Dermot Walsh
Encyclopedia
Dermot Walsh was an Irish
stage
, film
and television
actor
, known for portraying Richard the Lionheart
in the 1962 television series Richard the Lionheart.
and a civil servant
. He attended St Mary's College, Rathmines, and on the wishes of his parents, read Law
at University College, Dublin
. Walsh studied acting at the Abbey Theatre School
and spent three years with Lord Longford's repertory company at the Gate Theatre
, working as an assistant stage hand.
. This led to parts in Bedelia, Hungry Hill and The Mark of Cain, and the beginning of Walsh's career in film. He appeared in seven films as a leading man, before returning to the theatre. Walsh later resumed his film career in a series of B Movie
s. He appeared in over forty films made for film and a hundred for television, making his final film appearance in 1983.
Walsh made his first London
stage appearance in George Bernard Shaw
's Buoyant Billions at the Prince's Theatre
in 1949. A prolific theatre actor, Walsh's many theatre credits included Reluctant Heroes, The Man Most Likely To, Laburnum Grove and The Mousetrap. He also turned his hand to writing and producing, writing the play The Murder Line in 1967 and producing later productions, including Blithe Spirit and Stage Struck.
Walsh's television work included appearances in Danger Man
, No Hiding Place
and Softly, Softly
. He played the title role in the series Richard the Lionheart between 1962 and 1963.
, with whom he had a daughter, Sally (1950). He had a son Michael (1969) with his second wife, actress Diana Scougall, and two daughters Elisabeth (1974), Olivia (1977) with his third wife, actress Elizabeth Annear, who died in 1993.
The actress Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh
is Walsh's daughter from his third marriage.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, known for portraying Richard the Lionheart
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
in the 1962 television series Richard the Lionheart.
Early life
Born in Dublin, Walsh was the son of a journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and a civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
. He attended St Mary's College, Rathmines, and on the wishes of his parents, read Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at University College, Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
. Walsh studied acting at the Abbey Theatre School
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
and spent three years with Lord Longford's repertory company at the Gate Theatre
Gate Theatre
The Gate Theatre, in Dublin, was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál Mac Liammóir, initially using the Abbey Theatre's Peacock studio theatre space to stage important works by European and American dramatists...
, working as an assistant stage hand.
Career
In 1945 Walsh moved to England and briefly joined the Croydon Repertory. Upon his return to Dublin he was spotted by a talent scout from the Rank OrganisationRank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
. This led to parts in Bedelia, Hungry Hill and The Mark of Cain, and the beginning of Walsh's career in film. He appeared in seven films as a leading man, before returning to the theatre. Walsh later resumed his film career in a series of B Movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s. He appeared in over forty films made for film and a hundred for television, making his final film appearance in 1983.
Walsh made his first London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
stage appearance in George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
's Buoyant Billions at the Prince's Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
in 1949. A prolific theatre actor, Walsh's many theatre credits included Reluctant Heroes, The Man Most Likely To, Laburnum Grove and The Mousetrap. He also turned his hand to writing and producing, writing the play The Murder Line in 1967 and producing later productions, including Blithe Spirit and Stage Struck.
Walsh's television work included appearances in Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
, No Hiding Place
No Hiding Place
No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967....
and Softly, Softly
Softly, Softly (TV series)
Softly, Softly is a British television drama series, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol and Chepstow area of the UK...
. He played the title role in the series Richard the Lionheart between 1962 and 1963.
Personal life
The first of Walsh's three marriages was to the actress Hazel CourtHazel Court
Hazel Court was an English actress best known for her roles in horror films during the 1950s and early 1960s.-Early life:...
, with whom he had a daughter, Sally (1950). He had a son Michael (1969) with his second wife, actress Diana Scougall, and two daughters Elisabeth (1974), Olivia (1977) with his third wife, actress Elizabeth Annear, who died in 1993.
The actress Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh
Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh
Elisabeth Dermot Walsh is an English actress, known for portraying Elizabeth in Falling for a Dancer and Dr Zara Carmichael in Doctors.-Background:...
is Walsh's daughter from his third marriage.
Filmography
- 1946 : Bedelia : Jim (Doctor's Chauffeur)
- 1947 : The Mark of Cain : Jerome Thorn
- 1947 : Hungry HillHungry Hill (film)Hungry Hill is a 1947 British film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Margaret Lockwood, Dennis Price and Cecil Parker with a screenplay by Terence Young and Daphne du Maurier, from the novel by Daphne du Maurier....
: Wild Johnnie - 1947 : JassyJassy (film)Jassy was a 1947 British film melodrama, based on a novel by Norah Lofts. It was a Gainsborough melodrama, the only one to be made in technicolour.-Plot:...
: Barney Hatton - 1948 : My Sister and I : Graham Forbes
- 1948 : Third Time LuckyThird Time Lucky (1948 film)Third Time Lucky is a 1948 British crime drama film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Glynis Johns, Dermot Walsh, Charles Goldner, and Michael Hordern.-Plot:...
: Lucky - 1948 : To the Public Danger : Captain Cole
- 1950 : Torment : Cliff Brandon
- 1952 : The Floating Dutchman : Alexander James
- 1952 : The Straw Man : Mal Farris
- 1952 : The Frightened Man : Julius Roselli
- 1952 : Ghost ShipGhost Ship (1952 film)Ghost Ship is a 1952 British thriller film directed by Vernon Sewell and written by Vernon Sewell and Philip Thornton. Despite the same titles, the 2002 film of the same title is not considered a remake of this film. -Plot:...
