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IMDbPro

Edward Underdown(1908-1989)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
A family movie which follows the life of a real otter and its adventures in the wild.
Play trailer2:31
Tarka the Otter (1979)
3 Videos
16 Photos
A London-born stage and film veteran, actor Edward Underdown was educated at Eton College and began in theatre roles in 1932 with "Words and Music". A former jockey and steeplechase rider, he quickly forged ahead in films making his debut in The Warren Case (1934) and appearing in secondary roles. A tall, officious and good looking gent, he came into his own in post-war film leads and supports with prominent roles in The October Man (1947), Her Panelled Door (1950), The Dark Man (1951), Murder Will Out (1952), The Shadow Man (1953), and John Huston's cult overseas hit Beat the Devil (1953) starring Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones in which he played Jones' prim dullard of a husband. Most of his work was in dismissible "B" level fare as dour, damp, stuffy types. He started moving down the credits list in 1960s horrors and action drama until he was reduced to bit parts. Over the course of his career, he played everything from British lords to archaeologists, but never branched out into a successful international career.

Things might have turned out differently had a little more luck come his way. It seems writer Ian Fleming's first choice for the role of James "007" Bond was the handsome but still relatively undistinguished Underdown, but the actor was never even considered by producer Albert R. Broccoli. Of course, Sean Connery soared to stardom in the part and, ironically, Underdown wound up with a very small part in one of the more popular of the film series Thunderball (1965). Underdown died in his native England on December 15, 1989 at age 81.
BornDecember 3, 1908
DiedDecember 15, 1989(81)
BornDecember 3, 1908
DiedDecember 15, 1989(81)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos16

Christopher Lee and Edward Underdown in They Were Not Divided (1950)
Annabella, Edward Underdown, and Irene Vanbrugh in Wings of the Morning (1937)
Robert Morley, Marco Tulli, Edward Underdown, and Saro Urzì in Beat the Devil (1953)
Mario Perrone and Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Gina Lollobrigida and Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Peter Lorre, Ivor Barnard, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Marco Tulli, and Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Jennifer Jones and Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Humphrey Bogart and Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Jennifer Jones, Aldo Silvani, and Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Jennifer Jones and Edward Underdown in Beat the Devil (1953)
Ivor Dean, Penelope Horner, Redmond Phillips, and Edward Underdown in The Saint (1962)

Known for:

Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Martine Beswick, Luciana Paluzzi, and Molly Peters in Thunderball (1965)
Thunderball
6.9
  • Air Vice Marshal
  • 1965
Beat the Devil (1953)
Beat the Devil
6.4
  • Harry Chelm
  • 1953
William Hartnell, Natasha Parry, Maxwell Reed, Edward Underdown, and Ernest Haines in The Dark Man (1951)
The Dark Man
6.2
  • Detective Inspector Jack Viner
  • 1951
They Were Not Divided (1950)
They Were Not Divided
6.1
  • Philip Hamilton
  • 1950

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)
    Doctor Who
    • Zastor
    • TV Series
    • 1980
  • Tarka the Otter (1979)
    Tarka the Otter
    • Hibbert
    • 1979
  • Peter Duncan, Sheila Fearn, Annabelle Lanyon, David Neal, and Gwyneth Strong in The Flockton Flyer (1977)
    The Flockton Flyer
    • Vet
    • TV Series
    • 1978
  • The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
    The Duchess of Duke Street
    • Adjutant-General
    • TV Series
    • 1977
  • Survivors (1975)
    Survivors
    • Frank Garner
    • Frank
    • TV Series
    • 1977
  • Play for Today (1970)
    Play for Today
    • Sir Gordon Horrocks
    • TV Series
    • 1977
  • Ben Kingsley, Rosemary Leach, and Puneet Sira in The Velvet Glove (1977)
    The Velvet Glove
    • Robert Dennis
    • TV Series
    • 1977
  • Rogue's Rock (1974)
    Rogue's Rock
    • Blunt (uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 1976
  • Cathy Come Home (1966)
    Days of Hope
    • John Pritchard
    • TV Mini Series
    • 1975
  • Margaret Ashcroft, Glynn Edwards, Anna Palk, John Stride, and John Wentworth in The Main Chance (1969)
    The Main Chance
    • Judge
    • TV Series
    • 1975
  • The Abdication (1974)
    The Abdication
    • Gustaf II Adolf, Christina's father
    • 1974
  • Upstairs, Downstairs (1971)
    Upstairs, Downstairs
    • General Nesfield
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • Robert Wagner, David McCallum, and Hans Meyer in Colditz (1972)
    Colditz
    • Col. Mansell
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • Sporting Scenes
    • Sir Ethelred
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • Digby: The Biggest Dog in the World (1973)
    Digby: The Biggest Dog in the World
    • Grandfather
    • 1973

Videos3

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:31
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:10
Trailer
The Camp on Blood Island
Trailer 2:11
The Camp on Blood Island

Personal details

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  • Alternative name
    • Teddy Underdown
  • Height
    • 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
  • Born
    • December 3, 1908
    • London, England, UK
  • Died
    • December 15, 1989
    • Hampshire, England, UK(undisclosed)
  • Spouse
    • Rosemary Sybella Violet GrimstonFebruary 10, 1953 - 1964 (divorced)
  • Other works
    He acted in George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's play, "You Can't Take It With You," at the St. James Theatre in London, England with Hilda Trevelyan, A.P. Kaye, Moya Nugent, and Tristan Rawson in the cast.

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