Actor Richard Todd, best remembered for his starring role as Wing Commander Guy Gibson in the classic World War II drama, The Dam Busters, has passed away at the age of 90, after suffering with cancer.
The Dublin born but Devon rasied actor originally went for officer training at Sandhurst before going for acting training at London’s Italia Conti. However his stage career was put on hold by the outbreak of the Second World War, where he joined the army and became one of the first wave of officers parachuted into enemy territory on D-Day.
After the war Todd went back into acting (he had refused to tell his fellow soldiers his civilian profession during the war, partly out of a fear he’d be put in charge of entertaining the troops), where he found success in the London and Broadway productions of the play, The Hasty Heart. After Warner cast him in the same role he’d played on stage in the 1949 film version, he scored a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the movie.
After that he starred in numerous roles, including as the lead characters in 1952’s The Story Of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, and Rob Roy The Highland Rogue. However he went down in Brit war movie history for the 1955 film The Dam Busters, which seemed the perfect fit for his stiff upper lipped style.
As a D-Day veteran himself, he starred in both 1956’s D-Day the Sixth of June, and 1962’s The Longest Day. In the latter, he refused to play himself, saying his part in Operation Overlord had been minor. Instead he played Maj. John Howard, the man who in real-life, Todd had made contact with on Pegasus Bridge after landing in Normandy (another actor played Todd in the film, re-enacting that meeting).
He also nearly became James Bond – and was Ian Fleming’s first choice – but had to turn the role down due to other commitments, leaving the way clear for Sean Connery.
While Todd’s film career faded after the 60s, he continued to work on both stage and screen, with his final appearance being a guest spot in a 2007 episode of Hearbeat. He also ran his own farm from the late 50s onward.
Richard Todd – June 11th, 1919-December 3rd, 2009 – RIP