Laurence Naismith

Laurence Naismith
Laurence Naismith
Born	Lawrence Johnson; 14 December 1908; Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, UK
Died	5 June 1992 (aged 83); Southport, Queensland, Australia
Years active	1948-1982
Spouse(s)	Vera Bocca; (1939-1992; his death)
Children	1 Son

Laurence Naismith (14 December 1908 – 5 June 1992) was an English actor.

Life and career [edit]

Naismith was born on 14 December 1908 in Thames Ditton, Surrey. Naismith appeared in films such as Carrington VC (1954), Richard III (1955), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). He also starred in a children's ghost film The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972). He was memorable as Captain Edward Smith of the RMS Titanic in A Night to Remember (1958) and in the ABC action drama, The Fugitive, starring David Janssen.

In 1965, Naismith played the title role of the Virginia statesman George Mason in the NBC documentary series, Profiles in Courage. William Bakewell played George Wythe in the episode, and Arthur Franz was cast as James Madison.^[1]

In 1965, Naismith guest-starred as barber Gilly Bright in episode 25, "The Threat" of the ABC military drama, 12 O-Clock High (TV series).

He was Judge Fulton in the television series The Persuaders! (1971), with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. He portrayed Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph in the BBC production Fall of Eagles (1974). Naismith played the Prince of Verona in the BBC Television Shakespeare version of Romeo and Juliet. He appeared on Broadway in the musical Here's Love in 1963 and played the non-singing role of Merlin in the 1967 film version of the musical Camelot.

Outside of acting, he was the landlord of the Rowbarge pub at Woolhampton, Berkshire and a keen cricket fan.^[2]

In 1939 Naismith married Vera Bocca of Horden, County Durham. He died in Southport in Queensland, Australia, in 1992, aged 83 after a short illness.

^ ""George Mason" in [[Profiles in Courage (TV series)|Profiles in Courage]], May 2, 1965". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved March 16, 2013. Wikilink embedded in URL title (help)
^ Guide to the Historic Old Pubs of Berkshire. No author or date but mid 1970s

Persondata
Name	Naismith, Laurence
Alternative names
Short description	English actor
Date of birth	14 December 1908
Place of birth	Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, UK
Date of death	5 June 1992
Place of death	Southport, Queensland, Australia

Laurence Naismith
Born	Lawrence Johnson (1908-12-14)14 December 1908 Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, UK
Died	5 June 1992(1992-06-05) (aged 83) Southport, Queensland, Australia
Years active	1948-1982
Spouse(s)	Vera Bocca (1939-1992; his death)
Children	1 Son