Richard Wattis
Richard Cameron Wattis (25 February 1912 – 1 February 1975) was an English actor. After leaving the family business, Wattis became an actor. His debut was with Croydon Repertory Theatre, and he made many stage appearances in the West End in London. His first appearance in a film was A Yank at Oxford (1938), but war service interrupted his career as an actor. He served as a second lieutenant in the Small Arms Section of Special Operations Executive at Station VI during World War II (James Bond author, Ian Fleming worked in the same section). He is best known for his appearances, wearing his thick-rimmed round spectacles, in British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s, often as a "Man from the Ministry" or similar character. He was also involved as the secretary to Lord Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Such appearances included the St Trinian's films (The Belles of St Trinian's, Blue Murder at St Trinian's, and The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery) as Manton Bassett, a civil servant who was the Deputy Director of Schools in the Ministry of Education, where he was often seen frowning and expressing indignation at the outrageous behaviour of other characters. To American audiences, Wattis is probably best known for his performance as the British civil servant Northbrook in The Prince and the Showgirl (1957). He broke from this typecasting in his later films, such as his starring role in Games That Lovers Play. Wattis's other films included Hobson's Choice, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Carry On Spying, The Colditz Story, Dentist on the Job, Very Important Person, The Happiest Days of Your Life, and The Longest Day. He also appeared on television, including a long-running role in Sykes, and appearances in Danger Man, The Prisoner, The Goodies, Hancock's Half Hour, and Father, Dear Father. From 1957 to 1958, he appeared as Peter Jamison in three episodes of the American sitcom Dick and the Duchess.
Casino Royale
as British Army OfficerSir James Bond is called back out of retirement to stop SMERSH. In order to trick SMERSH, James...
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The retelling of June 6, 1944, from the perspectives of the Germans, US, British, Canadians, and...
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
as Secretary at Sweet Factory (Uncredited)A hapless inventor finally finds success with a flying car, which a dictator from a foreign...
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
as Secretary at Sweet Factory (uncredited)A hapless inventor finally finds success with a flying car, which a dictator from a foreign...
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as Defence Counsel (uncredited)When his mother eloped with an Italian opera singer, Louis Mazzini was cut off from her...
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The Liquidator
as Flying InstructorSpy spoof about Boysie Oakes, a British secret agent who specialises in Liquidating. In actual...
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The Man Who Knew Too Much
as Assistant ManagerA couple vacationing in Morocco with their young son accidentally stumble upon an assassination...
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Operation Crossbow
as Sir Charles SimsAllied agents infiltrate the Nazi rocket complex at Peenemunde in order to obtain their secrets...
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Hobson's Choice
as Albert ProsserHenry Hobson owns and tyrannically runs a successful Victorian boot maker’s shop in Salford,...
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The Man Who Never Was
as Shop AssistantThe true story of a British effort to trick the Germans into weakening Sicily's defenses before...
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The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
as Mr. MurfinAll her life, Englishwoman Gladys Aylward knew that China was the place where she belonged. Not...
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The Prince and the Showgirl
as NorthbrookAn American showgirl becomes entangled in political intrigue when the Prince Regent of a foreign...
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The Belles of St. Trinian's
as Manton BassettThe unruly schoolgirls of St Trinian's are more interested in men and mischief than homework and...
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The V.I.P.s
as SandersWealthy passengers fogged in at London's Heathrow Airport fight to survive a variety of personal...
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The Abominable Snowman
as Dr. Peter FoxA kindly English botanist and a gruff American promoter lead an expedition to the Himalayas in...
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The Importance of Being Earnest
as SetonAlgernon Moncrieff is surprised to discover that his affluent friend -- whom he knows as...
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The Alphabet Murders
as WolfThe Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates a series of murders in London in which the...
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The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery
as Manton BassettThe all-girl school foil an attempt by train robbers to recover two and a half million pounds...
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Bunny Lake Is Missing
as Shipping ClerkA woman reports that her young daughter is missing, but there seems to be no evidence that she...
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The Colditz Story
as Richard GordonAllied prisoners of various nationalities pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from an...
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Bon Voyage!
as Party GuestThe Willards from Terre Haute, Indiana travels abroad for the once-in-a-lifetime vacation in...
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Ten Seconds to Hell
as Major HavenTwo rivals from a German bomb squad are left to deactivate duds in postwar Berlin.
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A Yank at Oxford
as Latin Speaker at Dinner (uncredited)A brash young American aristocrat attending Oxford University gets a chance to prove himself and...
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Tam Lin
as ElroyBased upon the Celtic legend Tam Lin, a young man is bewitched by a beautiful, heartless, aging...
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Lady Godiva Rides Again
as Casting DirectorMarjory Clark wins a competition in her Midland town and finds herself in a Festival of Britain...
