'Longest Day' Actor Richard Todd Dies

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Dec 4th 2009 07:37AM

Richard Todd, who re-enacted his wartime exploits in the 1962 film 'The Longest Day' and was Ian Fleming's choice to play James Bond, has died of cancer at age 90, his family said Friday. Todd, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1949 film 'A Hasty Heart' and starred as U.S. Senate chaplain Peter Marshall in 'A Man Called Peter' (1954), died Thursday at his home in Lincolnshire in central England, according to his agent, the Richard Stone Partnership. Watch Some Career Highlights:

'The Longest Day'

'The Dam Busters'

In Britain, one of his best-known roles was playing Royal Air Force pilot Guy Gibson in 'The Dam Busters.'

"He had been suffering from cancer, an illness that he bore with his habitual courage and dignity," the family said in a statement.

Fleming had preferred Todd to take the lead in 'Dr. No' in 1962, The Daily Telegraph said in its obituary, but a schedule clash opened the way for Sean Connery to define the part. Instead, Todd took the role of role of Inspector Harry Sanders in "Death Drums Along the River," released in 1963.

Born Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd in Dublin, Todd at first hoped to become a playwright but discovered a love for acting after helping found the Dundee Repertory Company in Scotland in 1939.

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He volunteered for the British Army, and was among the first paratroopers dropped into Normandy in the D-Day invasion. He was also one of the first paratroopers to meet the glider force commanded by Maj. John Howard at Pegasus Bridge; he played Howard in "The Longest Day." After being discharged in 1946, he returned to Dundee. His role as male lead in "Claudia" led to romance and then marriage to his leading lady, Catherine Grant-Bogle.

A Scottish accent mastered while preparing for his role in "The Hasty Heart" proved a useful skill in his later film career.

He won praise for his performance in the film of "The Hasty Heart," which included Ronald Reagan and Patricia Neal in the cast. The New York World-Telegram hailed Todd as "a vivid and vigorous actor" and the New York Herald Tribune said his performance "combined lofty stature with deep feeling, attracting enormous sympathy without an ounce of sentiment."

In "A Man Called Peter," Marshall's widow Catherine said Todd "was just about the only film actor whose Scottish syllables would have met (her husband's) standards."

Other film roles included Sir Walter Raleigh in "The Virgin Queen" (1955), costarring Bette Davis; a lead role in Alfred Hitchcock's "Stage Fright" (1949), with Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich; and the lead in Disney's "Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue" (1953).

Todd had a son and a daughter from his first marriage, and two sons from his marriage to Virginia Mailer. Both marriages ended in divorce.

His son Seamus from the second marriage killed himself in 1997, and his eldest son also killed himself in 2005 following the breakdown of his marriage.

Todd said dealing with those tragedies was like his experience of war.

"You don't consciously set out to do something gallant. You just do it because that is what you are there for," he said.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

Tags: Richard Todd, RichardTodd

Comments

(36)

Friday 04 December

By Steven Mark Pilling

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Dear Tolchocks: Of course, David Niven DID get to play James Bond... after a fashion. That was in the wacky "Casino Royale". If Richard Todd had gotten the role, he would probably have given Bond a more focused and professional aspect than Connery did. No disrespect to Sir Sean, though!

By Fred M Pohl

Richard Todd was very cool I liked him the movie"The Hellions' and I thnk it was another one "Night Fighter' back in the 50s

Saturday 05 December

By Jim

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Really great actor, and really great man.

By Maurice

A genuine war hero unlike John Wayne who fought all his wars in the movies. His D-Day exploits are legendary, and he was a helluva actor. As for James from LA, what a jerk!!

By Anne

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Mr. Todd was a fine man. Wish we had more gentleman in this world, it was the end of a gentler error/

By Swiss

Todd also starred in the title role of Robin Hood in the British TV series of the same name which was perhaps the first (?) British import to be broadcast in the US in the 1950's ("Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen; Robin Hood, Robin Hood, withi his band of men. Feared by the bad, loved by the good; Robin Hood...Robin Hood....Robin Hooooooood!")

By Deb

I had forgotten that I loved that show Richard Todd was a fine actor and a finer person RIP

By rider

Forget his acting career; the man jumped out of an airplane, weighed down with 70 lbs of equipment, at 2:OO in the morning on 6-6-44 over German occupied France, all the while with people trying to kill him, and helped capture the Pegasus Bridge over the Caen canal.

Rest im peace Mr. Todd.

As I recall, the British airborne units that captured Pegasus bridge came down in gliders.

By carol

Love him in a "Man called Peter". Wonderful movie.

By Vicki

Robin Hood ~ Robin Hood Riding through the glen, Robin Hood Robin Hood with his band of Merry Men, feared by the bad loved by the good, Robin Hood ~ Robin Hood, ~ RIP Robin Hood

Dear Vicki: That was Richard GREENE. I used to watch the BBC series when I was a boy!

By Jerry Austin

Mr. Todd was a fine actor and a genuine hero of WWII. He earned my respect both ways and he will be missed. I am puzzled, however, in that the film clip of The Longest Day, which was incorporated in this article, does not show him at all. Why was this clip used and not one that showed Mr. Todd playing Col. Howard?

Oops, sorry, before anyone corrects me, I know Col. Howard was a Major at the time of the Normandy invasion.

By R james

A fine actor and a very decent man. He was from an era of real actors and will always be remembered for his sterling performances.
RIP Mr.Todd.

Monday 07 December

By Gerry

I've loved Richard Todd all my life...When he played Robin Hood I fell hard at the age of 6 ! When President Kennedy was murdered...I saw Mr. Todd in A Man Called Peter which was telecast on TV nation-wide and I wrote him a heartfelt letter in 1972 and received a very gracious reply. His address was Chinham Farm, Wantage Rd. , Feringdon, Bershire...The letter is on the wall beside me in an honored place in my home...I loved everything he stood for..A real live war hero, an English farmer, a real live movie star, ( dream boat ) we used to say in the '50's, an innocent time...This man was a very sweet soul and a gentleman 'til the day he died....Thanks for reading....My sympathy to his family and friends especially Fiona Margaret and Andrew Todd. God Bless You !....Gerry Margaret Ammons

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