David Farrar (actor)
| David Farrar | |
|---|---|
 Farrar in Black Narcissus (1947) | |
| Born |
21 August 1908 Forest Gate, London, England, United Kingdom  |
| Died |
31 August 1995 (aged 87) KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Resting place | Cremains scattered into the Indian Ocean |
| Years active | 1937-1962 |
| Spouse(s) | Irene Elliot (1929-1976) 1 child |
David Farrar (21 August 1908 – 31 August 1995) was an English stage and film actor, born in Forest Gate, east London.
He gained fame in the 1940s playing Sexton Blake in a pair of low-budget thrillers which were enormously popular. By 1945 he was receiving 800 fan letters a week.[1][2]
Three of his most notable film roles were leads in the Powell and Pressburger films Black Narcissus (1947), The Small Back Room (1949) and Gone to Earth (1950). In 1949 exhibitors voted him the ninth-most popular British star.[3] Director Michael Powell once spoke of his handsome appearance and distinctive "violet eyes", and his exceptional timing in films. Powell also stated that had Farrar been more interested in cinema and cared more about his career he could have been a much more high-profile actor, as successful as any.[4] John Huston once offered him a part but it was given to Humphrey Bogart instead.[4]
He retired in 1962. After the death of his wife Irene in 1976, he moved to South Africa to be with their daughter, Barbara.
He died on 31 August 1995 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 10 days after his 87th birthday.
Filmography
- Return of a Stranger (1937) - Dr. Young (uncredited)
- Silver Top (1938) - Babe
- A Royal Divorce (1938) - Louis Bonaparte
- Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (1938) - Granite Grant
- Q Planes (1939) - Viking Bo'sun (uncredited)
- Danny Boy (1941) - Harold Martin
- Sheepdog of the Hills (1941) - Reverend Michael Varney
- Penn of Pennsylvania (1941) - (uncredited)
- Suspected Person (1942) - Inspector Thompson
- Went the Day Well? (1942) - Lieut. Jung
- The Dark Tower (1943) - Tom Danton
- They Met in the Dark (1943) - Commander Lippinscott
- Headline (1943) - 'Brookie ' Brooks
- The Night Invader (1943) - Dick Marlow
- For Those in Peril (1944) - Flt.Lt. Murray
- The Hundred Pound Window (1944) - George Graham
- The World Owes Me a Living (1945) - Paul Collyer
- Meet Sexton Blake (1945) - Sexton Blake
- The Echo Murders (1945) - Sexton Blake
- The Trojan Brothers (1946) - Sid Nichols
- Lisbon Story (1946) - David Warren
- Black Narcissus (1947) - Mr. Dean
- Frieda (1947) - Robert
- Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill (1948) - David Traill
- The Small Back Room (1949) - Sammy Rice
- Diamond City (1949) - Stafford Parker
- Gone to Earth (1950) - John 'Jack' Reddin
- Cage of Gold (1950) - Bill
- The Late Edwina Black (1951) - Gregory Black
- Night Without Stars (1951) - Giles Gordon
- The Golden Horde (1951) - Sir Guy of Devon
- The Wild Heart (1952) - Jack Reddin
- I Vinti (1953)
- Duel in the Jungle (1954) - Perry Henderson / Arthur Henderson
- The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) - Gilbert Blunt, Earl of Alban
- Lilacs in the Spring (1954) - Charles King / King Charles II
- Escape to Burma (1955) - Cardigan
- The Sea Chase (1955) - Commander Jeff Napier
- Pearl of the South Pacific (1955) - Bully Hague
- Lost (1956) - Det. Insp. Craig
- The Battle of the River Plate (1956) - Narrator
- Woman and the Hunter (1957) - David Kirby
- I Accuse! (1958) - Mathieu Dreyfus
- The Son of Robin Hood (1958) - Des Roches
- Watusi (1959) - Rick Cobb
- John Paul Jones (1959) - John Wilkes
- Solomon and Sheba (1959) - Pharaoh
- Beat Girl (1960) - Paul Linden
- The Webster Boy (1962) - Paul Webster
- The 300 Spartans (1962) - Xerxes (Last appearance)
References
- ↑ "FILM CABLE FROM LONDON:.". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 17 March 1946. p. 13 Supplement: The Sunday Times MAGAZINE. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ↑ "Strange Story Of England's "Unknown" Top-ranker.". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 20 November 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ↑ "Bob Hope Takes Lead from Bing In Popularity.". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 31 December 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- 1 2 Black Narcissus (The Criterion Collection) (2001) DVD commentary
External links
- David Farrar at Find a Grave
- David Farrar at the Internet Movie Database
- David Farrar biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline