Geoffrey Keen | |
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| Born | Geoffrey Ian Keen (1916-08-21)21 August 1916 Wallingford,Berkshire, England |
| Died | 3 November 2005(2005-11-03) (aged 89) Northwood, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1943–1991 |
| Spouse(s) | Doris Groves (1960–1989; her death) Hazel Terry (divorced) Madeline Howell (divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
Geoffrey Keen (21 August 1916 – 3 November 2005) was an English actor who appeared in supporting roles in many films. He is well known for playingBritish Defence MinisterSir Frederick Gray in theJames Bond films.
Keen was born inWallingford, Berkshire, England, the son of stage actorMalcolm Keen.[1] He was educated atBristol Grammar School. He then joined the Little Repertory Theatre inBristol for whom he made his stage debut in 1932. After a year in repertory he stayed for a year inCannes before being accepted for a place at theLondon School of Economics. In a last-minute change of mind, he entered theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal after only one year. In 1939, he'd just joined the company at Stratford'sShakespeare Memorial Theatre whenthe war started. Keen enlisted in theRoyal Army Medical Corps, though also managed to appear in an Army instructional film forCarol Reed.[2][3][4]
Keen made his full film debut in 1946 inRiders of the New Forest but soon appeared in better known films for Reed such asOdd Man Out (1947),The Fallen Idol (1948)The Third Man (1949) and Walt Disney'sTreasure Island (1950). He quickly became one of the busiest character actors, typically doing five films a year. He also continued to perform on stage, for instance as Iachimo inPeter Hall's 1957 production ofCymbeline, and a sadistic Turkish General inTerence Rattigan's controversial playRoss (1960).[2][3][4]
Keen was cast mainly as establishment figures, including government ministers, senior police officers and military figures, though he also appeared in working class roles inChance of a Lifetime (1950) andMillions Like Us (1943). He often portrayed balding, cold-hearted, and sarcastic executives or lawyers. On television, he was one of the leads in BBC TV's long-running drama about the oil industry,The Troubleshooters, between 1965 and 1972.[3][4]
On the big screen, he played the role of Minister of DefenceSir Frederick Gray in sixJames Bond films between 1977 and 1987:
He also appeared inThe Spanish Gardener,Doctor Zhivago,Born Free andCromwell, as well as in numerous TV programmes. He even appeared in a leading role in the Hammer horror filmTaste the Blood of Dracula that starredChristopher Lee. In all, Keen had appeared in 100 films before he retired in 1991.[2][3][4]
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