For a full career biography for William Russell (aka Russell Enoch), click here.

Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) Dec 17 1929 to Feb 18 1993 (bone cancer) For a full career biography for Jacqueline Hill, click here.

Carole Ann Ford (Susan) Born Jun 16 1940 For a full career biography for Carole Ann Ford, click here.

CREDITED GUEST CAST

Keith Anderson (Robespierre) Apr 10 1929 to Feb 2 2007
Career highlights
Debuted in a 1957 Armchair Theatre, then took roles in Coronation Street (1961), The Avengers (1961), The Big Pull (1962), Crossroads (1964), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Softly Softly (1969), Burke and Hare (1972), Dixon of Dock Green (1975) and Three Minute Heroes (1982).

Terry Bale (Soldier) Mar 8 1928 to 2013
Doctor Who credits
Played: Soldier in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: Voice of Arcturus in The Curse of Peladon (1972)
Career highlights
Further credits include The Seven Faces of Jim (1961), King of the River (1966), The Revenue Men (1967), Doomwatch (1971), Warship (1973), The Sweeney (1975), 1990 (1977) and Grange Hill (1980).

John Barrard (Shopkeeper) Sep 12 1924 to Oct 13 2013 (natural causes)
Career highlights
John's CV starts with The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and includes The Larkins (1958), Cover Girl Killer (1959), The Saint (1962), Dr Finlay's Casebook (1965), Pardon the Expression (1966), The Troubleshooters (1966), The Avengers (1969), If It Moves, File It (1970), Here Come the Double Deckers! (1970), Budgie (1972), The Fenn Street Gang (1971-72), The Sweeney (1976), Survivors (1977), Dick Turpin (1980), Metal Mickey (1980-82), Whoops Apocalypse (1982), The Black Adder (1983), Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), Never the Twain (1986-87), Buster (1988), One Foot in the Grave (1990), Minder (1993), Mr Bean (1994), Sunburn (2000), Doctors (2002), The 10th Man (2006) and Swinging with the Finkels (2011). He had a regular role as Ron Coggins in Mike (1964) and played Mr Pebbles to Eileen Way's Mrs Pebbles in Sean's Show (1992).
Facts
There's a lovely video tribute to the work of John Barrard created by his great great nephew Joe Davies here.
In memoriam: Buried at Hoop Lane Jewish Cemetery, Golders Green, London

Edward Brayshaw (Leon Colbert) Oct 18 1933 to Dec 28 1990 (throat cancer)
Doctor Who credits
Played: Leon Colbert in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: War Chief in The War Games (1969)
Career highlights
Edward's CV began with Trip-Tease and High C's (1959), then Mine Own Executioner (1960), 633 Squadron (1964), the title character in A Man Called Harry Brent (1965), Virgin of the Secret Service (1968), The Avengers (1969), Moonbase 3 (1973), Great Expectations (1974), The Changes (1975), Return of the Saint (1979), The Bill (1984) and Bergerac (1989). He also played Rochefort in The Three Musketeers and The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers (1966-67), and will be best remembered as Harold Meaker in Rentaghost (1976-84).

James Cairncross (Lemaitre) Dec 21 1915 to Dec 17 2009
Doctor Who credits
Played: Lemaitre in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: Beta in The Krotons (1968-69)
Career highlights
Other credits include The Old Lady Shows Her Medals (1952), Kidnapped (1956), Run to Earth (1958), Jango (1961), Ask Mr Pastry (1961), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Tom Jones (1963), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971), Van Der Valk (1972), Slater's Day (1974), Crown Court (1973/75), Sutherland's Law (1975), Airport Chaplain (1980), Small World (1988), Taggart (1988) and The Fool (1990). As well as appearing in various Mr Pastry series, James also wrote many scripts for the character, including Mr Pastry's Progress and Mr Pastry's Pet Shop (both 1962).
Facts
Devout Catholic James made no fewer than 16 appearances at the Edinburgh Festival during his career, and was also a gifted lyricist, instrumental in the success of the musical Salad Days when it debuted in 1954 at the Bristol Old Vic.
In memoriam: Buried at Warriston Crematorium, Edinburgh

Dallas Cavell (Roadworks overseer) Sep 19 1925 to Feb 15 1993
Doctor Who credits
Played: Roadworks overseer in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: Bors in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Played: Captain Jebb Trask in The Highlanders (1966)
Played: Quinlan in The Ambassadors of Death (1970)
Played: Head of security in Castrovalva (1982)
Career highlights
Dallas (real first name Norman) debuted in The Voodoo Factor (1960), then Maigret (1961), The Avengers (1963), Crossroads (1964), The Caesars (1968), Brett (1971), The New Avengers (1976) and The Pickwick Papers (1985).
Facts
Dallas also worked as a bingo caller in London for a time.

