- Colin Gordon
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This article is about the British actor. For the Guyanese high-jumper, see Colin Gordon (athlete). For the English footballer and sports agent, see Colin Gordon (footballer).
Colin Gordon Born Colin Fraser Gordon
27 April 1911
CeylonDied 4 October 1972 (aged 61)
Haslemere, EnglandOccupation Actor Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).[1]
He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a production of “Toad of Toad Hall”. From 1936 to 1939 he was a director with the Fred Melville Repertory Company at Brixton. He served in the army during WWII for six years. His performance in 1948 as Rupert Billings in “The Happiest Days of Your Life” won the Clarence Derwent award.
Gordon had a long career in British cinema and television from the 1940s to the 1970s, often playing government officials. His films include The Pink Panther and Casino Royale although he is probably best known for his portrayal of Number Two in the ITC classic series The Prisoner. Along with Leo McKern, he was one of only two actors to play Number Two more than once. He first played the character in "The General" and later reprised his role in "A. B. and C.". In fact, the episodes were subsequently broadcast in reverse order: when "The General" was in production, "A. B. and C" had not yet been cast.
Gordon was a regular in another ITC production, The Baron playing civil servant Templeton-Green opposite Steve Forrest. He also played the host and occasional narrator of the 1969 London Weekend Television series The Complete and Utter History of Britain, which arose from a pre-Monty Python collaboration between Michael Palin and Terry Jones; and was the Airport Commandant in the 1967 Doctor Who story The Faceless Ones. He was also in Bachelor Father and made a notable guest appearance in The Holiday episode of Steptoe and Son.
Selected filmography
- Traveller's Joy (1949)
- Helter Skelter (1949)
- Circle of Danger (1951)
- Laughter in Paradise (1951)
- The Man in the White Suit (1951)
- Green Grow the Rushes (1951)
- Mandy (1952)
- Folly to Be Wise (1953)
- Grand National Night (1953)
- Up to His Neck (1954)
- Escapade (1955)
- John and Julie (1955)
- The Extra Day (1956)
- Jumping for Joy (1956)
- Keep It Clean (1956)
- The Green Man (1956)
- A Touch of the Sun (1956)
- Up in the World (1956)
- The Key Man (1957)
- The One That Got Away (1957)
- The Safecracker (1958)
- The Doctor's Dilemma (1958)
- Virgin Island (1958)
- Please Turn Over (1959)
- Alive and Kicking (1959)
- The Crowning Touch (1959)
- The Mouse That Roared (1959)
- Bobbikins (1959)
- The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)
- Make Mine Mink (1960)
- Seven Keys (1961)
- Very Important Person (1961)
- Don't Bother to Knock (1961)
- Three on a Spree (1961)
- Night of the Eagle (1962)
- Crooks Anonymous (1962)
- Strongroom (1962)
- The Boys (1962)
- Bitter Harvest (1963)
- Heavens Above! (1963)
- The Running Man (1963)
- The Pink Panther (1963)
- The Counterfeit Constable (1964)
- The Liquidator (1965)
- The Psychopath (1966)
- The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966)
- The Trygon Factor (1966)
- The Family Way (1966)
- Casino Royale (1967)
- Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968)
- Subterfuge (1968)
References
External links
Categories:- 1911 births
- 1972 deaths
- English film actors
- English television actors
- Old Marlburians
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
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