Michael Wilding (actor)
| Michael Wilding | |
|---|---|
|
From the trailer for Stage Fright (1950) | |
| Born |
Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding 23 July 1912 Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, United Kingdom |
| Died |
8 July 1979 (aged 66) Chichester, West Sussex, England |
| Cause of death | Head injury sustained in a fall |
| Years active | 1933–1973 |
| Spouse(s) |
Kay Young (1937–1951) Elizabeth Taylor (1952–1957) Susan Nell (1958–1962) Margaret Leighton (1964–1976; her death) |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television and film actor.
Early life
Born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, and educated at Christ's Hospital, Wilding was a successful commercial artist when he joined the art department of a London film studio in 1933. He soon embarked on an acting career.
Career
He appeared in numerous British films, often opposite Anna Neagle, but had a less productive career in Hollywood. His screen performances included Sailors Three (1940), In Which We Serve (1942), Undercover (1943), Piccadilly Incident (1946), Spring in Park Lane (1948), Stage Fright (1950), Torch Song (1953) and The World of Suzie Wong (1960).
In 1952, British exhibitors voted him the fourth most popular star at the local box office.[1]
His last appearance was in an uncredited, non-speaking cameo in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), which co-starred his last wife, Margaret Leighton.
He also appeared on television, including the title role in the 1957 episode "The Trial of Colonel Blood" of NBC's anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show.
Box-office ranking
At the peak of his career, British exhibitors voted him among the most popular stars in the country:
Personal life
Wilding was married four times: to Kay Young (married 1937, divorced 1951), actress Elizabeth Taylor (married 1952, divorced 1957), Susan Nell (married 1958, divorced 1962),[7] and actress Margaret Leighton (married 1964 until her death in 1976).
He and Taylor, who was 20 years his junior, had two sons, Michael Howard Wilding (born 1953) and Christopher Edward Wilding (born 1955). In 1957, he had a short-lived romance with actress Marie McDonald, who was nicknamed "The Body".
In the 1960s, he was forced to cut back on his film appearances because of illness related to his lifelong epilepsy.
Death
Wilding died in Chichester, West Sussex, as a result of head injuries suffered from a fall down a flight of stairs during an epileptic seizure.[8] His body was cremated and the ashes were scattered.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1972 | Lady Caroline Lamb | Lord Holland | |
| 1970 | Waterloo | Sir William Ponsonby | |
| 1968 | The Sweet Ride | Mr. Cartwright | |
| Code Name, Red Roses | English General | ||
| 1963 | Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans | the Alfred Hitchcock Hour | |
| 1962 | A Girl Named Tamiko | Nigel Costairs | |
| 1961 | The Best of Enemies | Burke | |
| The Naked Edge | Morris Brooke | ||
| 1960 | The World of Suzie Wong | Ben Marlowe | |
| 1959 | Danger Within | Major Charles Marquand | |
| 1956 | Zarak | Major Michael Ingram | |
| 1955 | The Scarlet Coat | Major John Andre | |
| The Glass Slipper | Prince Charles | ||
| 1954 | The Egyptian | Akhnaton | |
| 1953 | Torch Song | Tye Graham | |
| 1952 | Trent's Last Case | Philip Trent | |
| Derby Day | David Scott | ||
| 1951 | The Lady with a Lamp | Sidney Herbert/Lord Herbert of Lea | |
| The Law and the Lady | Nigel Duxbury/Lord Henry Minden aka Hoskins | ||
| 1950 | Into the Blue | Nicholas Foster | |
| Stage Fright | Det. Insp. Wilfred 'Ordinary' Smith | ||
| 1949 | Under Capricorn | Hon. Charles Adare | |
| Maytime in Mayfair | Michael Gore-Brown | ||
| 1948 | Spring in Park Lane | Richard | |
| 1947 | An Ideal Husband | Viscount Arthur Goring | |
| The Courtneys of Curzon Street | Sir Edward Courtney | ||
