Basil Radford

Veddy, veddy British stage and film actor 'Basil Radford' (qv) (once dubbed "The Eternal Englishman") would actually become best remembered for his droll work in a couple of US films. Specializing in playing stuffy, mustachioed, well bred gents, he was a delightful presence in light, sophisticated comedies and breezy whodunnits.He was born Arthur 'Basil Radford' (qv) in Chester, England on June 25, 1897. He entered military service in 1915 and would serve as a commissioned officer for the British Army during World War I. He suffered a facial wound in the trenches that would later be obscured by clever camerawork and makeup over the years. Following military duty in 1918, he pursued an acting career and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Making his stage debut in 1924 with "Collusion." he subsequently appeared in such shows as "The Ghost Train," "The Love Pirate," "Night Must Fall," "Spring Tide," "Blind Goddess," "The White Falcon" and "A Man's House." By 1929, Radford was adding film work to his acting resume with his debut in _Ain't It the Truth (1929)_ (qv). He subsequently found upper-class support parts in both comedies and dramas -- _Seven Days Leave (1930)_ (qv) starring a young 'Gary Cooper' (qv), _Leave It to Smith (1933)_ (qv) _Foreign Affaires (1935)_ (qv), _Broken Blossoms (1936)_ (qv), _Dishonour Bright (1936)_ (qv), _When Thief Meets Thief (1937)_ (qv) with 'Douglas Fairbanks Jr.' (qv) and 'Alfred Hitchcock' (qv)'s murder mystery _Young and Innocent (1937)_ (qv).Films became an even stronger focus when Hitchcock rehired Radford and memorably teamed him with actor 'Naunton Wayne' (qv). In one of his early cinematic masterpieces _The Lady Vanishes (1938)_ (qv), the dry twosome hilariously portrayed a pair of cricket enthusiasts (Charters and Caldicott) who seem much more interested in reading and commenting on their favorite sport than they are concerned with the alarming number of bodies piling up aboard their train. They clicked so well with audiences in this classic whodunnit that they were asked to successfully reprise their roles in two more films: _Night Train to Munich (1940)_ (qv) and _Crook's Tour (1940)_ (qv) (in the latter the pair were top billed). Radford and Wayne would pair up again in seven more film outings: _Millions Like Us (1943)_ (qv), _Dead of Night (1945)_ (qv), _Quartet (1948)_ (qv), _Passport to Pimlico (1949)_ (qv), _It's Not Cricket (1949)_ (qv) and _Stop Press Girl (1949)_ (qv). They also showed up together in wartime shorts and radio programs.Appearances sans Mr. Wayne include the films _Dead of Night (1945)_ (qv), _Johnny in the Clouds (1945)_ (qv), _The Captive Heart (1946)_ (qv), _The Winslow Boy (1948)_ (qv) and the comedy _Whisky Galore! (1949)_ (qv), the last finding himself top billed. Following two top-billed character parts as a pompous boss in the working class comedy _Chance of a Lifetime (1950)_ (qv) and the major in the racehorse yarn _The Galloping Major (1951)_ (qv), the latter which he also co-wrote, Radford's health went into a severe decline and, by the summer of 1951, was forced to leave the screen. On the verge of a modest return in 1952, he suddenly collapsed from a heart attack on the set of the radio adventure "Rogues' Gallery" (which happened to pair him again with 'Naunton Wayne' (qv). He was taken to a London hospital where he died on October 20, 1952.Only 55, a marvelous character career was lost much too soon. Long married (from 1926) to Shirley Deuchars, the couple had one son.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]