Richard Todd

Richard Todd (born Richard Andrew Palethorpe‑Todd on 11 June 1919 in Dublin) was an Irish‑born British actor whose career spanned over seven decades, beginning with his first professional stage appearance at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park in 1936. After training at the Italia Conti Academy and serving as a captain in the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion during the D‑Day landings, he returned to the theatre and quickly entered the film industry, signing a seven‑year contract with Associated British in 1948. His breakthrough came with the title role in The Hasty Heart (1949), earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. Todd became one of Britain’s leading leading men in the 1950s, starring as Wing Commander Guy Gibson in the iconic The Dam Busters (1955) and as Sir Walter Raleigh in The Virgin Queen (1955), roles that cemented his reputation for portraying heroic, aristocratic figures. He repeatedly drew on his wartime experience, notably playing Major John Howard in The Longest Day (1962), a part that mirrored his own participation in the Normandy parachute assault. Though the rise of counter‑cultural cinema in the 1960s reduced his star status, Todd remained a prolific presence on television, appearing in series such as Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders and Heartbeat well into his eighties. His personal life was marked by tragedy; he fathered five children, two of whom died by suicide, and he was twice married, first to actress Catherine Grant‑Bogle and later to model Virginia Mailer. In recognition of his service to the arts and the veteran community, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1993. Todd died of cancer on 3 December 2009, leaving behind a legacy of classic British cinema and a deep connection to the memory of the Second World War.