Alan Wheatley was a radio announcer who turned to stage and screen acting in the 1930s and was much seen in British films, being a television actor during the
black and whiteMonochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
era.
Wheatley left his job as an industrial
psychologistPsychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
to start an acting career. The suave, debonair actor with the golden voice made his film debut in the 1936 movie
Conquest of the AirConquest of the Air was a 1936 documentary film on the evolution of aviation, up until the early stages of World War Two. It features historical footage of the developments of commercial and military aviation; including the early stages of technology developments in design, propulsion, and air...
, which was not released until four years later. During the Second World War, he worked for
BBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, both as an actor and as an announcer.
He is probably best known for his role as the
Sheriff of NottinghamThe Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Nottingham and bringing criminals to justice. For years the post has been directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and in modern times, with the existence of the police force, the position is...
in the TV series
The Adventures of Robin HoodThe Adventures of Robin Hood is a popular British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show aired weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV in London in the...
in the 1950s, where he played the malevolent adversary to
Richard Greene Richard Marius Joseph Greene was a noted English film and television actor. A matinee idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1960.It has been...
's squeaky clean
Robin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. Wheatley was the Sheriff in the first three series but had only a few appearances in the fourth and final series, his place being taken by a Deputy Sheriff played by
John Arnatt- Biography :John Arnatt was born in Petrograd on 9 May 1917. His parents were Francis Arnatt and Ethel Marion Arnatt . He attended Epworth College. Arnatt trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
. The programme, which began in 1955, was one of
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's first adventure series, made with a view to getting a screening in America. It lasted for four years and 143 episodes, Wheatley's character becoming one of those whom viewers loved to hate.
He had roles in
Danger ManDanger 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...
and
The AvengersThe Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
; and was the first person killed by a
DalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
in an episode of
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, when he played
ThalThe Thals are a fictional race of humanoid aliens from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originating on the planet Skaro.-History within the show:...
leader Temmosus in 1964. He was also an early
Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
in a 1951 BBC TV series.
His film credits include:
Caesar and Cleopatra (1945),
The Rake's ProgressThe Rake's Progress is a 1945 British comedy-drama film made in 1945. In the United States, the title was changed to Notorious Gentleman.- Plot :...
(1945),
Brighton Rock (1947),
Calling Paul TempleCalling Paul Temple is a 1948 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. Paul Temple is called in to help Scotland Yard track down a serial killer who has murder several wealthy woman...
(1948),
SpacewaysSpaceways is a 76-minute, 1953, British-American, black and white, science fiction film co-produced by Hammer Film Productions Ltd. and Lippert Productions Inc.. It was filmed entirely in England by the Hammer company, with Michael Carreras as producer-of-record and American Robert L...
(1953),
Simon and LauraSimon and Laura is a 1955 British drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch, Kay Kendall and Muriel Pavlow. A married couple are hired for a television programme to portray domestic happiness, although in real life their marriage is breaking down.-Cast:* Peter Finch - Simon Foster*...
(1955),
A Jolly Bad FellowA Jolly Bad Fellow is a 1964 British film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Leo McKern and Janet Munro.-Cast:* Leo McKern as Prof Bowls-Ottery* Janet Munro as Delia Brooks* Maxine Audley as Clarina Bowls-Ottery* Duncan Macrae as Dr. Brass...
(1964), and
Tomorrow at TenTomorrow at Ten is a 1964 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring John Gregson, Robert Shaw, Kenneth Cope and William Hartnell in his final film appearance.-Plot:...
(1964) amongst others. He also appeared in
Inn for TroubleInn for Trouble is a 1960 British comedy film - a movie spin-off of the 1950s sitcom 'The Larkins' - starring Peggy Mount, David Kossoff and Leslie Phillips....
(1960), a big screen spin-off from the popular TV comedy series
The Larkins.
Wheatley also managed to appear in two versions of the thriller play
Rope in 1950 and 1953.
As well as television and film, stage performances were dominant in his career and he could be seen to majestic effect in
Clifford BaxClifford Bax was a versatile English writer, known particularly as a playwright, a journalist, critic and editor, and a poet, lyricist and hymn writer. He also was a translator, for example of Goldoni...
