Victor Maddern

Victor Maddern
File:Victor Maddern.jpg
Born	Victor Jack Maddern (1928-03-16)16 March 1928 Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, England
Died	Hackney, London
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor, businessman
Years active	1950-1992
Spouse(s)	Joan Maddern (?-1993) (his death) 4 children

Victor Jack Maddern (16 March 1928 – 22 June 1993) was an English actor.

Life and career

Born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, Maddern joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 15 and served in the Second World War from 1943 until 1946, when he was medically discharged. He subsequently trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). He made his first screen appearance in Seven Days to Noon in 1950, playing a reluctant soldier obliged to shoot a psychotic scientist.

One of his earliest stage roles was as Sam Weller in The Trial of Mr Pickwick (1952). Appearing as Helicon in a production of Albert Camus' play Caligula (1964), Maddern was singled out for critical praise, and in My Darling Daisy (1970) brought a fine Cockney bravado and arrogance to the portrait of the notorious Frank Harris. He also did two stints in the highly successful Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap - the longest-running production in London's West End.

From 1950 to the early 1990s, Maddern appeared in films and TV series, often portraying military types. He was usually cast as sergeants or corporals, as well as privates, seaman or airmen, played either straight or comically. Among his many TV roles were Private Gross in Denis Cannan's Captain Carvallo and old Lampwick's son-in-law in The Dick Emery Show. In 1963, he had a memorable guest role in Perry Mason as jewel smuggler Gilbert Tyrell, in the episode "The Case of the Floating Stones."

Besides acting, Maddern ran a script printing business, and in 1991 opened a public speaking school. A lifelong Conservative Party voter, he offered special rates to Conservative MPs and constituency workers.

In his later years, Maddern devoted much of his time to charitable work. He was married with four daughters. He died from a brain tumour in Hackney, London,in 1993, aged 65.

Selected filmography

• Seven Days to Noon (1950) – Jackson (trigger-happy soldier)
• Morning Departure (1950) – Leading Telegraphist Hillbrook
• High Treason (1951) – Anarchist
• Pool of London (1951) – First Tram Conductor
• The Franchise Affair (1951) – Mechanic
• The House in the Square (1951) – Geiger Man
• His Excellency (1952) – Soldier
• Angels One Five (1952) (credited very bottom) – RAAF Soldier
• Time Bomb (1953) – Saboteur
• Street of Shadows (1953) – Danny Thomas
• Malta Story (1953) (uncredited) – Soldier
• The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954) – Gus Westover
• It's a Great Day (1955) – Charlie Mead
• The End of the Affair (1955) – 1st Orator
• The Night My Number Came Up (1955) – Engineer
• Carrington V.C. (1955) – Sergeant Owen
• Footsteps in the Fog (1955) – Jones
• The Cockleshell Heroes (1955) – Sergeant Craig
• Private's Progress (1956) – Pvt. George Blake
• The Last Man to Hang? (1956) – Bonaker
• A Hill in Korea (1956) – Pvt. Lindop
• The Man in the Sky, aka Decision Against Time (1957) – Joe Biggs
• Barnacle Bill (1957) – Figg
• Face in the Night (1957) - Ted
• Seven Waves Away (1957) - Willy Hawkins
• Saint Joan (1957) – English Soldier
• Carve Her Name with Pride (1958) – Parachute Training Sergeant
• Happy is the Bride (1958) – Shop Steward
• The Safecracker (1958) – Morris
• Dunkirk (1958) – Merchant Seaman in Pub
• Blood of the Vampire (1958) – Carl
• Cat and Mouse (1958) – Superintendent Harding
• I Was Monty's Double (1958) – Orderly Sergeant
• I'm All Right Jack (1959) – Knowles
• Please Turn Over (1959) – Manager
• The Siege of Pinchgut (1959)
• Watch Your Stern (1960) – Sailor
• Sink the Bismarck! (1960, uncredited) – Able Seaman
• Carry On Constable (1960) – Detective Sergeant Liddell
• Light Up the Sky! (1960) – Lance Corporal Tomlinson
• Exodus (1960) – Sergeant
• Petticoat Pirates (1961) – CPO Nixon
• On the Fiddle (1961) – First Airman
• Carry On Regardless (1961) – First Sinister Passenger
• The Longest Day (1962, uncredited) – Camp Cook
• H.M.S. Defiant (1962) – Bosun Dawlish
• Carry On Cleo (1964) – Sergeant-Major
• Carry On Spying (1964) – Milchmann
• Rotten to the Core (1965) – Anxious O'Toole
• Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) – Taxi Driver
• Circus of Fear (1966) – Mason
• Cuckoo Patrol (1967) – Dicko
• The Lost Continent (1968) – The Mate
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) – Junkman
• The Bushbaby (1969) – Barman
• The Magic Christian (1969) – Hot Dog Vendor
• Cromwell (1970) – Executioner
• Steptoe and Son (1972) – Chauffeur
• Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973) – Dog Home Manager
• Carry On Emmannuelle (1978) – Man in Launderette
• Around the World in 80 Days (1989) – Liverpool Ticket Agent
• Freddie as F.R.O.7 (1992) – Old Gentleman Raven

Selected television credits

• Fabian of the Yard (1954)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1958) – Hugo
• Fair Exchange (1962) – Tommy Finch
• Sir Francis Drake (1962)
• Perry Mason (1963) – Gilbert Tyrell
• Bonanza (1963) – Dave
• Crossroads (1964) – Bert Henderson
• The Troubleshooters (1965) – Rogers
• Gideon's Way (1965) – Charles Randle
• The Avengers (1966) – Jackson
• The Prisoner (1967) – Bandmaster
• The Baron (1967) – Dino
• The Wednesday Play (1967)
• The Saint (1967-8) – Enrico Montesino
• The Ugliest Girl in Town (1968) – Freddie
• Doctor Who - (Fury from the Deep) (1968) – Robson
• Softly Softly (1970)
• Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1970) – Detective Sergeant Watts
• The Dick Emery Show (1968-1980) – Ernie
• Paul Temple (1971) – Bill Stacey
• Crown Court (1973)
• 1990 (1977) – Sammy Calhoun
• Dixon of Dock Green
• In Loving Memory (1982) – Comic
• That's My Boy (1983) – Bluebird Johnny
• Marple: The Moving Finger (1985) – Police Constable Johnson
• The Beiderbecke Tapes (1987) – Sam Bentley
• C.A.B. (1988) – Private Tripe
• The Bill (1990) – Mr Grant
• The Darling Buds of May (1992) – Fruity Pears

External links

• Victor Maddern at the Internet Movie Database