Geoffrey Toone

Irish actor

Geoffrey Toone
Toone in the TV series One Step Beyond, episode The Villa, 1961
Born	(1910-11-15)15 November 1910 Dublin, Ireland
Died	1 June 2005(2005-06-01) (aged 94) Northwood, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1933–2002

Geoffrey Toone (15 November 1910 – 1 June 2005)^[1] was an English character actor and former matinee idol, born in Ireland.^[2]^[3] Most of his film roles after the 1930s were in supporting parts, usually as authority figures, though he did play the lead character in the Hammer Films production The Terror of the Tongs in 1961.^[4]^[5]

Life and career

Toone was born in Dublin, Ireland to English parents and was educated at Charterhouse School and Christ's College, Cambridge.^[1] He served in the Royal Artillery during World War II, but was invalided out in 1942.^[4] Toone's notable appearances include:

As Sir Edward Ramsay in the musical film The King and I (he dances with Deborah Kerr in the banquet sequence, much to the annoyance of the King).^[6]
As retired boxer and pimp Denny Lipp in "Jeff", a noteworthy 1960 episode of the TV series The Westerner, produced, directed and co-written by Sam Peckinpah. The episode also featured in a small role Warren Oates, who became a Peckinpah stalwart.
The BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who:
- As Temmosus in the film of Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)^[7]
- As Hepesh in the television story The Curse of Peladon in 1972.^[8]
In Freewheelers as the Nazi officer Karl von Gelb who continually tries to avenge Germany's World War II defeat.^[9]
As R. A. Crichton in "The Greasy Pole", a 1981 episode of Yes Minister.^[10]
As Lord Ridgemere, owner of the stately home where Delboy and Rodney dropped a chandelier in the Only Fools and Horses episode, "A Touch of Glass".^[11]
As Lord Bittlesham, a recurring character in the TV adaptation of P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster.^[12]

Death

He died from natural causes, aged 94, at Denville Hall in Northwood, London.^[3] At the time of his death, Toone was one of the last survivors of the Old Vic theatre company of the 1930s, having appeared alongside the likes of John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier in productions of Shakespeare.^[13]^[14] At the time, he was also the longest-lived actor to have appeared in Doctor Who.^[15] For many years he had shared a house with his close friend, the actor Frank Middlemass.^[14] "To their general amusement", they were often mistaken to be lovers, but in fact were not.^[16]

Selected filmography

Queer Cargo (1938) .... Lieutenant Stocken
Luck of the Navy (1938) .... Commander Clive Stanton
Night Journey (1938) .... Johnny Carson
Sword of Honour (1939) .... Bill Brown
Poison Pen (1940) .... David
An Englishman's Home (1940) .... Peter Templeton
Hell Is Sold Out (1951) .... Swedish Consulate Clerk
The Woman's Angle (1952) .... Count Cambia
The Great Game (1953) .... Jack Bannerman
The Man Between (1953) .... Martin Mallison
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) (Season 1 Episode 5: "Into Thin Air" aka "The Vanishing Lady") - Basil Farnham
Captain Lightfoot (1955) .... Captain Hood
Diane (1956) .... Duke of Savoy
The King and I (1956) .... Sir Edward Ramsey
Johnny Tremain (1957) .... Major Pitcairn
Zero Hour! (1957) .... Dr. Baird
Murder at Site 3 (1959) .... Sexton Blake
Once More, with Feeling! (1960) .... Dr. Richard Hilliard
The Entertainer (1960) .... Harold Hubbard
The Terror of the Tongs (1961) .... Captain Jackson Sale
Captain Sindbad (1963) .... Mohar
Echo of Diana (1963) .... Colonel Justin
Dr. Crippen (1963) .... Mr. Tobin
Blaze of Glory (1963) .... Roche
The River Line (1964) .... Julian
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) .... Temmosus
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) .... Marquis de St. Cyr
The Stone Carriers (1982) .... Narrator

References

^ ^a ^b Eric Shorter (3 June 2005). "Obituary: Geoffrey Toone | Film". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Geoffrey Toone". BFI. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b Newley, Patrick. "Geoffrey Toone | Obituaries". The Stage. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b 12:01AM BST 07 Jun 2005 (7 June 2005). "Geoffrey Toone". Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ Synopsis by Hal Erickson (15 March 1961). "The Terror of the Tongs (1961) - Anthony Bushell | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "The King and I (1956) - Walter Lang | Cast and Crew". AllMovie. 28 June 1956. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)". BFI. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon, Episode 1 (1972) - Lennie Mayne | Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Freewheelers (1968) - | Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "The Greasy Pole (1981)". BFI. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Only Fools and Horses - what time is it on TV? Episode 7 Series 2 cast list and preview". Radiotimes.com. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Geoffrey Toone". The Scotsman. 15 June 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "NPG x14523; John Gielgud as Romeo; Laurence Olivier as Mercutio; Geoffrey Toone as Tybalt in 'Romeo and Juliet' - Portrait - National Portrait Gallery". Npg.org.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b Alan Stachan (3 June 2005). "Geoffrey Toone". The Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Geoffrey Toone". Aveleyman.com. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
^ "Obituary: Frank Middlemass". the Guardian. 11 September 2006.