Scott Forbes
Encyclopedia
Conrad Scott-Forbes popularly known as Scott Forbes, was a movie and television actor
and screenwriter
. In his later career as a screenwriter, he was credited as C. Scott Forbes.
, Buckinghamshire, England. He attended Repton
, a public school
near Derby
, England, and then studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
at Balliol College, Oxford
. He worked for the Ministry of Defence
before settling on a performing career.
(1946), Mrs. Fitzherbert
(1947), But Not in Vain
(1948), This Was a Woman (1948) and The Reluctant Widow
(1950). He also appeared on the stage as Julian Dallas, spending a year with the Liverpool Old Vic, and in London under the direction of John Gielgud
in The Cradle Song, among other plays.
Following his few British productions, he moved to the U.S. and he quickly found film work. Consigned mainly to action roles in Warner Bros.
films such as Rocky Mountain
(1950) and Operation Pacific
(1951), Forbes played more in-depth characters on TV. He was Maxim de Winter in "Rebecca
" in a live performance for the Broadway Television Theatre in 1952. He also played the Duke of Cornwall in Peter Brook
's 1953 television adaptation of King Lear
with Orson Welles
as Lear. One of his best known roles was on The Deep Six
, which was a 1953 installment of NBC
's Robert Montgomery Presents
. In the 1955-1956 season, he guest starred in NBC's western
anthology series Frontier
.
On Broadway
, Forbes appeared in two plays with Cedric Hardwicke
, one of them directed by Hardwicke. Horses in Midstream had only four performances in 1953, while The Burning Glass played a slightly more successful 28 performances the following year.
In 1956 Forbes starred in the title role of The Adventures of Jim Bowie
. This historically based series was an immediate hit with younger viewers, even though some adult reviewers criticized it for having too much violence. In preparation for the part Forbes trained with a former Miss Alabama, Jeanne Moody, to perfect a convincing Southern accent. He and Moody had married in 1954. The series rocketed Forbes to fame, but made it hard for him to find other parts.
After Jim Bowie ended in 1958, Forbes returned to England, where he became a frequent guest star in television dramas. In 1963 he played the lead in the world premier of Harold Pinter's play "The Lover" on the London stage.
.
Forbes remained active as a screenwriter and television actor into the 1970s. In his later years, he shunned public life, pursuing his interests in writing and classical music.
He died in 1997 in Swindon
, England, at the age of 76.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. In his later career as a screenwriter, he was credited as C. Scott Forbes.
Early years
Forbes was born in High WycombeHigh Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, Buckinghamshire, England. He attended Repton
Repton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
, a public school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
near Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, England, and then studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. He worked for the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
before settling on a performing career.
Acting career
In the 1940s Forbes used the name Julian Dallas, appearing in Night Boat to DublinNight Boat to Dublin
Night Boat to Dublin is a 1946 British thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Robert Newton, Raymond Lovell, Guy Middleton, Muriel Pavlow and Herbert Lom.-Plot:...
(1946), Mrs. Fitzherbert
Mrs. Fitzherbert
Mrs. Fitzherbert is a 1947 British historical drama film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Peter Graves, Joyce Howard and Leslie Banks...
(1947), But Not in Vain
But Not in Vain
But Not in Vain is a 1948 Anglo-Dutch World War II drama, directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Raymond Lovell. The film is set in 1944 in the occupied Netherlands, and was shot at the Cinetone Studios in Amsterdam, with exterior filming taking place at locations in and around the city...
(1948), This Was a Woman (1948) and The Reluctant Widow
The Reluctant Widow (film)
The Reluctant Widow is a 1950 British drama film directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Jean Kent, Guy Rolfe, Paul Dupuis and Lana Morris. It is based on the novel The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer, with the screenplay written by Gordon Wellesley and others. A French governess marries a...
(1950). He also appeared on the stage as Julian Dallas, spending a year with the Liverpool Old Vic, and in London under the direction of John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
in The Cradle Song, among other plays.
Following his few British productions, he moved to the U.S. and he quickly found film work. Consigned mainly to action roles in Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
films such as Rocky Mountain
Rocky Mountain (film)
Rocky Mountain is a 1950 war film directed by William Keighley and starring Errol Flynn. It takes place during the American Civil War.-Plot:...
(1950) and Operation Pacific
Operation Pacific
Operation Pacific is a 1951 World War II submarine film starring John Wayne and directed by George Waggner. The technical advisor for this film was Admiral Charles A...
(1951), Forbes played more in-depth characters on TV. He was Maxim de Winter in "Rebecca
Rebecca (novel)
Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier. When Rebecca was published in 1938, du Maurier became – to her great surprise – one of the most popular authors of the day. Rebecca is considered to be one of her best works...
" in a live performance for the Broadway Television Theatre in 1952. He also played the Duke of Cornwall in Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
's 1953 television adaptation of King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
with Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
as Lear. One of his best known roles was on The Deep Six
The Deep Six
The Deep Six is a 1958 Warnercolor World War II drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, was based on a novel with the same name by Martin Dibner...
, which was a 1953 installment of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example,...
. In the 1955-1956 season, he guest starred in NBC's western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
anthology series Frontier
Frontier (1955 TV series)
This program should not be confused with Frontiers , the British program Frontier , Frontier Justice , Frontier Circus, or Frontier Doctor....
.
On Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, Forbes appeared in two plays with Cedric Hardwicke
Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke was a noted English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly fifty years...
, one of them directed by Hardwicke. Horses in Midstream had only four performances in 1953, while The Burning Glass played a slightly more successful 28 performances the following year.
In 1956 Forbes starred in the title role of The Adventures of Jim Bowie
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
In September of 1956 a TV series named "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" was aired on ABC. The show was only on the air for two years from 1956 to 1958. The series' music was unique in that is was primarily vocal, provided by Ken Darby and The King's Men .-Synopsis:The series stars Scott Forbes as the...
. This historically based series was an immediate hit with younger viewers, even though some adult reviewers criticized it for having too much violence. In preparation for the part Forbes trained with a former Miss Alabama, Jeanne Moody, to perfect a convincing Southern accent. He and Moody had married in 1954. The series rocketed Forbes to fame, but made it hard for him to find other parts.
After Jim Bowie ended in 1958, Forbes returned to England, where he became a frequent guest star in television dramas. In 1963 he played the lead in the world premier of Harold Pinter's play "The Lover" on the London stage.
Writing career
Pinter encouraged him to pursue his interest in writing, and in 1964 Forbes's own play, "The Meter Man", was produced. It was later made into the movie called The PenthouseThe Penthouse
The Penthouse is a 1967 film directed by Peter Collinson. It stars Suzy Kendall and Terence Morgan and was based on a 1964 play The Meter Man by Scott Forbes.-Cast:*Suzy Kendall as Barbara Willison*Terence Morgan as Bruce Victor...
.
Forbes remained active as a screenwriter and television actor into the 1970s. In his later years, he shunned public life, pursuing his interests in writing and classical music.
He died in 1997 in Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, England, at the age of 76.
Actor
- Night Boat to DublinNight Boat to DublinNight Boat to Dublin is a 1946 British thriller film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Robert Newton, Raymond Lovell, Guy Middleton, Muriel Pavlow and Herbert Lom.-Plot:...
(1946) - Mrs. FitzherbertMrs. FitzherbertMrs. Fitzherbert is a 1947 British historical drama film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Peter Graves, Joyce Howard and Leslie Banks...
(1947) - But Not in VainBut Not in VainBut Not in Vain is a 1948 Anglo-Dutch World War II drama, directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Raymond Lovell. The film is set in 1944 in the occupied Netherlands, and was shot at the Cinetone Studios in Amsterdam, with exterior filming taking place at locations in and around the city...
(1948) - The Reluctant WidowThe Reluctant Widow (film)The Reluctant Widow is a 1950 British drama film directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Jean Kent, Guy Rolfe, Paul Dupuis and Lana Morris. It is based on the novel The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer, with the screenplay written by Gordon Wellesley and others. A French governess marries a...
(1950) - Rocky MountainRocky Mountain (film)Rocky Mountain is a 1950 war film directed by William Keighley and starring Errol Flynn. It takes place during the American Civil War.-Plot:...
(1950) - Operation PacificOperation PacificOperation Pacific is a 1951 World War II submarine film starring John Wayne and directed by George Waggner. The technical advisor for this film was Admiral Charles A...
(1951) - CharadeCharade (1953 film)-Cast:*James Mason as The Murderer / Maj. Linden / Jonah Watson*Pamela Mason as The Artist / Pamela / Baroness Tanslan / Lilly*Scott Forbes as Capt. Stamm*Paul Cavanagh as Col. Heisler*Bruce Lester as Capt. van Buren*John Dodsworth as Lt. Meyerdorf...
(1953) - SubterfugeSubterfuge (1968 film)Subterfuge is a 1968 British espionage film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring Gene Barry, Joan Collins and Richard Todd.-Cast:* Gene Barry as Michael A...
(1968)