Richard Todd | |
|---|---|
 Publicity photo of Todd,c. 1959 | |
| Born | Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (1919-06-11)11 June 1919 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 3 December 2009(2009-12-03) (aged 90) Grantham, Lincolnshire, England |
| Burial place | St. Guthlac's Church,Little Ponton, Lincolnshire, England |
| Alma mater | Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Royal Military College, Sandhurst |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner | Patricia Nelson |
| Children | 5 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Service number | 180649 |
| Unit | King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Parachute Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Second World WarPalestine |
Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 1919 – 3 December 2009) was an Irish-Britishactor known for hisleading man roles of the 1950s. He received aGolden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and anAcademy Award for Best Actor nomination and aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance as Corporal Lachlan MacLachlan in the 1949 filmThe Hasty Heart. His other notable roles include Jonathan Cooper inStage Fright (1950), Wing CommanderGuy Gibson inThe Dam Busters (1955),Sir Walter Raleigh inThe Virgin Queen (1955), and MajorJohn Howard inThe Longest Day (1962). He was previously a Captain in theBritish Army during the Second World War, fighting in theD-Day landings as a member of the7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion.[1]
Richard Todd was born inDublin.[2] His father,Andrew William Palethorpe-Todd, was an Irish physician and an internationalIrish rugby player who gained threecaps for his country.[3] Richard spent a few of his childhood years inIndia, where his father, an officer in the British Army, served as a physician.[4] Later his family moved to Devon, and Todd attendedShrewsbury School.
Upon leaving school, Todd trained for a potential military career atSandhurst before beginning his acting training at theItalia Conti Academy in London. This change in career led to estrangement from his mother. When he learned at the age of 19 that she had committed suicide, he did not grieve long (or so he admitted in later life).[4]
He first appeared professionally as an actor at theOpen Air Theatre, Regent's Park in 1936 in a production ofTwelfth Night. He played in regional theatres and then co-founded theDundee Repertory Theatre in Scotland in 1939. He also appeared as an extra in British films includingGood Morning, Boys (1937),A Yank at Oxford (1938) andOld Bones of the River (1939).
Todd enlisted soon after the outbreak of the Second World War, entering theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst in late 1939. On 29 January 1941, he was one of 26 cadets injured when 'D' Block of New College was hit by a German bomb in an attack by theLuftwaffe. In his memoirs, he describes seeing the bomb pass through the ceiling in front of him before he was blown out of the building by its blast, landing on a grass bank and suffering lacerations; five cadets were killed in the incident. Todd passed out (completed the course) in the spring of 1941.[5] On the day he received his commission, he tried to join several friends at theCafé de Paris in London, but could not get a table booked for the evening. That evening, the venue was destroyed in an air raid and 15 newly commissioned subalterns were killed.
He was commissioned into the 2nd/4th Battalion of theKing's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI). Following arctic warfare training inIceland he returned to the UK as alieutenant (having been promoted to that rank on 1 October 1942).[5] For a short while he was posted, at his request, as liaison officer to the42nd Armoured Division then applied to join theParachute Regiment to have a better chance at seeing action. He was accepted and after training was posted to the7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion, which formed part of the5th Parachute Brigade of the6th Airborne Division, commanded by Major GeneralRichard Gale. On 6 June 1944, he participated inOperation Tonga during theD-Day landings.[6] He was among the first British soldiers to land inNormandy and the first Irishman.[1][7] His battalion parachuted after glider-borne forces had landed to capture thePegasus Bridge nearCaen.[6] During the operation he met MajorJohn Howard on the bridge and was involved in helping to repulse counter-attacks by the German forces in the area. Five days after D-Day, while still in the bridge defence area, he was promoted to captain.[8][5] Todd later played Howard in the 1962 filmThe Longest Day, recreating these events.[9]
After three months fighting in Normandy, the 6th Airborne Division returned to the UK to reconstitute and went back to the continent three months later as emergency reinforcements to halt theBattle of the Bulge the German offensive in the Ardennes. Short of transport as they advanced into Germany, Todd, as the motor transport officer, was responsible for gathering a rag-tag selection of commandeered vehicles to ferry troops forward. After VE day, the division returned to the UK for a few weeks, then was sent on counter-insurgency operations inPalestine. During this posting he was seriously injured when hisJeep overturned, breaking both shoulders and receiving a concussion. He returned to the UK to be demobilised in 1946.[10]
After the war, Todd was unsure what direction to take in his career. His former agent, Robert Lennard, had become a casting agent forAssociated British Picture Corporation and advised him to try out for the Dundee Repertory Company. Todd did so, performing in plays such asClaudia, where he appeared with Catherine Grant-Bogle, who became his first wife. Lennard arranged for a screen test and Associated British offered him a seven year contract in 1948. He was cast in the lead inFor Them That Trespass (1949), directed byAlberto Cavalcanti.[11] The film was a minor hit and Todd's career was launched.[12]
Todd had appeared in the Dundee Repertory stage version of John Patrick's playThe Hasty Heart, portraying the role of Yank and was chosen to appear in the 1948 London stage version of the play, this time in the leading role of Cpl. Lachlan McLachlan. This led to his being cast in that role in theWarner Bros.film adaptation of the play, filmed in Britain, alongsideRonald Reagan andPatricia Neal. Todd was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor for the role in 1949.[13] He was also voted favourite British male film star in Britain's National Film Awards.[14] The film was the tenth most popular movie at the British box office in 1949.[15]
Todd became much in demand. He was lent to Constellation Films to appear in the thrillerThe Interrupted Journey (1949).Alfred Hitchcock then used him inStage Fright (1950), oppositeMarlene Dietrich andJane Wyman – Hitchcock's first British film since 1939.
