Francis de Wolff
| Francis de Wolff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Francois Marie De Wolff 7 January 1913 Essex, England, UK |
| Died |
18 April 1984 (aged 71) Sussex, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1935–77 |
Francis de Wolff (7 January 1913 – 18 April 1984) was an English character actor. Large, bearded, and beetle-browed, he was often cast as villains in both film and television.
Life and career
Born in Essex, he made his film debut in Flame in the Heather (1935), and made many other appearances in such films as Fire Over England (1937), Treasure Island (1950), Scrooge (1951), as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Ivanhoe (1952), Moby Dick (1956), Saint Joan (1957), From Russia with Love (1963) and Carry On Cleo (1964).
He is perhaps best remembered, however, as a supporting player in horror films of the 1950s and 1960s, many of them for Hammer Studios. These include Corridors of Blood (1958), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959), The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960), Devil Doll (1963) and The Black Torment (1964). His last film appearance was in The Three Musketeers (1973).
His television appearances include The Avengers, Maigret, Richard the Lionheart, Danger Man, Doctor Who, The Saint, Rookery Nook, Paul Temple, Dixon of Dock Green, The Tomorrow People and Jesus of Nazareth.
Selected filmography
- Ten Minute Alibi (1935)
- Flame in the Heather (1935) - Hawley
- Line Engaged (1935) - Undertermined Role (uncredited)
- Fire Over England (1937) - Sir James Tarleton
- It's Hard to Be Good (1948) - Fighting Neighbour (uncredited)
- Cardboard Cavalier (1949) - Soldier
- Adam and Evelyne (1949) - 2nd Man at Restaurant Bar (uncredited)
- Trottie True (1949) - George Edwards (uncredited)
- Under Capricorn (1949) - Major Wilkins
- Treasure Island (1950) - Black Dog
- The Naked Heart (1950) - Papa Suprenant
- She Shall Have Murder (1950) - Police Inspector
- Flesh and Blood (1951) - Ambassador (uncredited)
- Scrooge (1951) - Spirit of Christmas Present
- Tom Brown's Schooldays (1952) - Squire Brown
- Ivanhoe (1952) - Front De Boeuf
- Miss Robin Hood (1952) - Accident Policeman
- Moulin Rouge (1952) - Victor (uncredited)
- The Master of Ballantrae (1953) - Matthew Bull
- The Kidnappers (US: The Little Kidnappers, 1953) - Jan Hooft Sr.
- The Diamond (1954) - Yeo
- The Seekers (1954) - Capt. Bryce
- Geordie (1955) - Samson
- King's Rhapsody (1955) - The Prime Minister
- Moby Dick (1956) - Captain Gardiner
- Odongo (1956) - George Watford
- The Smallest Show on Earth (1957) - Albert Hardcastle
- Saint Joan (1957) - La Tremouille
- Sea Fury (1958) - Mulder
- The Roots of Heaven (1958) - Father Farque
- Corridors of Blood (1958) - Black Ben
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) - Doctor Richards Mortimer
- The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) - Inspector Legris
- Tommy the Toreador (1959) - Hotel Proprietor
- Clue of the Twisted Candle (1960) - Ramon Karadis
- The Savage Innocents (1960) - Trading Post Proprietor
- The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) - Inspector
- The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) - Bearded Customer (uncredited)
- The Silent Invasion (1962) - Emile
- The Durant Affair (1962) - Mario Costello
- Copacabana Palace (1962)
- Siege of the Saxons (1963) - The Blacksmith
- From Russia with Love (1963) - Vavra
- The World Ten Times Over (1963) - Shelbourne
- The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963) - Targu
- Devil Doll (1964) - Dr. Keisling
- The Black Torment (1964) - Black John
- Carry On Cleo (1964) - Agrippa
- The Liquidator (1965) - Ambassador Dragov (uncredited)
- Licensed to Kill (1965) - Walter Pickering
- Triple Cross (1966) - General Colonel General
- Ghosts – Italian Style (1968) - The Scotsman
- The Fixer (1968) - Warden
- Sinful Davey (1969) - Andrew
- The Canterbury Tales (1972) - The Bride's Father (uncredited)
- The Three Musketeers (1973) - Sea Captain
- Jesus of Nazareth (1977) - Simon the Pharisee (Last appearance)