Howard Charlton (Judge) Aug 27 1914 to Dec 6 1973
Career highlights
Other credits include The Handy Gang (1963), Public Eye (1965), two Wednesday Plays (1965/67), Softly Softly: Task Force (1971) and Thank You Very Much (1971).

Denis Cleary (Peasant) Feb 21 1927 to Nov 21 1984
Career highlights
Debuted in The Rebel Heiress (1958), then The Splendid Spur (1960), The Men from Room 13 (1961), West End Jungle (1961), The Avengers (1962), The Massingham Affair (1964), King of the River (1966), Counterstrike (1969), The Troubleshooters (1971), The Brothers (1974) and Nigel Kneale's Beasts (1976).
Facts
In later years Denis became an author. One of his books was a comedy Western called Shameless, published in 1971 which was optioned for a film adaptation that never happened by Peter Collinson, director of The Italian Job. The book sold 10,000 copies, and demand for a reprint prompted Denis's widow Joan to republish it in 2016. Other titles included The Rattler, and three books with Frank Maher (also a stuntman): Sahara Strike, Capricorn Run and Wipeout.

Jack Cunningham (Jailer) Apr 19 1912 to Jan 13 1967
Career highlights
Jack debuted in Dial M for Murder (1954), then The Count of Monte Cristo (1956), Ivanhoe (1958), The Pursuers (1961), The Snake Woman (1961), The Quare Fellow (1962), Dr Finlay's Casebook (1965/66) and The Dick Emery Show (1966).
Facts
Although born in England, Jack spent much of his life in Ireland where he had a highly-acclaimed career in amateur theatrics. In the late 1940s/ early 1950s, a production of John Millington Synge's The Playboy of the Western World by the Ballina Players of Co. Mayo, of which he was a member, was such a success that a BBC producer wanted it to be shown on TV, but being amateurs, many of the players could not be released from their day jobs to take part, and the project was abandoned.
In memoriam: Buried at East London Cemetery and Crematorium, Newham, London

Laidlaw Dalling (Rouvray) Apr 14 1928 to Oct 9 1982
Career highlights
Other credits include Kidnapped (1956), Emergency Ward 10 (1961), Z Cars (1964), Out of the Unknown (1965), Sergeant Cork (1966) and Love for Lydia (1977).
In memoriam: Buried at Bathgate Cemetery, West Lothian, Scotland

James Hall (Soldier) Dec 14 1931 to Dec 22 1989
Doctor Who credits
Played: Soldier in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: Borkar in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-66)
Career highlights
Other credits include Z Cars (1968), Paul Temple (1971), No Exit (1972), The Rough with the Smooth (1975), Poldark (1975), The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and Life of Shakespeare (1978).

Roy Herrick (Jean) Jul 22 1936 to Oct 11 1988
Doctor Who credits
Played: Jean in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: Voice of Xoanon in The Face of Evil (1977)
Played: Parsons in The Invisible Enemy (1977)
Career highlights
Roy's further work included The Spread of the Eagle (1963), Object Z (1965), Macbeth (1970), Public Eye (1971), Colditz (1974), Survivors (1976), George and Mildred (1979), Tenko (1981), Fresh Fields (1984) and Howards' Way (1985). He regularly played Jeffrey Sissons in The Regiment (1972-73).

Caroline Hunt (Danielle) Born Oct 20 1942
Doctor Who credits
Played: Danielle in The Reign of Terror (1964)
Played: Technician in Frontier in Space (1973)
Career highlights
Other appearances include 199 Park Lane (1965), Detective (1968), The Remains of the Day (1993) and Casualty (1999). Caroline is now a theatre director and acting workshop trainer. In 2013 she became involved with the Dark Mountain Project.

