Redmond Phillips
Encyclopedia
Redmond Bernard Phillips (5 June 1912 – 3 November 1993) was a New Zealand born actor and writer.
Phillips was born in Reefton, New Zealand
and began acting in the theatre while a student at Victoria University of Wellington
. After moving to Sydney
, Australia
in the late 1930s he performed with Doris Fitton
's pioneering Independent Theatre
group and wrote material for radio star Jack Davey
. During World War two he served as a staff sergeant with the Entertainment Unit of the Australian Army for which he also wrote material.
He moved to England
in 1948 where he became a successful character actor in the theatre, working with the Nottingham Playhouse
, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre
and the Royal Shakespeare Company
. From 1957 he started acting for television and appeared in many series such as Maigret
, Danger Man
, The Saint
and The Avengers
and in several plays produced by the BBC
.
In 1968 he returned to Sydney and continued performing on stage with the Old Tote Theatre Company
. He remained active in television playing roles in many series and was part of the regular cast of Spyforce
playing the ruthless Colonel Cato.
Phillips was born in Reefton, New Zealand
Reefton, New Zealand
Reefton is a small town on New Zealand's West Coast region, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the valley of the Inangahua River. State Highway 7 passes through the southern part of the town, and State Highway 69 runs north to connect to State Highway 6...
and began acting in the theatre while a student at Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
. After moving to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the late 1930s he performed with Doris Fitton
Doris Fitton
Doris Alice Fitton Mason, DBE was an Australian actress and theatrical director who founded and for 35 years headed Sydney's Independent Theatre, staging a diverse range of local and international dramas, many for the first time in Australia, including Sumner Locke-Elliott's wartime comedy, Rusty...
's pioneering Independent Theatre
Independent Theatre
The Independent Theatre was a dramatic society founded in 1930 by Doris Fitton , and was also the name given to the building it occupied from 1938. It was named for London's Independent Theatre Society founded by J. T...
group and wrote material for radio star Jack Davey
Jack Davey
John Andrew Davey was a New Zealand-born star of Australian radio in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.-New Zealand:Jack Davey was born John Andrew Davey on 8 February 1907 and educated at King's College, Auckland...
. During World War two he served as a staff sergeant with the Entertainment Unit of the Australian Army for which he also wrote material.
He moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1948 where he became a successful character actor in the theatre, working with the Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse
The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...
, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre is a theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England...
and the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. From 1957 he started acting for television and appeared in many series such as Maigret
Maigret (1960 TV series)
Maigret is a British television series made by the BBC and which ran for 52 episodes from 1960 to 1963.Based on the Maigret stories of Georges Simenon, the series starred Rupert Davies as the Sûreté detective Commissaire Jules Maigret, and featured Ewen Solon as Lucas, Helen Shingler as Madame...
, Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger 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...
, The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
and The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The 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 in several plays produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In 1968 he returned to Sydney and continued performing on stage with the Old Tote Theatre Company
Old Tote Theatre Company
The Old Tote Theatre Company began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art and was the precursor to the Sydney Theatre Company.. It was one of the leading Australian theatre companies of the period.The Old Tote began in a converted tin shed on...
. He remained active in television playing roles in many series and was part of the regular cast of Spyforce
Spyforce
Spyforce was an Australian TV series produced from 1971 to 1973, based upon the adventures of Australian Military Intelligence operatives in the South West Pacific during World War II...
playing the ruthless Colonel Cato.
Selected filmography
- A Night to Remember (1958)
- Left Right and CentreLeft Right and CentreLeft Right and Centre is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Ian Carmichael, Patricia Bredin, Richard Wattis, Eric Barker and Alastair Sim. It was produced by Frank Launder...
(1959) - Blind DateBlind Date (1959 film)Blind Date is a 1959 murder mystery film. A police inspector investigates a woman's death, with her lover being the prime suspect...
(1959) - The Angry SilenceThe Angry SilenceThe Angry Silence is a 1960 British drama film directed by Guy Green and starring Richard Attenborough. Screenwriter Bryan Forbes won a BAFTA Award and an Oscar nomination for his contribution...
(1960) - There Was a Crooked ManThere Was a Crooked Man (film)There Was a Crooked Man is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Stuart Burge. It starred Norman Wisdom, Alfred Marks, Andrew Cruickshank, Reginald Beckwith, and Susannah York. This is the only Norman Wisdom film that has not had a television viewing or released on video/DVD...
(1960) - The CriminalThe CriminalThe Criminal is a 1960 British drama film produced by Nat Cohen and directed by Joseph Losey, starring Stanley Baker, Sam Wanamaker and Jill Bennett. Baker plays an ex-con who takes part in the robbery of a racetrack and is caught and sent back to prison...
(1960) - Love Is a BallLove Is a BallLove Is a Ball is a 1963 romantic comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Hope Lange. It is based on the book The Grand Duke and Mr. Pimm by Lindsay Hardy.-Plot:...
(1963) - Tom JonesTom Jones (film)Tom Jones is a 1963 British adventure comedy film, an adaptation of Henry Fielding's classic novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling , starring Albert Finney as the titular hero. It was one of the most critically acclaimed and popular comedies of its time, winning four Academy Awards...
(1963) - The GorgonThe GorgonThe Gorgon is a 1964 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher for Hammer.It stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley and Richard Pasco. The film was photographed by Michael Reed, and designed by Bernard Robinson. For the score James Bernard combined a soprano with a little-known...
(1964) - The EarthlingThe EarthlingThe Earthling is a drama film starring William Holden and Rick Schroder. It was filmed in 1979 in Australia, and released there in 1980. Peter Collinson directed this film and died of cancer shortly after its release...
(1980) - Now and ForeverNow and Forever (1983 film)Now and Forever is a 1983 Australian drama film directed by Adrian Carr and starring Cheryl Ladd, Robert Coleby and Carmen Duncan. A seemingly perfect couple's marriage is destroyed when the husband is accused of rape by another woman...
(1983) - Phar LapPhar Lap (film)Phar Lap is a 1983 film about the Australian racehorse Phar Lap. The film starred Tom Burlinson and was written by famous Australian playwright David Williamson.-Plot:...
(1983) - RazorbackRazorback (film)Razorback is a 1984 Australian film, based on Peter Brennan's novel, written by Everett De Roche, and directed by Russell Mulcahy who would later make the first two of the Highlander trilogy...
(1984) - Burke & WillsBurke & WillsBurke & Wills is a 1985 Australian adventure film directed by Graeme Clifford, starring Jack Thompson and Nigel Havers. The film is based on the true story of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition across Australia....
(1985)