|
Register Now!
|
|
Register now for vtap for the fastest and easiest way to watch web video on your mobile device!
|
|
Geoffrey Toone (b. 15 November 1910, Dublin, Ireland - d. 1 June 2005, Northwood, England, UK) was an Irish character actor.
Most of Toone's film roles after the 1930s were in supporting parts, usually as authority figures, though he did play the lead character in the Hammer Films production, The Terror of the Tongs in 1961.
Toone appeared in these films:
He died from natural causes, aged 94. At the time of his death, Toone was one of the last survivors of the Old Vic theatre company of the 1930s, having appeared alongside the likes of John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier in productions of Shakespeare. He was also the longest-lived actor to have appeared in Doctor Who.
Distinguished character actor and one time matinée idol Geoffrey Toone appeared in some of London's most famous stage productions of the 20th century. A stalwart of the Old Vic Theatre since the early 1930s, he worked with stars such as Ralph Richardson (I) and Roger Livesey, and went on to appear in John Gielgud's magisterial 1934 production of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet (1935) with Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, and the wartime production of Lady Windemere's Fan (1945) designed by Cecil Beaton. Toone's striking looks as a young actor made him a favourite with pre-war audiences. One critic who commented on Toone's "sculpted features" said the actor "could have stepped out of a Sargent painting." In his later career, Toone's powerful stage presence and keen intelligence saw him emerge as a leading character actor, and he became one of television's busiest performers. He was often cast as an aristocrat or military type in series such as "Avengers, The" (1961) and "Jeeves and Wooster" (1990) and became something of a household name when he played the vengeful Nazi Von Gelb in the cult ITV children's spy series "Freewheelers" (1968). Toone had a prolific film career, which included such roles as Sir Edward Ramsay in King and I, The (1956), Harold Hubbard in Entertainer, The (1960) and several horror films including Terror of the Tongs, The (1961) and Dr. Crippen (1962). His later career was mainly spent working in television both in Britain and in America. He retired to Denville Hall, the actor's rest home in Northwood, Middlesex where he died on June 1, 2005, at 94. For many years he had shared a house with the actor Frank Middlemass.