Robert Hunter (Sergeant)
Career highlights
Robert's acting career began in 1951's Target Unknown and went on to see roles in The 49th Man (1953), Kenilworth (1957), A Time of Day (1957), The Secret Kingdom (1960), Suspense (1963), Softly Softly (1967), three episodes of Mystery and Imagination (1966-68) and The Rough and the Smooth (1975).

John Law (Paul Barrass)
Career highlights
John's other credits include Potts and the Night Whistlers (1957), Gilbert and Sullivan: The Immortal Jesters (1961), Z Cars (1962), Thorndyke (1964), Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Doomwatch (1970) and The Protectors (1974). He also played Chief Superintendent Dunkerley in Softly Softly (1966-67).

Ken Lawrence (Lieutenant) Feb 13 1941 to Feb 4 1989
Career highlights
Aussie Ken's earliest credit is Close to the Roof (1960), then Story Parade (1964), Behind the Legend (1974), Spring & Fall (1980), Palace of Dreams (1985) and Hunger (1986).

Patrick Marley (Soldier) Born c.1940
Career highlights
Patrick's other credits include Z Cars (1963/71), Lillie (1978), Julius Caesar (1979), A Married Man (1983), Lytton's Diary (1985), Bottle Boys (1985), Sorry! (1988), The House of Eliott (1991), Unnatural Pursuits (1992), The 10th Kingdom (2000) and Relative Values (2000). He also played Barry Hughes in the soap Crossroads (1966).
Facts
Patrick conceived and starred in Wilde at Heart, a touring stage production in the style of Japanese kabuki theatre about Oscar Wilde, and has also appeared at Cheltenham Literary Festival reading Wilde's letters alongside the writer's grandson, Merlin Hollind.

Donald Morley (Jules Renan) Jun 9 1923 to May 27 1999
Career highlights
Donald's long career began in The Infinite Shoeblack (1952), followed by roles in Sword of Freedom (1957), Destination Downing Street (1957), The World of Tim Frazer (1960), Crane (1963), The Human Jungle (1964), The Mask of Janus (1965), The Saint (1967), The Queen Street Gang (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969), Doomwatch (1970), Dad's Army (1974), Dominic (1976), The Sweeney (1978), Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), All Creatures Great and Small (1988), Grace and Favour (1993) and The Brittas Empire (1994). He may also be remembered as Mr Gill the stationmaster in the 1957 TV adaptation of The Railway Children, and Morris in Freewheelers (1972).
Facts
Donald's wife was stage actress Marianne Morley.

Ronald Pickup (Physician) Jun 7 1940 to Feb 24 2021
Career highlights
Ronald's long career began with Doctor Who (for which he earnt £30!), followed by Much Ado About Nothing (1967), The Day of the Jackal (1973), Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974), The Philanthropist (1975), Zulu Dawn (1979), Verdi (1982), Never Say Never Again (1983), Moving (1985), The Mission (1986), Fortunes of War (1987), Not with a Bang (1990), The Golden Years (1992), Medics (1994), Lolita (1997), Waking the Dead (2002), Feather Boy (2004), Sea of Souls (2006), Dark Floors (2008), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), The Jury (2011), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Parade's End (2012), Pramface (2013), Young Dracula (2014), Atlantis (2014), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2014), Downton Abbey (2015), Vera (2016), The Crown (2016), The Happy Prince (2018), Summer of Rockets (2019) and End of Term (2020). Ronald also appeared as Fraser in The Worst Week of My Life (2004-06) and Lord Charles Byrne in Holby City (2002-07), and his voice may be familiar to fans of the BBC's Chronicles of Narnia stories, in which he played Aslan (1988-90).
Facts
Ronald's daughter is actress Rachel Pickup.
In memoriam: Buried at Golders Green Crematorium Rose Garden, Barnet, London