Associated British put him in the dramaPortrait of Clare (1950), which did not perform well at the box office. Neither didFlesh and Blood (1951) for London Films, in which Todd had a dual role. DirectorKing Vidor offered Todd a lead inLightning Strikes Twice (1951).
Far more popular wasThe Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952), in which Todd played the title role for Walt Disney Productions.
Associated British put him in24 Hours of a Woman's Life (1952), withMerle Oberon. The Rank Organisation borrowed him forVenetian Bird (1952), directed byRalph Thomas. Todd turned down the lead inThe Red Beret because he disliked the script.
Disney reunited theRobin Hood team inThe Sword and the Rose (1953), with Todd asCharles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. It was not as popular asRobin Hood in the U.S. but performed well in Europe. The same went for Disney'sRob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1953), in which Todd played the title role. Disney pulled back on making costume films as a result.[16]
In 1953, he appeared in aBBC television adaptation of the novelWuthering Heights as Heathcliff.Nigel Kneale, responsible for the adaptation, said the production came about purely because Todd had turned up at the BBC and told them that he would like to play Heathcliff for them. Kneale had only a week to write the script, as the broadcast was rushed into production.[17]
Todd's career received a boost when20th Century-Fox signed him to a non-exclusive contract and cast him as the United States Senate ChaplainPeter Marshall in thefilm version ofCatherine Marshall's best selling biographyA Man Called Peter (1955), which was a popular success.
Even more popular wasThe Dam Busters (1955) in which Todd playedWing CommanderGuy Gibson. This was the most successful film at the British box office in 1955[18] and became the defining role of Todd's movie career.
The success ofMan Called Peter led 20th Century Fox to offer Todd a four-picture contract. Associated British also signed him again for a long term contract to make one film a year, but which enabled him to make "outside" movies. Todd's first film for Fox under the new deal wasThe Virgin Queen (1955), playingSir Walter Raleigh oppositeBette Davis'Queen Elizabeth I. It did not do as well asPeter.[19] He agreed to appear inLoser Takes All but had to pull out when that film was delayed.
In France, Todd playedAxel Fersen oppositeMichèle Morgan inMarie Antoinette Queen of France (1956), which was popular in France but not widely seen elsewhere. Fox cast him inD-Day the Sixth of June (1956), oppositeRobert Taylor, which was a mild success.
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957) was an attempt to repeat the success ofThe Dam Busters, with the same director (Michael Anderson) and Todd playing another real-life hero. It was popular in Britain but not on the scale ofThe Dam Busters. He wasDunois, Bastard of Orléans inSaint Joan (1957), directed byOtto Preminger.
Chase a Crooked Shadow (1958) was a thriller with director Anderson for Associated British.Intent to Kill (1958) was another thriller, this time for Fox, withBetsy Drake. He returned to war films withDanger Within (1958), a POW story. Then there were more thrillers, withNever Let Go (1960), directed byJohn Guillermin and co-starringPeter Sellers in a rare straight acting role; Todd gave what has been called one of his best performances.[20]
Few of these films had been overly popular but Todd was still the top-billed star ofThe Long and the Short and the Tall (1961), with Laurence Harvey and Richard Harris. He tried comedy withDon't Bother to Knock (1961), then madeThe Hellions (1961).
Todd's cinema career rapidly declined in the 1960s as thecounter-culture movement in the arts became fashionable in Britain, withsocial-realist dramas commercially replacing the more middle-class orientated dramatic productions that Todd's performance character-type had previously excelled in.
The Boys (1962) was a courtroom drama film in which Todd played the lead prosecuting barrister. He had a good part among the many stars inThe Longest Day (1962), playing British Major John Howard whom Todd knew during the airborne action just before and on D-Day as he, Lt. Richard Todd himself had actually taken part in the 1944 landings. (In an odd twist, another actor,Patrick Jordan played the role of Lt. Todd in the movie); this was his biggest hit for some time. He appeared inThe Very Edge (1963), a thriller, then he played Harry Sanders in two films forHarry Alan Towers:Death Drums Along the River (1963) andCoast of Skeletons (1965). He also had a small role in Anderson'sOperation Crossbow (1965).
