Lionel Jeffries

With his bald head, firm jawline and bristling moustache, 'Lionel Jeffries' (qv) played a nice line of English eccentrics. This belied his RADA training. Following military service in WWII, he played his major roles - everything from Grandpa Potts in _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)_ (qv) to the Marquis of Queensberry in _The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960)_ (qv) - in the 1960s.His surprisingly brief career as a director included the highly popular family films _The Railway Children (1970)_ (qv) and _The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972)_ (qv).::Steve Crook <[email protected]>