Neville Smith (D'Argenson) Born Jan 1940
Career highlights
Neville's earliest acting credit was in The Odd Man (1963), then Love Story (1965), Softly Softly (1967), Her Majesty's Pleasure (1968), Gumshoe (1971), Red Letter Day (1976), Me! I'm Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1978), World's End (1981), The Comic Strip Presents... (1983), Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Wish You Were Here (1987). He has also written for radio and TV, including The Golden Vision (1968), Second City Firsts (1974), Bag of Yeast (1976), The World Cup: A Captain's Tale (1982), The Manageress (1989) and Hurricanes (1993-94), as well as the film Gumshoe (1971), for which he was nominated for a BAFTA and won a Writers' Guild Award. He also wrote the infamous Public Information Film Apaches (1977), about children playing on farms.
Facts
Before becoming an actor Neville worked as a teacher, as well as a TV announcer. He was also a sometime tutor at the National Film School of Denmark. Director and collaborator Stephen Frears described Neville as "the best writer I've ever come across". You can read the BFI's biography of Neville here.

Peter Walker (Small boy [Jean Pierre])
Career highlights
Child actor Peter's only other credits were a 1961 adaptation of Chekhov's A Wedding and a 1964 episode of Our Man at St Mark's. Peter trained with the Corona Stage School in Hammersmith, London, although the now folded academy seems to have no record of him.

Tony Wall (Napoleon) Jan 1 1940 to Aug 29 2014
Career highlights
Other work includes No Hiding Place (1961), Thorndyke (1964), Invasion (1965), The Champions (1969), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Asylum (1972) and Vault of Horror (1973).
Facts
In later years he became a carpenter and worked in amateur theatre.

Jeffry Wickham (Webster) Aug 5 1933 to Jun 17 2014
Career highlights
Jeffry's career began in 1960's An Age of Kings, followed by Object Z (1965), The Ugliest Girl in Town (1968), Jason King (1971), Edward the Seventh (1975), The Brothers (1976), Sapphire and Steel (1981), Blott on the Landscape (1985), Clockwise (1986), The Remains of the Day (1993), CI5: The New Professionals (1999), Ali G Indahouse (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Scoop (2006) and Black Mirror (2011).
Facts
Fluent Russian speaker Jeffrey was the president of actors' union Equity between 1992-94. His children Saskia and Rupert Wickham are also actors.