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The Intruder
as School MasterWhen Ex Colonel Merton discovers a burglar ransacking his home, he is shocked to find out that...
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Confessions of a Window Cleaner
as Carole's FatherYoung Timmy starts as a window cleaner in the little company of his brother. Soon he learns that...
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An Alligator Named Daisy
as HoskinsReturning from a cricket match in Ireland, Peter Weston gains a pet alligator from another...
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Appointment with Venus
as Carruthers - Higher ExecutiveAt the outbreak of WWII the British realise they can't prevent the invasion of the Channel...
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Libel
as The JudgeA California commercial pilot sees a telecast in London of an interview with Sir Mark Lodden at...
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Carry On Spying
as CobleyCarry On favourite Barbara Windsor makes her debut in this outrageous send-up of the James Bond...
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The Green Man
as DoctorUnknown to everyone but his shady Middle Eastern bosses, watchmaker Hawkins is actually a...
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Simon and Laura
as Controller of Television DramaBickering married performers agree to star in a "Mr. and Mrs." TV show.
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The Iron Petticoat
as Lingerie ClerkCaptain Vinka Kovalenko defects from Russia, but not for political reasons. She defects because...
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Follow a Star
as Dr. W. ChatterwayNorman Truscott is a store worker who dreams of stardom. Vernon Carew is a singer whose star is...
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The Clouded Yellow
as Employment AgentAfter leaving the British Secret Service, David Somers (played by Trevor Howard) finds work...
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Very Important Person
as Woodcock, Entertainments OfficerComedy set in World War Two, starring James Robertson-Justice and Leslie Phillips. Sir Ernest...
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Eyewitness
as AnaesthetistWhen she has a fight, with her husband, Lucy runs out of the house, and into a night of terror....
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The Battle of the Villa Fiorita
as Travel AgentTwo British children travel to Italy in an attempt to break up their runaway mother's affair...
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I Am a Camera
as Bespectacled Man at Book Launch (uncredited)Just before the Nazis ascend to power in Berlin, Chris, an aspiring novelist from England, meets...
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Top Secret
as BarnesA British Sanitary Engineer, goes on holiday with a set of plans for a new secret weapon which...
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The Happiest Days of Your Life
as Arnold Billings: Staff of NutbourneNutbourne College, an old established, all-boys, boarding school is told that another school is...
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Blue Murder at St. Trinian's
as Manton BassettWith their headmistress under lock and key in her majesty's prison, the St Trinian's girls find...
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Park Plaza 605
as Theodore FeatherSuave private investigator Norman Conquest intercepts a secret message and meets a beautiful but...
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That's Your Funeral
as SimmondsTwo funeral parlours fight one another for business, one of whom is more shady than the other.
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A Touch of the Sun
as PurchaseA hotel porter is left a fortune but after living it up for a while he returns to his old place...
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Mother Riley Meets the Vampire
as P.C. FreddieThe legendary Bela Lugosi as "the Vampire" teams up with Britain's much-loved "Mother Riley" in...
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Wonderwall
as PerkinsThe eccentric professor Collins lives completely secluded in his chaotic apartment. When the...
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Come Fly with Me
as Oliver GarsonThree airline hostesses combine their work crossing the Atlantic with searching for a rich...
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Play It Cool
as Nervous ManA struggling singer and his band befriend an heiress who, against the wishes of her father, is...
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Appointment in London
as PascalWing-commander Tim Mason leads a squadron of Lancaster bombers on almost nightly raids from...
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Derby Day
as EditorEntertaining ensemble piece dealing with several characters who are on the way to the races on...
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High Flight
as WilsonThe Commanding Officer of an RAF Training School must deal with a difficult cadet, but the cadet...
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Lease of Life
as SolicitorThe parson of a small rural community knows he is dying and this makes him reconsider his life...
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The Chiltern Hundreds
as Vicar (uncredited)Young Viscount Tony Pym wangles National Service leave on the pretext of standing as a Tory...
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Second Fiddle
as Bill TurnerDeborah and Charles, young executives at the thriving Pontifex Advertising Agency, are very much...
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Doctor in the House
as Medical Book Salesman (uncredited)The first of the seven "Doctor" films, based on Richard Gordon's novels and released between...
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Helter Skelter
as Compere of Nick Nack ShowA detective gets involved with a wealthy socialite who can't seem to stop hiccuping.
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Blood Orange
as Detective Inspector MacLeodDischarged by his employer, a private eye stays on a jewel theft case after a model with...
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Barnacle Bill
as Registrar of ShippingA seasick sea captain commands an amusement pier despite local opposition. Released in the U.S....
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You Must Be Joking
as ParkinsA motley group of soldiers are set loose on swinging England in an initiative test to collect a...