's
The House of Borgia in 1935, as well as taking the lead in
This Way to the Tomb - performed in
LondonLondon 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...
and
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He also played the tormented soul, Harry, in
The Family ReunionThe Family Reunion is a play by T. S. Eliot. Written mostly in blank verse, it incorporates elements from Greek drama and mid-twentieth-century detective plays to portray the hero's journey from guilt to redemption. The play was unsuccessful when first presented in 1939, and was later regarded as...
.
Alan Wheatley also collaborated with the BBC English by Radio in a series of programmes for teaching
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He acted as "grandfather" in the series Ann and her Grandfather together with Brenda Cleather who acted as his granddaughter. His unforgettable readings of
English poetryThe history of English poetry stretches from the middle of the 7th century to the present day. Over this period, English poets have written some of the most enduring poems in Western culture, and the language and its poetry have spread around the globe. Consequently, the term English poetry is...
for the English by Radio audience include
Thomas GrayThomas Gray was a poet, letter-writer, classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University.-Early life and education:...
's
ElegyElegy Written in a Country Churchyard is a poem by Thomas Gray, completed in 1750 and first published in 1751. The poem’s origins are unknown, but it was partly inspired by Gray’s thoughts following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742. Originally titled Stanza's Wrote in a Country...
and readings from Shakespeare with
Jill BalconJill Angela Henriette Balcon was an English film and radio actress. She made her film debut in Nicholas Nickleby , though she was best known for her stage, television, and radio work....
.
He also voiced a "Elizabethan Express" film (video, 1954) in a poetry style. As well he was narrator and commentator for the films "Power Links" 1973, "English Country Church" 1967, "Oil in Pakistan" 1956 and the English version of "La Fenetre Ouverte" 1952 ("Open Window" aka "Landscape Painting in Western Europe"). He also starred as Abanaza in Aladdin, the Cole Porter musical Pantomime, at The London Coliseum in 1960.
He also played the Abbe in the BBC radio series The Count of Monte Cristo with the young Andrew Sachs playing Dante.
This popular and well-respected actor died in
WestminsterThe City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
in 1991 of a heart attack, at the age of 84.
Selected filmography
- Appointment with Crime
Appointment with Crime is a 1946 British crime film directed by John Harlow.-Plot:Leo Martin works for a criminal gang run by Gus Loman that primarily uses a smash and grab tactic. During one particular risky robbery heist, Leo breaks the window at a jewelry store only to have his wrists broken...
(1946)
- Jassy
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:...
(1947)
- Calling Paul Temple
Calling Paul Temple is a 1948 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. Paul Temple is called in to help Scotland Yard track down a serial killer who has murder several wealthy woman...
(1948)
- It's Not Cricket
It's Not Cricket is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Alfred Roome and starring Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne, Susan Shaw and Maurice Denham. It was one of the final films made by Gainsborough Pictures before the studio was merged into the Rank Organisation.-Plot:Major Bright and Capain Early...
(1949)
- Small Town Story
Small Town Story is a 1953 British thriller, directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Donald Houston and Susan Shaw . The film is set in the world of association football and features appearances from sporting legend Denis Compton and commentator Raymond Glendenning, as well as players from the...
(1953)
- Simon and Laura
Simon and Laura is a 1955 British drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch, Kay Kendall and Muriel Pavlow. A married couple are hired for a television programme to portray domestic happiness, although in real life their marriage is breaking down.-Cast:* Peter Finch - Simon Foster*...
(1955)
- Inn for Trouble
Inn for Trouble is a 1960 British comedy film - a movie spin-off of the 1950s sitcom 'The Larkins' - starring Peggy Mount, David Kossoff and Leslie Phillips....
(1960)
- Shadow of the Cat
Shadow of the Cat is a 1961 British horror film directed by John Gilling for Hammer Film Productions. It stars André Morell and Barbara Shelley...
(1961)
- Master Spy
Master Spy is a 1964 British spy film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Stephen Murray, June Thorburn and Alan Wheatley.-Partial cast:* Stephen Murray as Boris Turganev* June Thorburn as Leila* Alan Wheatley as Paul Skelton...
(1964)
- Tomorrow at Ten
Tomorrow at Ten is a 1964 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring John Gregson, Robert Shaw, Kenneth Cope and William Hartnell in his final film appearance.-Plot:...
(1964)
External links