UNCREDITED GUEST CAST

David Banville (Citizen & Prisoner)
Tony Bates (Soldier)
Bob Berry (Soldier & Citizen)
Donald Cavendish (Revolutionary soldier)
Joseph Cohen (Citizen & Revolutionary soldier)
Helene Curtis (Woman in window) It's possible Helene and Roy were related.
Roy Curtis (Citizen) It's possible Roy and Helene were related. Roy also appeared uncredited in The Dalek Invasion of Earth (Freedom fighter), The Gunfighters (Cowboy) and The Faceless Ones (Technician).
Eleanor 'Dalling' (Knitting lady & Citizen) Feb 17 1883 to Feb 4 1972. Eleanor's real surname was Darling. Her surname was misspelt on BBC paperwork as 'Dalling', most likely because there was a Laidlaw Dalling in the credited cast. She is the second earliest born individual to have appeared in Doctor Who, after The Aztecs' Lionel Gadsden. She died in Brinsworth House actors' retirement home, aged 88.
Sid Deller (Revolutionary soldier & Citizen)
Adrian Drotsky (French peasant & Citizen) An Adrian Drotsky married a Jane Bowman in 1962, and the pair had a child, also called Adrian, in 1966. Adrian's other uncredited Doctor Who work includes The Keys of Marinus (Citizen of Millennius) and The Dalek Invasion of Earth (Roboman). 
Rex Dyer (Soldier)
Leila Forde (Knitting lady) Feb 12 1895 to 1975 (uncorroborated). Leila's IMDB page has her appearing in productions from 1962 to 2002, but I doubt this is all the same actor. There is a long gap in the CV between 1972-1984, after which the CV resumes with Australian productions. A Leila Forde (born Feb 12 1895) died in Stevenage in 1975 (during this gap), so I am guessing this is "our" Leila Forde, and the Australian actor is a different person (especially as she is playing a secretary in 1984's Bodylines series). The little we see of the knitting ladies in Guests of Madame Guillotine proves that Leila was an older lady, and could well have been in her late 60s at the time of recording. Leila also appeared uncredited in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (Parisian).
Jill Howard (Woman in window) Jill also appeared uncredited in The Keys of Marinus (Citizen of Millennius). She may well have been related to Yvonne.
Nigel James (French peasant) Nigel also appeared uncredited in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (Guard) and The War Machines (Disco customer & Worker).
Ralph Katterns (Citizen) Aug 5 1915 to Oct 7 1974. Australian Ralph also appeared uncredited in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (Parisian).
Maurice Leon (Citizen & Revolutionary soldier)
Jack Le White (Citizen) Jan 4 1912 to Dec 21 1999. Hugely prolific bit-part player who appeared in productions between 1958-1985. He was the fifth generation of the Whiteley theatrical family. His parents Henry and Leonora were founders of the acrobatic act The Five Whiteleys, while Jack and his second wife Pauline Simonne formed a comedy double act. Their daughter was actor Annette Whiteley. Jack also appeared uncredited in The Daleks' Master Plan (Criminal & Ingmar Knopf's cameraman, Charlie).
Jay McGrath (French peasant) Died 2009. Prolific bit-part player. He also appeared uncredited in The War Machines (Soldier & Worker), Doctor Who and the Silurians (UNIT soldier), Colony in Space (Colonist), Robot (SRS member), Image of the Fendahl (Coven member), The Androids of Tara (Priest), Frontios (Patient) and The Two Doctors (Dead Androgum).
Bill Nicholas (Citizen and Revolutionary soldier) Bill's other uncredited Doctor Who appearance is in An Unearthly Child (Tribesman).
Len Russell (Revolutionary soldier & Citizen) 1923 to Feb 19 2018 (cancer). Len was a WW2 pilot and a pioneer of Portsmouth city culture, being active in the city's Dickens Fellowship, the Arena Players and the Southsea Shakespeare Actors. He also founded Portsmouth Youth Theatre. Len also appeared uncredited in The Web Planet (Optera), Mission to the Unknown (Planetarian), The Daleks' Master Plan (Egyptian slave), The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve (Parisian) and The Evil of the Daleks (Lorry driver).
John Sackville West (Soldier) It feels like John may have been related to novelist Vita Sackville-West, but there's no evidence for sure. He also appeared uncredited in The Dalek Invasion of Earth (Prisoner/ Slave).
Don Simons (French peasant) Don also appeared uncredited in The Time Meddler (Villager) and The Faceless Ones (Gatwick passenger).
Terry Wallace (Revolutionary soldier) 

CREW

Dennis Spooner (writer) Dec 1 1932 to Sep 20 1986 (heart attack)
Doctor Who credits
Wrote: The Reign of Terror (1964), The Romans (1965), The Time Meddler (1965), The Daleks' Master Plan (episodes 6 & 8-12 based on an idea by Terry Nation, 1965-66), The Power of the Daleks (final version, uncredited, 1966)
Story edited: The Rescue, The Romans, The Web Planet, The Crusade, The Space Museum, The Chase (1965)
Career highlights
Dennis had already written for Coronation Street (1961) before Doctor Who, as well as No Hiding Place (1962) and Hancock (1963). He also wrote for Fireball XL5 (1962-63), Pardon the Expression (1965), Stingray (1964-65), Thunderbirds (1965-66), The Baron (1966-67), Man in a Suitcase (1967-68), The Avengers (1961/68), The Champions (1968-69), Department S (1969-70), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969-70), UFO (1970), Paul Temple (1971), Doomwatch (1970-71), Jason King (1971-72), The Protectors (1973), The Adventurer (1972-73), Thriller (1975), The New Avengers (1976-77), The Professionals (1978), Bergerac (1981/83), Remington Steele (1984), Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense (1984) and Dramarama (1986). Dennis was instrumental in creating many ITC series in the 1960s, including Man in a Suitcase, The Champions, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Adventurer and Department S.
Facts
Dennis had just turned professional for Leyton Orient Football Club when he was called up for National Service in 1950; he was also a keen contract bridge player - often partnering his friend Omar Sharif - and even wrote two books on the subject (Useful Hints for Useless Players and Diary of a Palooka). Before settling on scriptwriting Dennis also tried entertaining himself, as a comedy double act with Leslie Garbon. Dennis was best man at the wedding of telefantasy legend Brian Clemens.