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I Thank a Fool
as EbblingtonAfter mercifully killing her terminally ill lover, Dr. Christine Allison loses her medical...
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The Ugly Duckling
as BarclayHenry Jekyll was always the outsider, a bungling and awkward buffoon, relegated to waiting for...
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The Final Test
as Cricket FanLegendary England cricketer Sam Palmer (Jack Warner) is due to bat in his final test match...
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The Crowded Day
as Mr. ChristopherOne day in the lives and loves of the staff in a large department store.
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As Long as They're Happy
as Hippodrome Stage ManagerThe suburban peace of the Bentley household is shattered when John Bentley is informed by his...
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Background
as David WallaceTwo years of deterioration sees John and Barbara Lomax's marriage reduced to bitter sniping and...
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It's a Wonderful World
as HaroldTwo aspiring songwriters finally manage to sell a tune by claiming that it was composed by a...
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The Silken Affair
as WorthingtonAn accountant who is creative with his firm's books uses the money to fund a romantic spree.
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Jumping for Joy
as CarruthersAt the racetrack, cleaner, Willy Joy is tricked into buying Lindy Lou, a useless greyhound,...
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Take Me High
as Sir Charles FurnessTim (Cliff Richard) is a successful ambitious young financier working for a London Merchant...
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Dentist on the Job
as MacreedyColonel Proudfoot of Proudfoot Industries tries to entice a couple of newly qualified dentists...
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Nearly a Nasty Accident
as WagstaffeThe RAF Group Captain has a hard job to restrain the aircraft-man from tinkering with everything...
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Colonel March Investigates
as CabotThis is a feature-length compilation of three short episodes taken from a TV series called...
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The Captain's Table
as PrittlewellA captain is promoted by his company from tramp steamers to their flagship passenger liner....
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Song of Paris
as CarterAn archetypal Englishman returns from a jaunt abroad to face a dastardly foreign count in a...
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Games That Lovers Play
as Mr. LothranJoanna Lumley and Penny Brahms star as notorious prostitutes Fanny Hill and Lady Chatterley...
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A Yank in Ermine
as BooneAn American airman inherits an Earldom in England along with the small matter of $3 million on...
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Up Jumped a Swagman
as Lever, Music PublisherA dreamy Australian singer comes to London to seek his fortune and falls for a down-to-earth...
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Left Right and Centre
as Harding-PrattAt the Earndale by-election natural history expert and TV personality Bob Wilcot for the...
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Small Town Story
as MarshCanadian ex-serviceman Bob Regan returns to Oldchester, the English town where he was posted...
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The Time of His Life
as EdgarMr Pastry's social climbing daughter, president of a society for the rehabilitation for...
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Made in Heaven
as The vicarResidents of the small English village of Dunmow react in comical ways when the Topham family...
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Top of the Form
as uncreditedA con man hides out in a boys' school, posing as a professor. When the undisciplined and lazy...
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Sex and the Other Woman
as PresenterA series of vignettes exposing how women manipulate their men into submission.
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Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers
as Self (archive material)With film clips and photos, Eric Sykes gives a tongue-in-cheek account of his follies and...
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Egghead's Robot
as uncredited'Egghead' Wentworth adapts his father's robot paratrooper to perform his chores, but forgets to...
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Diamonds on Wheels
as uncreditedThree kids get mixed up with jewel thieves and stolen diamonds in a 24-hour road rally.
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Your Money or Your Wife
as Hubert FryA domestic comedy about a couple who take in boarders to pay the rent on their large house.
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Venus fra Vestø
as uncreditedVestø island's isolated community's prize cow is in danger of being abducted by German WWII...
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Too Close for Comfort
as NarratorAn extended humorous public information film (lasting around fifteen minutes) narrated by...
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The Avengers
as ClarkeThe Avengers is a British television series created in the 1960s. It initially focused on Dr....
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Hancock's Half Hour
as uncreditedHancock's Half Hour is a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s and...
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Colonel March of Scotland Yard
as Arthur CabotColonel March of The Department of Queer Complaints investigates unusual cases, locked-room...
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The Prisoner
as FotheringayAfter resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but...
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The Goodies
as uncreditedA British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s, combining surreal sketches and...
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The Goodies
as TV Show HostA British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s, combining surreal sketches and...
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Sykes and a...
as uncreditedA black-and-white British sitcom starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques that aired on BBC1 from...
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Sykes
as uncreditedSykes is a British sitcom that aired on BBC 1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie...
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Sykes
as Charles BrownSykes is a British sitcom that aired on BBC 1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie...
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The Liberace Show
as uncreditedThis is a real treasure for the countless fans of this flamboyant pianist and singer whose...
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