Michael Balfour

Born: 1918-02-11

Michael Creighton Balfour (11 February 1918 – 24 October 1997) was an English actor, working mainly in British films and TV, following his TV debut in the BBC's The Marvellous History of St Bernard, in 1938. He was a recognisable face, often in small character parts and supporting roles, in nearly two hundred films and TV shows, from the 1940s to the 1990s, often playing comical heavies or otherwise shady characters notable for their "loud" clothes, sometimes convincingly cast as an American. He worked for a roll call of film directors, including Tony Richardson, Pete Walker, Billy Wilder, Lewis Gilbert, Roman Polanski, Leslie Norman, Tim Burton, John Frankenheimer, François Truffaut, John Gilling, Stanley Donen, Ken Annakin, Cavalcanti, Lance Comfort, Terence Young, Gerald Thomas, Pasolini, John Paddy Carstairs, Terence Fisher, Val Guest, Frank Launder, John Huston, Basil Dearden and Howard Hawks. Balfour had parts in many popular TV shows of the era including Educated Evans, Mess Mates, Danger Man, The Avengers, Hancock's Half Hour, Dixon of Dock Green, Rogue's Gallery, Z-Cars, The Onedin Line, and the detective drama The Vise, playing Saber's assistant Barney O'Keefe. Balfour was also known as the passenger in a Jaguar XK120 car driven by actor Bonar Colleano when it crashed, killing Colleano. Balfour's injuries required him to have 98 stitches, but he was released from hospital in time to attend Colleano's funeral. As his screen career began to slow down in the late 1970s, Michael Balfour went on tour with European circuses, as a clown. He founded Circus Hazzard, and created his own clown character. His son later became a circus manager. As well as performing, Balfour was a dedicated painter and sculptor, and in later years turned increasingly to sculpture and the arts, even running his own gallery for a while. For his subjects, he frequently drew on his own family career as a circus clown


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as Scientist
Released: 1989-06-21

Batman must face his most ruthless nemesis when a deformed madman calling himself "The Joker"...

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Fahrenheit 451

as Book Person: Machiavelli's 'The Prince' (uncredited)
Released: 1966-09-07

In the future, the government maintains control of public opinion by outlawing literature and...

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The Canterbury Tales

as The Carpenter
Released: 1972-09-02

Glimpses of Chaucer penning his famous work are sprinkled through this re-enactment of several...

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Moulin Rouge

as Dodo (uncredited)
Released: 1952-12-23

In 1890 Paris, Moulin Rouge is a nightclub where crippled artist Toulouse-Lautrec feels like he...

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Macbeth

as First Murderer
Released: 1971-12-20

Scotland, 11th century. Driven by the twisted prophecy of three witches and the ruthless...

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Sink the Bismarck!

as Able Seaman - Lookout on 'Suffolk' (uncredited)
Released: 1960-02-11

The story of the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck—accompanied by the heavy cruiser...

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I Was a Male War Bride

as Male Billet Sergeant (uncredited)
Released: 1949-08-26

After marrying an American lieutenant with whom he was assigned to work in post-war Germany, a...

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Candleshoe

as Mr. McCress
Released: 1977-12-16

When ex-con artist Harry claims that a secret treasure is hidden inside Candleshoe, an English...

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The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

as Cabby
Released: 1970-10-29

Holmes and Dr. Watson take on the case of a beautiful woman whose husband has vanished. The...

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The Oblong Box

as Ruddock
Released: 1969-06-11

Evil lurks in the gloomy house at Markham Manor where a deranged Sir Edward is the chained...

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The Krays

as Referee
Released: 1990-04-27

The Krays is a film based on the lives and crimes of the British gangsters Ronald and Reginald...

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Look Back in Anger

as Picky Shopper (uncredited)
Released: 1959-09-15

A disillusioned, angry university graduate comes to terms with his grudge against middle-class...

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Quatermass 2

as Harry
Released: 1957-05-24

In England, a group of space scientists led by Bernard Quatermass, who have developed plans for...