In 1964. he was a member of the jury at the14th Berlin International Film Festival.[21]
He had a supporting part inThe Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965) and the lead inThe Love-Ins (1968).
Todd claims William Wyler offered him the lead inThe Collector but the actor felt he was miscast and persuaded him not to cast him. "It was not the first time that I had talked myself out of a picture — there had beenThe Guns of Navarone,League of Gentlemen andIce Cold in Alex — but this latest stupidity of mine came when I desperately needed to make another important international film."[22]
In the 1970s, he gained new fans when he appeared as the reader for Radio Four'sMorning Story. In the 1980s, his distinctive voice was heard as narrator ofWings Over the World, a 13-part documentary series about the history of aviation shown on Arts & Entertainment television. He appeared before the camera in the episode about theLancaster bomber. Todd continued to act on television, including roles inVirtual Murder;Silent Witness and in theDoctor Who story"Kinda" in 1982. In 1989, he appeared in the first episode of the sixth season ofMurder, She Wrote in which he played Colonel Alex Schofield in the episode titled"Appointment in Athens".
He formed Triumph Theatre Productions withDuncan C. Weldon and Paul Elliott in the late 1960s. This company produced more than 100 plays, musicals and pantomimes all over the country; some of them starred Todd.
His acting career extended into his 80s, and he made several appearances in British shows such asHeartbeat andThe Royal. He appeared in The Royal as Hugh Hurst, a retired solicitor, in the episode "Kiss and Tell" (2003); his last appearance inHeartbeat was as Major Harold Beecham in the 2007 episode"Seeds of Destruction".
Richard Todd was appointed an Officer of theOrder of the British Empire (OBE) in 1993.[23]
He was the subject ofThis Is Your Life on two occasions: in March 1960 when he was surprised byEamonn Andrews at the BBC'sLime Grove Studios;[citation needed] and in November 1988 whenMichael Aspel surprised him on stage at theTheatre Royal Windsor.[citation needed]
Todd was the first choice of authorIan Fleming to playJames Bond inDr. No, but a scheduling conflict gave the role toSean Connery. In the 1960s, Todd unsuccessfully attempted to produce a film of Ian Fleming'sThe Diamond Smugglers[13] and a television series based on true accounts of theQueen's Messengers.[13] He was also announced for a proposed film aboutWilliam Shakespeare.[24]
In his bookBritish Film Character Actors (1982), Terence Pettigrew described Todd as "an actor who made the most of what he had, which could be summed up as an inability to sit still while there was a horse to leap astride, a swollen river to swim or a tree to vanish into."
Todd was married twice; both marriages ended in divorce. His first wife was actress Catherine Grant-Bogle, whom he met in Dundee Repertory. They were married from 1949 until 1970. They had a son, Peter (1952–2005), and a daughter, Fiona Margaret Todd born 1956. In 1960 he had a son Jeremy Todd-Nelson with model Patricia Nelson. He was married to model Virginia Mailer from 1970 until 1992; they had two sons together, Andrew then Seamus (1977–1997).[25] In retirement, Todd lived in the village ofLittle Ponton and later inLittle Humby, eight miles fromGrantham,Lincolnshire.
Tragically, two of Todd's five children died through suicide using family firearms. On 7 December 1997, Todd's youngest son Seamus Palethorpe-Todd 20, shot himself in the head with a shotgun lying on his bed at their home in Lincolnshire while home on a break from Newcastle University where he was a first year student studying politics;[26] an inquest determined that the suicide might have been a depressive reaction to the drug he was taking for severe acne. Eight years later On 21 September 2005, Todd's eldest son Peter Todd 53, also using a shotgun killed himself in his car inEast Malling,Kent, following marital difficulties. Peter had been suffering depression.[27]
Todd was a supporter of Second World War commemoration events, particularly those associated with the Normandy landings and617 Squadron RAF. He continued to be identified in the public consciousness withGuy Gibson from his portrayal of him in the 1950s film, and attended 617 Squadron anniversaries up to 2008. He narrated a television documentary about the Squadron, and contributed forewords to several books on the subject, includingThe Dam Buster Story (2003);Filming the Dam Busters (2005); andBouncing-Bomb Man: The Science of Sir Barnes Wallis (2009).[citation needed]
Todd died of cancer at his home near Grantham in Lincolnshire on 3 December 2009.[28][29] His body was buried between his two sons Seamus and Peter at St. Guthlac's Church in Little Ponton in Lincolnshire.[30] The gravestone's epitaph reads "Richard Andrew Palethorpe Todd, 1919–2009, husband of Virginia and Kitty, loving father of Peter, Fiona, Andrew, Seamus and Jeremy, Exit Dashing Young Blade" (a reference to theQueen Mother's description of him).
British exhibitors regularly listed Todd among the most popular local stars at the box office in various polls:
