Birthday: 2 May 1912, Wandsworth, London, England, UK
Birth Name: Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman
Height: 180 cm
This droll, dry-witted London-born gent came from a family of actors. He made his stage debut in 1932 and established his reputation in stylish plays. He progressed to films in 1939 but his career was immediately interrupted after only one movie appearance by WWII, serving as a lieutenant colonel in the infantry. He managed to regain his footing in...
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This droll, dry-witted London-born gent came from a family of actors. He made his stage debut in 1932 and established his reputation in stylish plays. He progressed to films in 1939 but his career was immediately interrupted after only one movie appearance by WWII, serving as a lieutenant colonel in the infantry. He managed to regain his footing in films during the post-war years and played a number of doubting debonairs and high ranking officials in both the lead and second lead capacity. Such films as Spring in Park Lane (1948) Trio (1950), Encore (1952), Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952), The Pickwick Papers (1952), How to Murder a Rich Uncle (1957) and The League of Gentlemen (1959) solidified his cinematic status and purposefulness. In the 60s he made a strong return to the theatre serving as both actor and director and also appeared on TV in the Zero One, which was briefly syndicated in the U.S. Long married to actress Beatrice Campbell until her death in 1979, he passed away two years later of lung cancer. Show less «
[on stardom] The only criterion by which an actor should be judged is by his work .... If being a st...Show more »
[on stardom] The only criterion by which an actor should be judged is by his work .... If being a star means that people want to know how drunk I can get or what a hell raiser I can be, I don't want to be known as a star. (Winnipeg Free Press, July 28, 1960) Show less «
Remarking on how he saw the difference between the US film industry's response to periodic downturn ...Show more »
Remarking on how he saw the difference between the US film industry's response to periodic downturn in comparison to that of the British: The difference in the two industries I suppose is that when we have a panic over there it's complete. They start closing down studios and everyone says what are we going to do. Over here you seem to take your panics in stride. Or so its appears. (Ottawa Citizen, 1 May 1956) Show less «
"My very best investment": That's an easy question - my answer is 32s 6d, spent on a special marriag...Show more »
"My very best investment": That's an easy question - my answer is 32s 6d, spent on a special marriage licence nineteen years ago. For those few shillings I got a pretty girl who became housekeeper, nurse, mother, mistress, companion, secretary, adviser, dresser and washer-woman. And the important thing about this investment was that I never actually spent the 32s 6d - because I was working all hours at the time, my future wife had to get the licence herself!. UK Woman Magazine April 25 1970. Show less «
You have to be slick and fast and not fall over the furniture. - talking about his dual role as dire...Show more »
You have to be slick and fast and not fall over the furniture. - talking about his dual role as director/lead in the stage production of The Best of Friends. November 1969. Show less «