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The Holcroft Covenant

as Hard Hat
Released: 1985-09-20

A man who was a confidant of Adolf Hitler dies and leaves a fortune to make amends for his Nazi...

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The Adventurers

as Detective
Released: 1970-03-25

The wealthy playboy son of an assassinated South American diplomat discovers that his father was...

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Carry On Constable

as Matt
Released: 1960-02-22

With a flu epidemic running rife, three new bumbling recruits are assigned to Inspector Mills...

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Fiend Without a Face

as Sgt. Kasper
Released: 1958-07-03

An American airbase in Canada provokes resentment from the nearby residents after fallout from...

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Obsession

as American Sailor Promoting Book
Released: 1949-08-03

A British psychiatrist devises a devilish revenge plot against his wife's lover.

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The Flesh and the Fiends

as Drunken Sailor
Released: 1960-02-02

Edinburgh surgeon Dr. Robert Knox requires cadavers for his research into the functioning of the...

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The Steel Bayonet

as Pte. Thomas
Released: 1958-02-01

Tunis, 1943. Battle-weary troops of Company C have orders to occupy a derelict Tunisian...

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Genevieve

as Trumpeter (Uncredited)
Released: 1953-05-28

Two friends driving in the London to Brighton vintage car rally bet on which of them will be the...

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The Small Voice

as Frankie
Released: 1948-11-27

A man and his wife take to their house some men they rescue from a road crash and then find they...

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No Orchids for Miss Blandish

as Barney
Released: 1948-04-15

Filmed in England but set in New York, No Orchids For Miss Blandish tells of a sheltered heiress...

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The Red Beret

as American Sergeant
Released: 1953-08-11

Steve MacKendrick resigns from the US Army after causing the needless death of a fellow officer....

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The Fast Lady

as Bandit
Released: 1962-12-14

A Scottish civil servant must learn how to drive a Bentley to impress his girlfriend's tycoon...

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The Prisoner of Zenda

as uncredited
Released: 1979-08-17

Anthony Hope's classic tale gets a decidedly 'un-classic' treatment at the hands of Peter...

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Strangler's Web

as John Vichelski
Released: 1965-08-01

What appears to be a cut-and-dried case of murder of an aging one time showgirl on Hampstead...

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Her Favourite Husband

as Pete
Released: 1950-05-11

While casing a bank he intends to rob, gangster Leo discovers one of the clerks, Antonio, is his...

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Kaleidoscope

as Poker Player
Released: 1966-07-01

Barney Lincoln is a rambling gambling man who scores sensational wins at poker and chemin de fer...

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Helter Skelter

as Barman
Released: 1949-01-07

A detective gets involved with a wealthy socialite who can't seem to stop hiccuping.

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The Sea Shall Not Have Them

as Dray
Released: 1954-06-01

During autumn of 1944, an RAF Hudson carrying a VIP passenger in possession of highly secret...

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Stop Press Girl

as Crook (uncredited)
Released: 1949-06-02

A young woman leaves her backwards hometown to go to London to find a runaway suitor. What she...

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Impulse

as uncredited
Released: 1954-01-01

An American realtor living in England is dissatisfied with what he believes to be his humdrum...

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Surprise Package

as Oscar
Released: 1960-09-29

Comic crime caper, set on a Greek island, starring Yul Brynner and Mitzi Gaynor.

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Albert R.N.

as Hank
Released: 1953-11-23

The British inmates of a POW camp think they have an informer among them after several escape...

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Too Hot to Handle

as Tourist Guide
Released: 1960-12-01

A French reporter working on a steamy story about the secret strip joints found in London's Soho...

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Press for Time

as Sewerman
Released: 1966-01-01

Norman is quite happy selling newspapers outside Westminster station but his Grandfather (the...

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Venetian Bird

as Moretto
Released: 1952-10-01

Private eye Edward Mercer travels to Venice to locate a man due a reward for his aid in the war....

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The Monster of Highgate Ponds

as Bert
Released: 1961-05-01

The story of three children who find themselves with a friendly monster that grows at an...

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Barbados Quest

as Barney Wilson
Released: 1955-07-01

Special investigator Duke Martin is in London to investigate the authenticity of a rare postage...

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Top Secret

as Jersey Sailor
Released: 1952-11-10

A British Sanitary Engineer, goes on holiday with a set of plans for a new secret weapon which...

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Meet Mr. Callaghan

as Coffee Stallkeeper
Released: 1954-06-01

A young woman is framed for the murder of a wealthy man who met his death at the hands of his heirs.

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Park Plaza 605

as Ted Birston
Released: 1953-09-11

Suave private investigator Norman Conquest intercepts a secret message and meets a beautiful but...

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Man of Violence

as Cafe Owner
Released: 1970-06-01

Moon (Michael Latimer) is a mercenary who joins forces with two crooked cops in an attempt to...

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River Beat

as Adams
Released: 1954-02-01

British diamond smugglers use the radiowoman (Phyllis Kirk) from a freighter docked on the...

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Just William's Luck

as Tonks
Released: 1947-12-17

Comic adventures of an 11-year-old boy and his neighborhood pals.

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It's a Great Day

as Charlie Mead's Mate
Released: 1955-01-01

Big screen spin off from the BBC TV series The Grove Family, ostensibly the first British soap...

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Sleeping Car to Trieste

as Spiegel
Released: 1948-10-06

Spies pursue a stolen diary aboard the Orient Express.

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Woman Hater

as Reporter (uncredited)
Released: 1948-10-13

A confirmed bachelor and a woman who claims to hate men get together and find romance.

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The Diamond Wizard

as Hoxie
Released: 1954-04-01

While in London trying to nab several fugitives who stole a million dollars from a U.S. Treasury...

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3 Steps to the Gallows

as Carter, boxing fan
Released: 1953-12-01

A U.S. sailor (Scott Brady) docks in London and in three days tries to save his brother from the...

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The Steel Key

as 'The Mae McCleod' Captain
Released: 1953-05-01

An adventurer investigates the theft of a formula for hardened steel, assisted by his girlfriend.

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The Delavine Affair

as Sammy
Released: 1955-01-03

Peter Reynolds stars as Rex Banner, a newspaperman who makes it his life's mission to track down...

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All Coppers Are...

as Heart Attack Victim (uncredited)
Released: 1972-01-24

A young policeman and a small-time crook are both involved with the same girl.

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Love in Pawn

as Alaric
Released: 1953-11-23

A British comedy about a struggling artist and his wife living on a houseboat. To raise money...

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The Big Money

as 'Wilberforce'
Released: 1958-06-09

Petty thief Willie Frith steals a suitcase full of bank notes, only to find out that they have...

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Revenge of Billy the Kid

as Gyles MacDonald
Released: 1992-01-01

The horny farmer McDonald has his wicked way with a goat. Life returns to normal for the family,...

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The Quiet Woman

as Lefty Brown
Released: 1951-03-01

The former wife of a criminal moves to a coastal town and takes over the running of a bar known...

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The Reluctant Bride

as Boxer
Released: 1955-08-01

A money-to-burn and girl-chasing Texas oilman, and a sensitive, dignified entomologist find...

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Secret Venture

as Stevens
Released: 1955-11-10

An American is visiting Britain and finds himself in possession of a briefcase full of secret...

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Scarlet Web

as Barman
Released: 1954-06-01

An insurance investigator is framed for murder after a pretty woman hires him to recover a...

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Pit of Darkness

as Fisher
Released: 1961-10-01

When Richard Logan, the partner in a safe making firm, is found unconscious, on an old deserted...

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Black 13

as Joe
Released: 1953-11-30

The son of a college professor who turns to a life of crime after killing a pedestrian in an...

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A Case For P.C. 49

as Chubby Price
Released: 1951-08-01

A model’s scheme to murder a millionaire with the intention of inheriting his fortune is...

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Man from Tangier

as Spade
Released: 1957-11-25

International crook Armstrong flees post-war Tangier with priceless forgery plates and is...

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Recoil

as Parkes
Released: 1953-08-01

A jeweller is killed in a gang robbery leaving the daughter as the only witness. When the police...

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Johnny on the Run

as uncredited
Released: 1953-06-01

A Polish boy runs away from his unkind foster mother in Edinburgh and finds a new home in a...

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Don't Ever Leave Me

as Jim Kennedy
Released: 1949-07-19

Elderly crook Harry Denton, when challenged to prove he is "not past it," decides to kidnap...

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The Stick Up

as Sam
Released: 1977-04-10

Duke Turnbeau (David Soul) has come to England, in the 1930s, as a way to improve his fortunes....

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Delayed Action

as Honey
Released: 1954-07-01

Robert Ayres plays a moody author with a suicide complex. Ayres' melancholia plays right into...

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Five Have a Mystery to Solve

as Emilio
Released: 1964-05-01

Four cousins meet a new friend who has strange powers over all the animals on Whispering Island....

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Breakaway

as Barney
Released: 1956-07-16

When Johnny Matlock whisks away a cold war secret from under the noses of Berlin's top secret...

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13 East Street

as Joey Long
Released: 1952-03-01

When police inspector Gerald Blake wants to infiltrate a London stolen-goods gang, he does a...

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Devil's Point

as Bennett, short henchman
Released: 1954-12-07

A Thames River barge operator finds a mysterious package dropped by smugglers.

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She Always Gets Their Man

as Runkle
Released: 1962-01-01

The longtime tenants at a London women's hotel decide to take action when the newest resident, a...

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Melody Club

as Max
Released: 1949-07-01

Customers at the Melody Club are burgled while attending the the club. A detective investigates.

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The Avengers

as Tom
First aired: 1961-01-07

The Avengers is a British television series created in the 1960s. It initially focused on Dr....

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The Larkins

as Sharkey
First aired: 1958-09-19

'The Larkins' is a British television sitcom which was produced by Associated Television and...

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The Persuaders!

as Donkey Cart Driver
First aired: 1971-09-17

An English aristocrat and an American millionaire come together to tackle crime.

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Danger Man

as Gaston
First aired: 1960-09-11

Danger Man is a British television series which was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again...

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The Cheaters

as Harry
First aired: 1960-12-10

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The Cheaters

as Freddy
First aired: 1960-12-10

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Interpol Calling

as Russ
First aired: 1959-09-13

The adventures of Interpol policemen Duval and Mornay as they fought against international...

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Interpol Calling

as Inspector Hill
First aired: 1959-09-13

The adventures of Interpol policemen Duval and Mornay as they fought against international...

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Department S

as Eccles
First aired: 1969-09-09

Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The...

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The Prisoner

as Will
First aired: 1967-09-29

After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but...

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Dempsey and Makepeace

as Jim Kelly
First aired: 1985-01-11

Dempsey and Makepeace is a British television crime drama made by London Weekend Television for...

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Hancock's Half Hour

as uncredited
First aired: 1956-07-06

Hancock's Half Hour is a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s and...

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Dixon of Dock Green

as Joe Ward
First aired: 1955-07-09

Created by Ted Willis. Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities...

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Dixon of Dock Green

as Pip Rutley
First aired: 1955-07-09

Created by Ted Willis. Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities...

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Dixon of Dock Green

as Bill Nelson
First aired: 1955-07-09

Created by Ted Willis. Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities...

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Dixon of Dock Green

as Nicky Medwin
First aired: 1955-07-09

Created by Ted Willis. Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities...

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Dixon of Dock Green

as Hobbs
First aired: 1955-07-09

Created by Ted Willis. Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities...

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Armchair Theatre

as uncredited
First aired: 1956-07-08

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the...

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Armchair Theatre

as Ward
First aired: 1956-07-08

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the...

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Armchair Theatre

as Mr. Bollanger
First aired: 1956-07-08

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the...

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The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder

as Albert
First aired: 1969-04-23

The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder is based on a character created by Edgar Wallace in a series of 1925...

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Sailor of Fortune

as Alphonso Italian Ship's Engineer
First aired: 1957-05-26

Captain of 'The Shipwreck' Grant Mitchell runs a cargo business, but finds himself often called...

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