Michael Wilding (actor)

Michael Wilding
from the trailer for the film Stage Fright(1950). Born July 23, 1912(1912-07-23)
Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, EnglandDied July 8, 1979(aged 66)
Chichester, West Sussex, EnglandYears active 1933- 1973Spouse(s) Kay Young (1937-1951)
Elizabeth Taylor(1952-1957)
Susan Neill (1958-1962)
Margaret Leighton(1964-1976)

Michael Wilding (July 23, 1912 – July 8, 1979) was an English actor.

1 Biography
2 Filmography
3 Television
4 External links

Biography

Early life

Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, Wilding was a successful commercial artist when he joined the art department of a London movie studio in 1933. He soon embarked on an acting career.

Career

He appeared in numerous British motion pictures, often opposite Anna Neagle, but had a less productive career in Hollywood. His screen performances include Sailors Three (1940), In Which We Serve (1942), Piccadilly Incident (1946), Spring in Park Lane (1948), Stage Fright (1950) and The World of Suzie Wong (1960).

His last appearance was in an uncredited, non-speaking cameo in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), which co-starred his last wife, Margaret Leighton.

Personal life

Wilding had four wives, Kay Young (married 1937, divorced 1951), actress Elizabeth Taylor (married 1952, divorced 1957), Susan Neill (married 1958, divorced 1962), and actress Margaret Leighton (married 1964 until her death in 1976).

He and Taylor had two sons, Michael Howard Wilding (born January 6, 1953) and Christopher Edward Wilding (born February 27, 1955).

In the 1960s, he was forced to cut back on his movie appearances due to illness related to his lifelong epilepsy.

Michael Wilding died in Chichester, West Sussex, due to head injuries suffered from a fall down a flight of stairs during an epileptic seizure. His body was cremated and the ashes were scattered.

Filmography

Year Title Role Other notes 1972 Lady Caroline LambLord Holland 1970 WaterlooSir William Ponsonby 1968The Sweet Ride Mr. Cartwright Code Name, Red Roses English General 1962A Girl Named Tamiko Nigel Costairs The Best of Enemies Burke 1961 The Naked EdgeMorris Brooke 1960 The World of Suzie WongBen Marlowe 1959 Danger WithinMajor Charles Marquand 1956 ZarakMajor Michael Ingram 1955 The Scarlet CoatMajor John Andre The Glass SlipperPrince Charles 1954 The EgyptianAkhnaton 1953 Torch SongTye Graham 1952Trent's Last Case Philip Trent Derby Day David Scott 1951The Lady with the Lamp Sidney Herbert/Lord Herbert of Lea The Law and the Lady Nigel Duxbury/Lord Henry Minden aka Hoskins 1950Into the Blue Nicholas Foster Stage FrightDet. Insp. Wilfred 'Ordinary' Smith 1949 Under CapricornHon. Charles Adare Maytime in Mayfair Michael Gore-Brown 1948 Spring in Park LaneRichard 1947 An Ideal HusbandViscount Arthur Goring The Courtneys of Curzon Street Sir Edward Courtney 1946Carnival Maurice Avery Piccadilly Incident Capt. Alan Pearson 1944English Without Tears Tom Gilbey 1943Dear Octopus Nicholas Randolph Undercover Constantine 1942Secret Mission Pvt. Nobby Clark In Which We ServeFlags Ships with Wings Lt. David Grant 1941 Cottage to LetAlan Trently KippsRonnie Walshingham Spring Meeting Tony Fox-Collier The Farmer's Wife Richard Coaker Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light Officer 1940Sailors Don't Care Dick Sailors Three Johnny Wilding Convoy Dot Tilly of Bloomsbury Percy Welwyn The Big BlockadeCaptain 1939There Ain't No Justice Len Charteris 1936When Knights Were Bold Uncredited Role Wedding Group 1935Late Extra 1933Heads We Go Bitter SweetUncredited Role Channel Crossing Passenger Boarding Ferry

Television

Year Title Role Other notes 1973 Frankenstein: The True StorySir Richard Fanshawe TV-Movie 1968 MannixPhillip Montford/Sir Arnold Salt Episode: A View of Nowhere 1966 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler TheatreMajor Tucker Episode: The Fatal Mistake The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.Franz Joseph Episode: The Lethal Eagle Affair 1963 Burke's LawDr. Alex Steiner Episode: Who Killed Sweet Betsy? The Alfred Hitchcock HourDavid Saunders Episode: Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans 1962 Saints and SinnersSir Robert Episode: A Night of Horns and Bells 1958, 1959 Playhouse 90Sir John Alexander
Chris Hughes Episode: Verdict of Three
Episode: Dark as the Night 1959 Lux PlayhouseStephen MacIllroy Episode: The Case of the Two Sisters 1958Target Episode: The Clean Kill Climax!Lt. MacKenzie Barton Episode: The Volcano Seat (1)
Episode: The Volcano Seat (2) 1957The Joseph Cotton Show: On Trial Colonel Blood Episode: The Trial of Colonel Blood 1955, 1956 The 20th Century Fox HourRobert Marryot
Captain Robert Wilton Episode: Cavalcade
Stranger in the Night 1956 Screen Director's PlayhouseDavid Scott Episode: The Carroll Formula