: Guy Thornton - 1953 : The Blue ParrotThe Blue ParrotThe Blue Parrot is a 1953 British crime film directed by John Harlow and starring Dermot Walsh, Jacqueline Hill, Ballard Berkeley, Richard Pearson and John Le Mesurier.British crime reporter Percy Hoskins provided the story.-Cast:...
: Bob Herrick - 1953 : Counterspy : Manning
- 1954 : Night of the Silvery Moon : Robby
- 1956 : The Hideout : Steve Curry
- 1956 : Bond of Fear : John Sewell
- 1957 : Chain of EventsChain of EventsChain of Events is a 1958 British film directed by Gerald Thomas from a play by Leo McKern. It starred Susan Shaw, Dermot Walsh, Jack Watling, Freddie Mills and Joan Hickson....
: Quinn - 1957 : At the Stroke of NineAt the Stroke of NineAt the Stroke of Nine is a 1957 British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Patricia Dainton, Stephen Murray, Patrick Barr and Dermot Walsh...
: MacDonnell - 1957 : The Gentle Killers : Paul Donaldson
- 1958 : A Woman of MysteryA Woman of MysteryA Woman of Mystery is a 1958 British crime film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Dermot Walsh, Hazel Court, and Ferdy Mayne. It also featured an early performance from Michael Caine....
: Ray Savage - 1958 : Sea Fury : Kelso
- 1958 : Sea of Sand : Commanding Officer
- 1959 : Crash Drive : Dr Marshall
- 1959 : Make Mine a MillionMake Mine a MillionMake Mine a Million was a 1959 British comedy film starring Arthur Askey, Sid James, and Bernard Cribbins. It was directed by Lance Comfort. The film parodies the stuffiness of the 1950s BBC and the effect of television advertising in the era.-Plot:...
: Martin Russell - 1959 : The Witness : Richard Brinton
- 1959 : The Flesh and the FiendsThe Flesh and the FiendsThe Flesh and the Fiends is a 1960 horror film starring Peter Cushing as medical doctor Robert Knox, who purchases human corpses for research from an obliging pair named Burke and Hare.-Cast:*Peter Cushing as Dr...
: Dr Geoffrey Mitchell - 1959 : The Bandit of Zhobe : Captain Saunders
- 1959 : The Crowning TouchThe Crowning TouchThe Crowning Touch is a 1959 British comedy film directed by David Eady and starring Ted Ray, Irene Handl and Greta Gynt.-Cast:* Ted Ray as Bert* Greta Gynt as Rosie* Griffith Jones as Mark* Sydney Tafler as Joe* Dermot Walsh as Aubrey Drake...
: Aubrey Drake - 1960 : The ChallengeThe Challenge (1960 film)The Challenge, released as It Takes a Thief in the United States, is a 1960 British crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Jayne Mansfield and Anthony Quayle.-Cast:*Jayne Mansfield ... Billy*Anthony Quayle ... Jim...
: Detective Sergeant Willis - 1960 : Shoot to Kill : Mike Roberts
- 1960 : The Trunk : Henry Maitland
- 1960 : The Tell-Tale HeartThe Tell-Tale Heart (1960 film)The Tell-Tale Heart is a 1960 British horror film directed by Ernest Morris. The screenplay by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard is a loose adaptation of the 1843 short story of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe.-Plot:...
: Carl Loomis - 1961 : Tarnished Heroes : Major Roy Bell
- 1961 : The Breaking PointThe Breaking Point (1961 film)The Breaking Point is a 1961 British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Peter Reynolds, Dermot Walsh, Joanna Dunham and Lisa Gastoni.-Cast:* Peter Reynolds - Eric Winlatter* Dermot Walsh - Robert Wade* Joanna Dunham - Cherry Winlatter...
: Robert Wade - 1961 : Out of the ShadowOut of the Shadow (film)Out of the Shadow is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Michael Winner and starring Terence Longdon, Donald Gray, Diane Clare and Robertson Hare.-Cast:* Terence Longdon as Mark Kingston* Donald Gray as Inspector Wills* Diane Clare as Mary Johnson...
: Professor Taylor - 1962 : The SwitchThe Switch (1963 film)The Switch is a 1963 British crime film directed by Peter Maxwell and starring Anthony Steel, Zena Marshall and Conrad Phillips. A criminal gang smuggles watches into the country by hiding them in a petrol tank of a woman's car.-Cast:...
: Inspector Tomlinson - 1962 : Emergency : John Bell
- 1962 : The Cool MikadoThe Cool MikadoThe Cool Mikado is a British musical film made in 1962, directed by Michael Winner, and produced by Harold Baim, with music arranged by Martin Slavin and John Barry. It starred Frankie Howerd as Ko-Ko, Lionel Blair and Stubby Kaye...
: Elmer - 1962 : Richard the Lionheart : Richard the Lionheart
- 1963 : Echo of Diana
- 1966 : Infamous Conduct : Dr Anthony Searle
- 1969 : Journey to the UnknownJourney to the UnknownJourney To The Unknown was a British TV anthology series made in 1968, by Hammer Film Productions Ltd. It has a fantasy, science fiction and supernatural theme. It featured both British and American actors...
: Ken Talbot (episode "Matakitas Is Coming") - 1983 : The Wicked LadyThe Wicked Lady (1983 film)The Wicked Lady is a 1983 British drama film directed by Michael Winner. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. It is a remake of the 1945 film of the same name, which was one of the popular series of Gainsborough melodramas....
: Lord Marwood - 1993 : The Princess and the CobblerThe Thief and the CobblerThe Thief and the Cobbler is an animated feature film, famous for its animation and its long, troubled history. The film was conceived by Canadian animator Richard Williams, who worked 28 years on the project. Beginning production in 1964, Williams intended The Thief and the Cobbler to be his...
: Brigand (voice)