Dudley Foster

Dudley Foster
Born	Frank Dudley Foster (1924-08-07)7 August 1924 Brighouse, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	8 January 1973(1973-01-08) (aged 48) London, England
Occupation	Actor

Dudley Foster (7 August 1924 – 8 January 1973) was an English actor most notable on TV.

Foster was born in Brighouse, West Riding of Yorkshire. His family had long links with the theatre and a brother and sister also appeared on the stage. They were the children of Frank Geden Foster, a civil engineer, who was to die exactly a week before his son. Educated at Pocklington School, Dudley Foster after service as a navigator in the RAF studied chemistry at the University of Leeds. In 1948 he joined the recently-formed Bradford Civic Playhouse Theatre School and after turning professional spent several successful years with northern repertory companies. From the later 1950s into the 1960s he was a member of Joan Littlewood's ground-breaking Theatre Workshop. In her autobiography Joan's Book Littlewood later recalled that Foster had a wealthy father who financed some of the troupe's productions.

On television he appeared in such series as Danger Man, The Saint, The Avengers - notably in "The Hour That Never Was" (1965), "Something Nasty in The Nursery" (1967) and "Wish You Were Here" (1969 – playing a perfect mannered yet sinister hotel manager in a parody of the TV series The Prisoner), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) - in "All Work and No Pay" (1969) as villain "George Foster", The Persuaders ! (1971 in the episode "Anyone Can Play", in which he played the spy network paymaster Heather), 1971 "Catweazle" episode 9 The Ghost Hunters as Hector Kenley, Steptoe and Son (four episodes; playing the oily 'card shark' in "Full House", the supercilious Labour Party rep in "My Old Man's A Tory", the pained Police Inspector in "Robbery with Violence", and uncredited as the car salesman in "The Colour Problem") and Doctor Who (The Space Pirates), often in villainous roles.

In Z-Cars in the early 1960s he played a police detective, Inspector. (later Superintendent) Dunn. He was also in the BBC serial of Francis Durbridge, In 1967 he appeared in Bat Out of Hell, playing a formidable Police Inspector, and starred opposite John Bird in the 1970 office comedy series If It Moves File It. Foster also had earlier made educational films for use in schools playing gas engineers, etc. He occasionally appeared in films. He was notable for his sharp facial features, his long pointed nose and curiously piercing eyes. His early death was the result of suicide by hanging.

In 1965 he appeared in the films The Little Ones as Superintendent Carter alongside Derek Newark and in A Study in Terror as Home Secretary Henry Matthews.

He also participated in a 30-minute documentary titled Two in a Tiger. This film follows his training as he learns to fly a De Havilland Tiger Moth.

In 1970 he provided the voice-over for an edition of the BBC documentary series Chronicle: "The Great Iron Ship", about the salvage and return from the Falkland Islands of the Isambard Kingdom Brunel ship SS Great Britain.

His penultimate role was in the 1972 film version, released a month before his death, of the BBC sitcom That's Your Funeral and his final appearance was in the Tom Jones-like 18th-century-set comedy-drama Mistress Pamela, released posthumously.

Dudley Foster died in London. He left a widow, the actress Eileen Kennally; they had married in 1952 and had two sons.

Selected filmography

• The Two-Headed Spy (1958) - Gestapo Agent (uncredited)
• Operation Bullshine (1959) - Gunner (uncredited)
• The Wakefield Shepherd's Play (1961) - First Shepherd
• Term of Trial (1962) - Detective Sergeant Keirnan
• Ricochet (1963) - Peter Dexter
• Never Mention Murder (1964) - Philip Teasdale
• The Little Ones (1965) - Supt. Carter
• A Study in Terror (1965) - Home Secretary
• Where's Jack? (1969) - Blueskin
• Moon Zero Two (1969) - Whitsun
• Foreign Exchange (1970, TV film) - Leo
• The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970) - Federman
• Wuthering Heights (1970)
• Dulcima (1971) - Symes
• Quest for Love (1971) - Grimshaw
• Follow Me! (1972) - Mr. Mayhew
• That's Your Funeral (1972) - Grimthorpe
• Mistress Pamela (1974) - Jonathan (Last appearance)

External links

• Dudley Foster at IMDb