| 1946 | Carnival | Maurice Avery | |
| Piccadilly Incident | Capt. Alan Pearson | ||
| 1944 | English Without Tears | Tom Gilbey | |
| 1943 | Dear Octopus | Nicholas Randolph | |
| Undercover | Constantine | ||
| 1942 | Secret Mission | Pvt. Nobby Clark | |
| The Big Blockade | Captain | ||
| In Which We Serve | Flags | ||
| Ships with Wings | Lt. David Grant | ||
| 1941 | Cottage to Let | Alan Trently | |
| Kipps | Ronnie Walshingham | ||
| Spring Meeting | Tony Fox-Collier | ||
| The Farmer's Wife | Richard Coaker | ||
| Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light | Officer | ||
| 1940 | Sailors Don't Care | Dick | |
| Sailors Three | Johnny Wilding | ||
| Convoy | Dot | ||
| Tilly of Bloomsbury | Percy Welwyn | ||
| 1939 | There Ain't No Justice | Len Charteris | |
| 1936 | When Knights Were Bold | Uncredited role | |
| Wedding Group | |||
| 1935 | Late Extra | ||
| 1933 | Heads We Go | ||
| Bitter Sweet | Uncredited role | ||
| Channel Crossing | Passenger Boarding Ferry |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1973 | Frankenstein: The True Story | Sir Richard Fanshawe | TV film |
| 1968 | Mannix | Phillip Montford/Sir Arnold Salt | Episode: A View of Nowhere |
| 1966 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Major Tucker | Episode: The Fatal Mistake |
| The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. | Franz Joseph | Episode: The Lethal Eagle Affair | |
| 1963 | Burke's Law | Dr. Alex Steiner | Episode: Who Killed Sweet Betsy? |
| The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | David Saunders | Episode: Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans | |
| 1962 | Saints and Sinners | Sir Robert | Episode: A Night of Horns and Bells |
| 1958, 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Sir John Alexander Chris Hughes | Episode: Verdict of Three Episode: Dark as the Night |
| 1959 | Lux Playhouse | Stephen MacIllroy | Episode: The Case of the Two Sisters |
| 1958 | Target | Episode: The Clean Kill | |
| Climax! | Lt. MacKenzie Barton | Episode: The Volcano Seat (1) Episode: The Volcano Seat (2) | |
| 1957 | The Joseph Cotten Show | Colonel Blood | Episode: The Trial of Colonel Blood |
| 1955, 1956 | The 20th Century Fox Hour | Robert Marryot Captain Robert Wilton | Episode: Cavalcade Stranger in the Night |
| 1956 | Screen Director's Playhouse | David Scott | Episode: The Carroll Formula |
See also
- List of British actors and actresses
- List of people educated at Christ's Hospital
- List of people from Chichester
- List of people with epilepsy
References
- 1 2 "Vivien Leigh Actress Of The Year.". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 29 December 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ↑ 'Bing's Lucky Number: Pa Crosby Dons 4th B.O. Crown', The Washington Post 3 January 1948: 12.
- ↑ "Bing Crosby Still Best Box-office Draw.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 31 December 1948. p. 3. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ↑ "Film World Anna Neagle: Biggest U.K. Box-Office Draw.". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 23 January 1950. p. 9. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ "Success Of British Films." Times [London, England] 29 December 1950: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
- ↑ "Films That Make Money." Times [London, England] 28 December 1951: 7. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
- ↑ Wilding, Michael & Pamela Wilcox, Apple Sauce (London: Allen & Unwin, 1982) pp. 140-144.
- ↑ Michael Wilding dead from fall
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael Wilding. |
- Michael Wilding at the Internet Movie Database
- Michael Wilding at the Internet Broadway Database
- Photographs and literature
| Husband of Elizabeth Taylor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Conrad Hilton, Jr. |
Husband of Elizabeth Taylor (by order of marriage) 1952–1957 |
Succeeded by Mike Todd |