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Scott Forbes

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For other people named Scott Forbes, see Scott Forbes (disambiguation).

Scott Forbes
Born
Conrad Scott-Forbes

(1920-09-11)11 September 1920
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Died25 February 1997(1997-02-25) (aged 76)
Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK
Other namesC. Scott Forbes
Julian Dallas
Years active1946-1970s
SpouseJeanne Moody

Conrad Scott-Forbes (11 September 1920 – 25 February 1997), popularly known as Scott Forbes, was a British film and television actor and screenwriter.[1] In his later career as a screenwriter, he was credited as C. Scott Forbes.[2]

Early years

Forbes was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. He attended Repton, and then studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford. He worked for the Ministry of Defence before settling on a performing career.[3]

Acting career

In the 1940s Forbes used the name Julian Dallas, appearing in Night Boat to Dublin (1946), Mrs. Fitzherbert (1947), But Not in Vain (1948), This Was a Woman (1948) and The Reluctant Widow (1950). He also appeared on the stage as Julian Dallas, spending a year with the Liverpool Old Vic, and in London under the direction of John Gielgud in The Cradle Song, among other plays.[3]

Following his few British productions, he moved to the U.S. and quickly found film work. Consigned mainly to action roles in Warner Bros. films such as Rocky Mountain (1950) and Operation Pacific (1951), Forbes played more in-depth characters on TV. He was Maxim de Winter in "Rebecca" in a live performance for the Broadway Television Theatre in 1952.[4] He played the Duke of Cornwall in Peter Brook's 1953 television adaptation of King Lear with Orson Welles as Lear. One of his best known roles was on The Deep Six, which was a 1953 installment of NBC's Robert Montgomery Presents. In the 1955-56 season, he guest starred in NBC's western anthology series Frontier, hosted by Walter Coy.[5]

On Broadway, Forbes appeared in two plays with Cedric Hardwicke, one of them directed by Hardwicke. Horses in Midstream had only four performances in 1953, while The Burning Glass played a slightly more successful twenty-eight performances the following year.[6]

In 1956, Forbes starred in the title role of ABC's The Adventures of Jim Bowie. This historically based series was an immediate hit with younger viewers, even though some adult reviewers criticised it for having too much violence. In preparation for the part Forbes trained with a former Miss Alabama, Jeanne Moody, to perfect a convincing Southern accent. He and Moody had married in 1954. The series rocketed Forbes to fame, but made it hard for him to find other parts.[5] On 3 December 1959 Forbes appeared as a homesteader, Cass Taggart, in the episode "Rebel Ranger" of CBS's Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater. Joan Crawford is cast in this episode as Stella Faring, a Confederate widow from San Antonio, Texas, who tries to reclaim her former home and the birthplace of her son Rob (Don Grady), from the Unionist owner Taggart. Character actor John Anderson is cast as Fisk Madden, who tries to drive Taggart off his land and gain Stella's favor. The episode ends with Stella and Rob heading into a nearby town with the understanding that Taggart would call upon Stella for possible courtship though she was fifteen years his senior.[7]

After Jim Bowie ended its two-year run in 1958, Forbes returned to Great Britain, where he became a frequent guest star in television dramas. In 1963, he played the lead in the world premiere of Harold Pinter's play "The Lover" on the London stage.[8]

Writing career

Pinter encouraged him to pursue his interest in writing, and in 1964 Forbes's own play, "The Meter Man", was produced. It was later made into the film called The Penthouse.[9] Forbes remained active as a screenwriter and television actor into the 1970s. In his later years, he shunned public life, pursuing his interests in writing and classical music.[3]

Death

He died in 1997 in Swindon, Wiltshire, at the age of 76.[5]

Filmography

Actor

Year Title Role Notes
1946 Night Boat to Dublin Lieut. Allen
1947 Mrs. Fitzherbert Prince William
1948 This Was a Woman Dr. Valentine Christie
1948 But Not in Vain Willem Bakker
1950 The Reluctant Widow Francois Cheviot
1950 Rocky Mountain Lt. Rickey (USA)
1951 Operation Pacific Lt. Larry
1951 Raton Pass Prentice
1951 Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison Jim Frazier
1951 The Highwayman Sergeant
1951 Rommel, Desert Fox Commando Colonel Uncredited
1952 What Price Glory Lt. Bennett Uncredited
1954 Charade Capt. Stamm
1961 Saint of Devil's Island Jacques
1968 Subterfuge Pannell
1970 The Mind of Mr. Soames Richard Bannerman
1990 Mirror, Mirror Commercial Voiceover Voice, (final film role)

Screenwriter

References

  1. ^ "Scott Forbes". BFI.
  2. ^ "C. Scott Forbes". BFI.
  3. ^ a b c Pearson, Jenny (28 April 1997). "Obituary: Scott Forbes". The Independent. London, UK. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  4. ^ Forbes profile, ftvdb.bfi.org.uk; accessed 26 October 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Scott Forbes at IMDb; accessed 26 October 2014.
  6. ^ The Broadway League. "Scott Forbes - IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information".
  7. ^ "Zane Grey Theatre: "Rebel Ranger", 3 December 1959". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  8. ^ Profile, haroldpinter.org; accessed 26 October 2014.
  9. ^ "The Penthouse (1967)". BFI.
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