Donald Houston
Encyclopedia
Donald Daniel Houston was a Welsh
actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon
(1949) with Jean Simmons
, and A Run for Your Money
(1949) with Sir Alec Guinness
– were highly successful. Later in his career he was cast in military roles and in comedies such as the Doctor
and Carry On series.
Houston was born in Tonypandy
, and was the elder brother of actor Glyn Houston
. He would sometimes indulge his Welsh accent as well as conceal it behind an English public school veneer. He had a successful career as a character actor in British film and television, with prominent parts in several well-known films, including Yangtse Incident
(1957), 633 Squadron
(1964), The Longest Day
(1962) (in which he appeared alongside Richard Burton
), Where Eagles Dare
(1968) (again with Burton), and The Sea Wolves
(1981). His forte tended to be authority figures, often military, such as the brilliant but tough David Caulder, the head of Moonbase 3
or as Dr. Francis in Thirteen to Centaurus (from the anthology series Out of the Unknown
).
He could also handle comedy, as he proved with Doctor in the House
(1954) and the later Doctor in Distress
(1963), both significant successes in Europe, and Carry on Jack
(1963). Though preferring quality parts, he was not above journeyman work in films such as Tales That Witness Madness
(1973) and Maniac
(1963).
In 1991, Donald Houston died in Portugal
at the age of 67.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon (1949 film)
The Blue Lagoon is a 1949 British romance and adventure film produced and directed by Frank Launder, starring Jean Simmons and Donald Houston. The screenplay was adapted by John Baines, Michael Hogan and Frank Launder from the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole...
(1949) with Jean Simmons
Jean Simmons
Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...
, and A Run for Your Money
A Run for Your Money
A Run for Your Money is a 1949 Ealing Studios comedy film starring Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards as two Welshmen visiting London for the first time...
(1949) with Sir Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
– were highly successful. Later in his career he was cast in military roles and in comedies such as the Doctor
Doctor in the House
Doctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the novel by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.It was the most popular box office...
and Carry On series.
Houston was born in Tonypandy
Tonypandy
Tonypandy is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, today Tonypandy is best known as the site of the Tonypandy Riots....
, and was the elder brother of actor Glyn Houston
Glyn Houston
Glyn Houston , is an actor best known for his television work. He is the brother of the late film actor Donald Houston.-Early life:...
. He would sometimes indulge his Welsh accent as well as conceal it behind an English public school veneer. He had a successful career as a character actor in British film and television, with prominent parts in several well-known films, including Yangtse Incident
Yangtse Incident (1957 film)
Yangtse Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst is a 1957 British war film that tells the story of the British frigate HMS Amethyst caught up in the Chinese Civil War....
(1957), 633 Squadron
633 Squadron
633 Squadron is a 1964 British film which depicts the exploits of a fictional Second World War British fighter-bomber squadron. It was based on a novel of the same name by Frederick E. Smith, published in 1956, which itself drew on several real Royal Air Force missions. The film was directed by...
(1964), The Longest Day
The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
(1962) (in which he appeared alongside Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
), Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 World War II action-adventure spy film starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It was directed by Brian G. Hutton and shot on location in Upper Austria and Bavaria....
(1968) (again with Burton), and The Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film is based on the book Boarding Party by James Leasor, which itself is based on a real incident which took place in World War II...
(1981). His forte tended to be authority figures, often military, such as the brilliant but tough David Caulder, the head of Moonbase 3
Moonbase 3
Moonbase 3 is a British science fiction television programme that ran for six episodes in 1973. It was a co-production between the BBC, 20th Century Fox and the American ABC network...
or as Dr. Francis in Thirteen to Centaurus (from the anthology series Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was an independent dramatisation of a separate science fiction short story...
).
He could also handle comedy, as he proved with Doctor in the House
Doctor in the House
Doctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the novel by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.It was the most popular box office...
(1954) and the later Doctor in Distress
Doctor in Distress (film)
Doctor in Distress is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, James Robertson Justice, and Samantha Eggar. It was the fifth film in the Doctor Series...
(1963), both significant successes in Europe, and Carry on Jack
Carry On Jack
Carry on Jack is the eighth movie in the Carry On film series and was released in 1963. Most of the usual Carry On team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey appear throughout. Bernard Cribbins makes the first of his three appearances in a Carry On...
(1963). Though preferring quality parts, he was not above journeyman work in films such as Tales That Witness Madness
Tales That Witness Madness
Tales That Witness Madness is a 1973 British horror film produced by Norman Priggen, directed by veteran horror director Freddie Francis, and written by actress Jennifer Jayne....
(1973) and Maniac
Maniac (1963 film)
Maniac is a British psychological thriller, which was directed by Michael Carreras and stars Kerwin Matthews, Nadia Gray and Donald Houston.-Plot:...
(1963).
In 1991, Donald Houston died in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
at the age of 67.
Filmography
- The Blue LagoonThe Blue Lagoon (1949 film)The Blue Lagoon is a 1949 British romance and adventure film produced and directed by Frank Launder, starring Jean Simmons and Donald Houston. The screenplay was adapted by John Baines, Michael Hogan and Frank Launder from the novel The Blue Lagoon by Henry De Vere Stacpoole...
(1949) - A Run for Your MoneyA Run for Your MoneyA Run for Your Money is a 1949 Ealing Studios comedy film starring Donald Houston and Meredith Edwards as two Welshmen visiting London for the first time...
(1949) - Dance HallDance Hall (film)Dance Hall is a 1950 British film directed by Charles Crichton. Appealing mainly to a female audience, the film was an unusual departure for the studio, known at the time primarily for its classic comedies starring Alec Guinness.-Plot:...
(1950) - My Death Is a Mockery (1952)
- Crow HollowCrow HollowCrow Hollow is a 1952 British drama film directed by Michael McCarthy and starring Donald Houston, Natasha Parry and Patricia Owens. It is based on the 1950 novel Crow Hollow by Dorothy Eden.-Cast:* Donald Houston - Doctor Robert Amour...
(1952) - Small Town StorySmall Town StorySmall 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) - The Red BeretThe Red BeretThe Red Beret is a 1953 British made Technicolor war film starring Alan Ladd, Leo Genn and Susan Stephen. It deals with the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War. It is notable as the first film made by Warwick Films with many of the crew working on various Warwick Films and Albert R....
(1953) - The Large RopeThe Large RopeThe Large Rope is a 1953 British crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Donald Houston, Susan Shaw and Robert Brown...
(1953) - The Happiness of Three Women (1954)
- Doctor in the HouseDoctor in the HouseDoctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the novel by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.It was the most popular box office...
(1954) - Devil's PointDevil's PointDevil's Point is located on the eastern side of the mouth of the River Tamar where it meets the English Channel at Plymouth Sound . It is also known as Western Kings Point. The Point marks the southwest extremity of East Stonehouse in Plymouth, England. On the opposite western shore of the...
(1954) - The Flaw (1955)
- DoublecrossDoublecrossDoublecross is a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is an Autobot supply procurer who turns into a two headed dragon.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
(1956) - Find the Lady (1956)
- The Girl in the Picture (1957)
- Under Milk Wood (1957)
- Yangtse Incident (1957)
- The Surgeon's KnifeThe Surgeon's KnifeThe Surgeon's Knife is a 1957 British crime film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Donald Houston, Adrienne Corri and Lyndon Brook.-Cast:* Donald Houston - Dr. Alex Waring* Adrienne Corri - Laura Shelton* Lyndon Brook - Dr. Ian Breck...
(1957) - A Question of AdulteryA Question of AdulteryA Question of Adultery is a 1958 film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Julie London and Anthony Steel.-Cast:*Julie London as Mary Loring*Anthony Steel as Mark Loring*Basil Sydney as Sir John Loring*Donald Houston as Mr. Jacobus...
(1958) - The Man UpstairsThe Man UpstairsThe Man Upstairs is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on 23 January 1914 by Methuen & Co., London. Most of the stories had previously appeared in magazines, generally Strand Magazine in the UK and Cosmopolitan or Collier's Weekly in the United...
(1958) - Room at the Top (1959)
- Jessy (1959)
- Danger WithinDanger WithinDanger Within is a 1959 British war film set in a prisoner of war camp in northern Italy during the summer of 1943.-Plot:After a clever escape plan fails, the escape committee, led by Lieutenant Colonel David Baird suspects that there is an informer in their ranks...
(1959) - A Letter for Wales (1960)
- The Mark (1961)
- Twice Round the DaffodilsTwice Round the DaffodilsTwice Round the Daffodils is a 1962 British comedy drama film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Juliet Mills, Donald Sinden, Donald Houston, Kenneth Williams, Ronald Lewis, Andrew Ray, Joan Sims and Jill Ireland. A new group of patients arrive at a hospital to be treated for tuberculosis where...
(1962) - The 300 SpartansThe 300 SpartansThe 300 Spartans is a 1962 Cinemascope film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. Made with the cooperation of the Greek government, it was shot in the village of Perachora in the Peloponnese...
(1962) - The Longest DayThe Longest Day (film)The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
(1962) - ManiacManiac (1963 film)Maniac is a British psychological thriller, which was directed by Michael Carreras and stars Kerwin Matthews, Nadia Gray and Donald Houston.-Plot:...
(1963) - Doctor in DistressDoctor in Distress (film)Doctor in Distress is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, James Robertson Justice, and Samantha Eggar. It was the fifth film in the Doctor Series...
(1963) - Carry on JackCarry On JackCarry on Jack is the eighth movie in the Carry On film series and was released in 1963. Most of the usual Carry On team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey appear throughout. Bernard Cribbins makes the first of his three appearances in a Carry On...
(1963) - 633 Squadron633 Squadron633 Squadron is a 1964 British film which depicts the exploits of a fictional Second World War British fighter-bomber squadron. It was based on a novel of the same name by Frederick E. Smith, published in 1956, which itself drew on several real Royal Air Force missions. The film was directed by...
(1964) - A Study in TerrorA Study in TerrorA Study in Terror is a 1965 British thriller film directed by James Hill and starring John Neville as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Houston as Dr. Watson...
(1965) - The Viking QueenThe Viking QueenThe Viking Queen is a 1967 Hammer Films adventure film set in ancient Britain.-Synopsis:To honour her father's dying wish, Queen Salina shares the rule of Icena with Justinian, a fair and just Roman. This displeases the bloodthirsty Druids on one side and the more hard-line Romans on the other...
(1967) - Where Eagles DareWhere Eagles DareWhere Eagles Dare is a 1968 World War II action-adventure spy film starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It was directed by Brian G. Hutton and shot on location in Upper Austria and Bavaria....
(1968) - The BushbabyThe BushbabyThe Bushbaby is a 1969 film based on the novel The Bushbabies by William Stevenson and adapted by Robert Maxwell. It was directed and produced by John Trent and stars Margaret Brooks and Lou Gossett in the title roles, also starring Donald Houston and Laurence Naismith.The film tells an episode...
(1969) - My Lover My SonMy Lover My SonMy Lover My Son is a 1970 US-American-British coproduction directed by John Newland. It tells the story of a mother played by Romy Schneider clinging to her maturing son. The film is based on Edward Grierson's novel Reputation for a Song.- Plot :...
(1970) - Now Take My WifeNow Take My WifeNow Take My Wife was a BBC situation comedy which ran for only one series of 14 episodes in 1971.It starred Sheila Hancock and Donald Houston as a suburban middle-class couple, Claire and Harry Love. He would start each episode by turning to the camera and saying "Now .....
(1971) - Tales That Witness MadnessTales That Witness MadnessTales That Witness Madness is a 1973 British horror film produced by Norman Priggen, directed by veteran horror director Freddie Francis, and written by actress Jennifer Jayne....
(1973) - Voyage of the DamnedVoyage of the DamnedVoyage of the Damned is the title of a 1974 book written by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan-Witts, which was the basis of a 1976 drama film with the same title.The story was inspired by true events concerning the fate of the MS St...
(1976) - The Sea WolvesThe Sea WolvesThe Sea Wolves is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film is based on the book Boarding Party by James Leasor, which itself is based on a real incident which took place in World War II...
(1980) - Clash of the TitansClash of the Titans (1981 film)Clash of the Titans is an American 1981 fantasy–adventure film involving the Greek hero Perseus. It was released on June 12, 1981 and earned a gross profit of $41 million domestically, on a $15 million budget , by which it was the 11th highest grossing film of the year. A novelization of the film...
(1981)