Walter Fitzgerald

English actor (1896–1976)

Angela Kirk

(m. 1942; died 1970)

Children5Websitewalterfitzgerald.webs.com

Walter Fitzgerald Bond (18 May 1896 – 20 December 1976) was an English character actor.^[2]

Early life

Born in Stoke, Plymouth,^[3] Fitzgerald was a former stockbroker before he began his theatrical training at RADA.^[4] He joined the British Army during World War I, serving with the Worcestershire Regiment, the Devonshire Regiment, and the Somerset Light Infantry.^[5]

Career

Fitzgerald made his professional stage bow in 1922 and his first film appearance in 1930.

He toured with Sir John Martin-Harvey and Sir Seymour Hicks. He was understudy to Sir Gerald du Maurier (1928–29).^[6] Fitzgerald appeared in films from the 1930s, often in 'official' roles (policemen, doctors, lawyers). He appeared on British television in the 1950s and 1960s before his retirement.^[7] His best-remembered film roles include Simon Fury in Blanche Fury (1948), Dr. Fenton in The Fallen Idol (1948), and Squire Trelawney in Treasure Island (1950). In the opening scenes of H.M.S. Defiant (1962) he played the admiral who listens to – and then disregards – Captain Crawford's complaints about maritime cruelty.^[4]

Personal life

He married Rosalie Constance Grey in 1924. They had one son, Michael Lewis Fitzgerald-Bond. His second marriage was to Angela Kirk in 1938, and they had three sons (Jonathan, Timothy, and Charles) and one daughter (Julia).^[6]

Filmography

Murder at Covent Garden (1932) – Donald Walpace
The Show Goes On (1937) – Soldier with His Family on Troopship (uncredited)
This England (1941) – Vicar
In Which We Serve (1942) – Colonel Lumsden
Squadron Leader X (1943) – Inspector Milne
San Demetrio London (1943) – Chief Engineer Charles Pollard
Strawberry Roan (1945) – Walter Morley
Great Day (1945) – Bob Tyndale
Mine Own Executioner (1947) – Dr. Norris Pile
This Was a Woman (1948) – Arthur Russell
Blanche Fury (1948) – Simon Fury
The Fallen Idol (1948) – Dr. Fenton
The Winslow Boy (1948) – First Lord
The Small Back Room (1949) – Brine
Edward, My Son (1949) – Mr. Kedner
Treasure Island (1950) – Squire Trelawney
Flesh and Blood (1951) – Dr. Cooper
The Pickwick Papers (1952) – Mr. Wardle
The Ringer (1952) – Commissioner
The Net (1953) – Sir Charles Craddock
Appointment in London (1953) – Mulvaney
The Cruel Sea (1953) – Warden (uncredited)
Twice Upon a Time (1953) – Professor Reynolds
Personal Affair (1953) – Henry Vining
Our Girl Friday (1953) – Captain
Front Page Story (1954) – Black
Lease of Life (1954) – The Dean
The Cockleshell Heroes (1955) – Gestapo Comdt.
Around The World in 80 Days (1956) – Club Member
The Man in the Sky (1957) – Conway
Something of Value (1957) – A White Settler – Henry McKenzie
The Birthday Present (1957) – Sir John Dell
The Camp on Blood Island (1958) – Cyril Beattie
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) – Lord Fitzpatrick
Third Man on the Mountain (1959) – Herr Hempel
H.M.S. Defiant (1962) – Admiral Jackson
We Joined the Navy (1962) – Admiral Thomas
Decision at Midnight (1963) – Prime Minister

Selected stage roles

Debonair by Frank Vosper (1930)
Black Coffee by Agatha Christie (1931)
Someone at the Door by Campbell Christie (1935)
Poison Pen by Richard Llewellyn (1938)
Death on the Table by Michael Pertwee (1938)
The Duke in Darkness by Patrick Hamilton (1942)
The Green Bay Tree by Mordaunt Shairp (1950)

References

^ "Search Results for England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007".
^ "Walter Fitzgerald". BFI. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012.
^ "Search Results for England & Wales Births 1837-2006".
^ ^a ^b Hal Erickson. "Walter Fitzgerald – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie". AllMovie.
^ "Life story: Walter Fitzgerald | Lives of the First World War".
^ ^a ^b "Home".
^ "Walter Fitzgerald". TV.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2015.