Rupert Lisburn Gwynne Davies was born on the 22nd of May 1916 in Liverpool to father Howard Davies and mother Louie Lloyd (née Thomas). In 1911 they were living at 145 Walton Road L4 which is now the Thomas Frost Wetherspoon's pub but was then the London and Provincial Bank. By the time of Rupert’s birth some five years later Howard Davies had progressed to becoming a bank manager, moving to Bank House, 189 Walton Road L4. It would appear the family lived above the banks his father worked in. With his parents now living in London, during World War II, after service in the British Merchant Navy he was a Sub-Lieutenant Observer with the Fleet Air Arm. In 1940, the Swordfish aircraft in which he was flying ditched in the sea off the Dutch coast, following which he was captured and sent to Stalag Luft III, the prisoner of war camp made famous through the film 'The Great Escape' (1963). It was in Stalag Luft III that he developed a serious interest in theatre and during his captivity he began to take part in theatre performances, entertaining his fellow prisoners. Amongst his fellow prisoners there were Donald Pleasance, Peter Butterworth and Talbot Rothwell (screenwriter of the Carry On films). Rupert also made three escape attempts, all of which failed, and on his release after five years in the camp, he resumed his career in acting almost immediately and his first appearance on BBC TV was in 1946, about the same time as he starred in an ex-prisoner of war show, 'Back Home', which was hosted at the Stoll Theatre, London.
He first acted on stage professionally on the 1st of June 1959 at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, before eventually moving on to the Old Vic, when he played the role of the Colonel in Alun Owen's 'The Rough and Ready Lot' in a production by the 59 Theatre Company, as well as in the television adaptation which was broadcast that September.
He came to national prominence in the early 1960’s having secured the role of Inspector Maigret in BBC’s drama series based on the works of Georges Simenon which was to run to 53 episodes between 1960-63 and is often regarded as the definitive screen incarnation of Georges Simenon's easy-going detective. Rupert Davies seemed the closest, physically, to Simenon’s own description of the inspector as a stocky, gruff but essentially kindly character. On the strength of his popularity, he was named Television Actor of the Year in 1961. Also a pipe smoker, like Jules Maigret, in 1964, having released a 45rpm single 'Smoking My Pipe' late the previous year, he capitalised on the Maigret opening sequence to become the first person to win the 'Pipe Smoker of the Year' award. He then impersonated a Maigret-like character in a series of commercials for Dubonnet, for ITV. However Georges Simenon objected to the commercials and had them stopped. Davies regretted this, claiming he had made more money over the few days of filming the commercials than he had in nearly four years of playing Maigret for the BBC.
He was married to Jessica I. Knowles who appeared with his sons Timothy and Hoagan when he was the subject of 'This Is Your Life' on Tuesday the 2nd of October 1962, surprised by Eamon Andrews in central London. After being voted British actor of the year in 1961, when the producers had exhausted the Maigret books, he found it hard to get another role, although he was considered for the part of 'Doctor Who' when William Hartnell, the original Doctor, left the series in 1966. Davies also played supporting roles in many films, appearing briefly as George Smiley in 'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold' (1965). He also appeared in several horror films in the late 1960s, including 'Witchfinder General' (1968) and 'Dracula Has Risen from the Grave' (1968), as well as such international films as 'Waterloo' (1970) and 'Zeppelin' (1971). His fortunes revived when the BBC cast him as Count Rostov in 'War and Peace', a 20-part serialization of the Tolstoy classic first televised in 1972. He became a staple of British television, appearing in numerous plays and series, and his TV work included many of the top drama shows of the day including 'The Champions', 'Flying Doctor', 'Armchair Theatre', Man In A Suitcase and 'Doctor at Large' (1972). He also provided the voice of Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine in the Gerry Anderson 'Joe 90' series.
Rupert died of cancer in Guy's Hospital, London on the 22nd of November 1976 aged 60, leaving a wife, Jessica, and two sons, Timothy and Hoagan. He, and later his wife Jessica, were buried in a small churchyard at Pistyll near Nefyn, Gwynedd on the Llŷn Penninsula where they had had a holiday home.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/07/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-pearl.html
No comments:
Post a Comment