Kenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More CBE, (
20 September 1914 -
12 July 1982) was a successful British cinema, television and theatre actor. He was born in
Gerrards Cross,
Buckinghamshire and educated at
Victoria College in
Jersey.
The two roles for which he became best known were that of real-life war hero
Douglas Bader in
Reach for the Sky (1956) and that of Young Jolyon in the
BBC's landmark
1967 dramatisation of
The Forsyte Saga. He enjoyed great success in films of the
1950s as a likeable, light leading man, after winning a
BAFTA Award as Best Newcomer for
Doctor in the House in
1954. He later appeared in a number of all-star war films including
Sink the Bismarck, (
1960),
The Longest Day (
1962),
Battle of Britain, (
1969) and
Oh! What a Lovely War (
1969). He was also popular on
television, especially following his success in
The Forsyte Saga, and appeared as the detectives
Father Brown and Lord
Peter Wimsey and also as
Bertie Wooster.
More was married to the actress
Beryl Johnstone (
1939-
1946) (one daughter Susan b.1941),
Bill Barkby (
1958-
1968) (one daughter Sarah b.1954) and the actress
Angela Douglas (from
17 March 1968 until his death), whom he nicknamed "Shrimp".
Kenneth More published his autobiography
More or less in
1978.
He died in
London from
Parkinson's disease on
12 July 1982, aged 67. The Kenneth More Theatre, named in his honour, is in Ilford, Essex.
Notable films include:
*
Genevieve (1953)
*
Doctor in the House (1954)
*
The Deep Blue Sea (1955)
*
Reach for the Sky (1956)
*
The Admirable Crichton (1957)
*
A Night to Remember (1958)
*
The Thirty-Nine Steps (1959)
*
Northwest Frontier (1959)
*
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
*
The Longest Day (1962)
*
The Comedy Man (1963)
*
Battle of Britain (1969)
*
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)
*http://www.kennethmore.fsnet.co.uk/kennethmore.html
*Kenneth More Theatre - http://www.kenneth-more-theatre.co.uk/
