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Eric Portman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eric Portman (born Halifax, West Yorkshire on 13 July 1903 and died St. Veep, Cornwall on 7 December 1969) was a distinguished English stage and film actor. He is probably best remembered for his roles in several films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger during the 1940s. He was in the top ten of Britain's biggest box office draws in 1942.
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He started work in 1922 as a salesman in the menswear department at Marshall and Snelgrove's in Leeds and acted in the amateur Halifax Light Opera Society . He made his professional stage debut in 1924, before he was engaged by Lilian Baylis for the Old Vic Company. In 1928 he starred as Romeo in the rebuilt Old Vic and he forged a reputation as a noted Shakespearian actor.
He was a lifelong bachelor, who died at the age of 66 at his home in rural Cornwall.
Portman became a familiar British figure in films during and about World War II. Among his roles were:
| Film | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Forty-Ninth Parallel | 1941 | Stranded U-boat commander |
| One of Our Aircraft is Missing | 1942 | Stranded RAF officer |
| Squadron Leader X | 1943 | Stranded Luftwaffe pilot |
| We Dive at Dawn | 1943 | Stranded RN submariner |
| Millions Like Us | 1943 | Factory manager |
| A Canterbury Tale | 1944 | The Magistrate |
| Wanted For Murder | 1946 | Son of a hangman |
| The Colditz Story | 1955 | Senior British Officer |
| The Bedford Incident | 1965 | Former U-boat commander-cum-advisor |
| The Whisperers | 1967 | |
| Deadfall | 1968 | Thief |
| Assignment to Kill | 1968 | Notary |
He also played Number Two in The Prisoner, episode; Free for All, screened on 22 October 1967.
He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor (Dramatic) for his Broadway performance as the bogus Major, in Terence Rattigan's play Separate Tables in 1957.