Henric Hirsch (director, episodes 1-2 & 4-6) Nov 13 1923 to Mar 1999
Career highlights
Henric also directed First Night (1964), two Wednesday Plays (1965-66), Virgin of the Secret Service (1968), Confession (1970) and Crossroads (1973), and also acted in an episode of The Spies (1966).
Facts
Principally a theatre director, Romanian refugee Henric was called in to direct the majority of The Reign of Terror after the intended director Gerald Blake couldn't commit. Henric was reportedly less than keen working on Doctor Who, and as well as having problems getting along with William Hartnell, fell ill. On July 24th 1964, on the day episode three was due to be recorded, Henric collapsed from exhaustion and was replaced for the episode by John Gorrie. Henric returned to complete episodes 4-6 of the serial, although many directorial duties were assumed by production assistant Timothy Combe. Henric left the BBC soon after, and returned to the theatre. In 1973, he adapted Ferenc Molnar's The Wolf for a production at the Apollo Theatre in London (starring Judi Dench, Leo McKern and Edward Woodward).

John Gorrie (director, episode 3) Born Aug 11 1932
Doctor Who credits
Directed: The Keys of Marinus (1964) and The Reign of Terror (episode 3, 1964)
Career highlights
John's long directing career began in 1963 on Compact, then Thorndyke (1964), Londoners (1965), Out of the Unknown (1965-66), Edward the Seventh (1975), Angels (1975), Within These Walls (1975-78), Couples (1976), The Velvet Glove (1977), Lillie (1978), Tales of the Unexpected (1980-88), The Members for Chelsea (1981), Claire (1982), Shroud for a Nightingale (1984), First Among Equals (1986), Perfect Scoundrels (1991-92), Rumpole of the Bailey (1992), The Famous Five (1995-97), Animal Ark (1997-98) and The Coral Island (2000). John has also written for series such as Edward the Seventh (1975), Lillie (1978) and Marjorie and Men (1985), and even had a crack at acting, appearing in Sat'day While Sunday (1967).
Awards
1976: BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Series/ Serial (Edward the Seventh)
In 2013 Toby Hadoke released his Who's Round interview with John, along with members of the cast of The Keys of Marinus, here.

Verity Lambert (producer) Nov 27 1935 to Nov 22 2007 (cancer) Click here for Verity Lambert's entry on An Unearthly Child

Mervyn Pinfield (associate producer) Feb 28 1912 to May 20 1966 Click here for Mervyn Pinfield's entry on An Unearthly Child

David Whitaker (story editor) Apr 18 1928 to Feb 4 1980 (lymphoma) Click here for David Whitaker's entry on An Unearthly Child

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4 comments:

  1. On Find My Past/Ancestry, I've found a Henrich Hirsch who was born on 13 November 1923 and died in March 1999 in London. There's also a Henry Hirsch with the same information. Through a Family Tree Search on AC, there are two entries, one for Henry and the other for Henric (no h at the end) and it gives his birthplace as Hungary - where the director came from! Could this be our man? If so, why would he be down under in 1994? Second/holiday home? Visiting friends/family? Maybe he returned to England, alternating between the two places and died in the UK. He might have still kept in touch with his neighbours, which is why that one said he'd died.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is him. I put in a request with the NAA to look for a travel record. They got back a few weeks later to say they couldn't perform a search without a birthdate, arrival/departure date or accompanying family member. Therefore, I tried again, using Sandra as an accompanying family member. There's a marriage record for Henrick Hirsch (used that name too) to Sandra R Geissler in Q:Dec 1977 in Islington. This time, I got a result and it was this Henrich/Henry Hirsch.

      Our man was in truth born in Romania (same region as Hungary). Turns out Sandra (27 years his junior) was an Aussie. HH was toing and froing between the UK and Oz probably due to his wife coming from down under. Obviously, he came back to England between '94 and '99 where he died. Now this message can be deleted. Case closed.

      Delete
  2. Where did the Jan 1 1940 birth date for Tony Wall turn up? It wasn't available earlier this year when he died, but it's good that it has now surfaced. That means he was only 24 when he played Napoleon in this story. It was a good performance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Family Tree Search on Ancestry (as Anthony Denham Wall - the date of death is the same).

      Delete

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