Andrew Faulds
Encyclopedia
Andrew Matthew William Faulds (1 March 1923 – 31 May 2000) was a British
actor
and politician
.
Born in Isoko, Tanganyika
(now Tanzania
), to missionary
parents, Faulds married Bunty Whitfield in 1945. After graduating from the University of Glasgow
, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company
in 1948 but first came to a wider public recognition playing Jet Morgan in Charles Chilton
's radio drama Journey Into Space
on the BBC Light Programme
.
In 1959, Faulds and his wife played host to Paul Robeson
who had travelled to England
to appear at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
, Stratford upon Avon in Tony Richardson
's production of Othello
. Robeson had only recently been allowed to travel abroad again following the revocation of his passport. It was during this visit that Robeson inspired Faulds to take up political activism.
In the UK general election, 1964
, the Labour
Foreign Secretary, Patrick Gordon Walker
, had been defeated in controversial circumstances in the Smethwick constituency
by Conservative
candidate Peter Griffiths
. Smethwick had been a focus of immigration
from the Commonwealth
in the economic and industrial growth of the years following World War II
and Griffiths ran a campaign critical of the government's policy. There were rumours that his supporters had covertly circulated the slogan If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Liberal
or Labour. Faulds defeated Griffiths in the UK general election, 1966
and was Labour Member of Parliament
for the constituency until his retirement in 1997. (The constituency was renamed Warley East
in 1974.) Smethwick remained the focus of much racial tension in England
throughout Faulds' office, in particular following the Rivers of Blood Speech
by Enoch Powell
in 1968 which Faulds characterised as "... unchristian ... unprincipled, undemocratic and racialist".
There has been speculation that Faulds was denied ministerial office because of his open support of the Palestinian
cause.
Faulds maintained his acting career throughout the 1960s and 1970s and, in particular became a key part of film director
Ken Russell
's repertory company, appearing in, among other films, Dante's Inferno
(1967) (as William Morris
), The Devils
(1971), Mahler
(1974) and Lisztomania (1975). Notably, he appeared in Russell's film The Music Lovers
(1971) alongside Glenda Jackson
who was also to go on to become a Labour MP.
One of Faulds' most famous roles is that of Phalerus in Jason and the Argonauts (1963), taking part in the famous skeleton fight scene by Ray Harryhausen
, and another was in one of Tony Hancock
's best remembered television programmes, unseen but as the voice of 'mayday' in "The Radio Ham" (1961).
----
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Born in Isoko, Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
(now Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
), to missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
parents, Faulds married Bunty Whitfield in 1945. After graduating from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
in 1948 but first came to a wider public recognition playing Jet Morgan in Charles Chilton
Charles Chilton
Charles Chilton MBE is a BBC radio presenter, a writer and a producer. Born in Bloomsbury in London, England, he never knew his father - who was killed during World War I - and when he was six his mother died as a result of having a botched abortion, so he was raised by his grandmother. He was...
's radio drama Journey Into Space
Journey Into Space
Journey Into Space is a BBC Radio science fiction programme, written by BBC producer Charles Chilton. It was the last radio programme in the UK to attract a bigger evening audience than television...
on the BBC Light Programme
BBC Light Programme
The Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2...
.
In 1959, Faulds and his wife played host to Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
who had travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to appear at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
Royal Shakespeare Theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre is a 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the British playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is located in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon - Shakespeare's birthplace - in the English Midlands, beside the River Avon...
, Stratford upon Avon in Tony Richardson
Tony Richardson
Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson was an English theatre and film director and producer.-Early life:Richardson was born in Shipley, Yorkshire in 1928, the son of Elsie Evans and Clarence Albert Richardson, a chemist...
's production of Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
. Robeson had only recently been allowed to travel abroad again following the revocation of his passport. It was during this visit that Robeson inspired Faulds to take up political activism.
In the UK general election, 1964
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Foreign Secretary, Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Gordon Walker
Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker CH, PC was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, and served twice as a Cabinet minister...
, had been defeated in controversial circumstances in the Smethwick constituency
Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)
Smethwick was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Smethwick in Staffordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
by Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate Peter Griffiths
Peter Griffiths
Peter Harry Steve Griffiths is a retired English Conservative Party politician. He is best known for controversially gaining the Smethwick seat in the 1964 general election against the national trend.-Life:...
. Smethwick had been a focus of immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
from the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
in the economic and industrial growth of the years following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and Griffiths ran a campaign critical of the government's policy. There were rumours that his supporters had covertly circulated the slogan If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
or Labour. Faulds defeated Griffiths in the UK general election, 1966
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
and was Labour Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the constituency until his retirement in 1997. (The constituency was renamed Warley East
Warley East (UK Parliament constituency)
Warley East was a parliamentary constituency in the borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands of England.It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in 1974.) Smethwick remained the focus of much racial tension in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
throughout Faulds' office, in particular following the Rivers of Blood Speech
Rivers of Blood speech
The "Rivers of Blood" speech was a speech criticising Commonwealth immigration, as well as proposed anti-discrimination legislation in the United Kingdom made on 20 April 1968 by Enoch Powell , the Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West...
by Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
in 1968 which Faulds characterised as "... unchristian ... unprincipled, undemocratic and racialist".
There has been speculation that Faulds was denied ministerial office because of his open support of the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
cause.
Faulds maintained his acting career throughout the 1960s and 1970s and, in particular became a key part of film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
's repertory company, appearing in, among other films, Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno (1967 film)
Dante's Inferno: The Private Life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Poet and Painter is a feature-length 35mm film directed by Ken Russell and first screened on the BBC on 22 December 1967. It quickly became a staple in cinemas in retrospectives of Russell's work...
(1967) (as William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
), The Devils
The Devils (film)
The Devils is a 1971 British historical drama directed by Ken Russell and starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave. It is based partially on the 1952 book The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley, and partially on the 1960 play The Devils by John Whiting, also based on Huxley's book...
(1971), Mahler
Mahler (film)
Mahler is a 1974 biographical film based on the life of composer Gustav Mahler. It was written and directed by Ken Russell for Goodtimes Enterprises, and starred Robert Powell as Gustav Mahler and Georgina Hale as Alma Mahler...
(1974) and Lisztomania (1975). Notably, he appeared in Russell's film The Music Lovers
The Music Lovers
The Music Lovers is a 1970 British biographical film directed by Ken Russell. The screenplay by Melvyn Bragg, based on Beloved Friend, a collection of personal correspondence edited by Catherine Drinker Bowen and Barbara von Meck, focuses on the life and career of 19th century Russian composer...
(1971) alongside Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson
Glenda May Jackson, CBE is a British Labour Party politician and former actress. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and currently represents Hampstead and Kilburn. She previously served as MP for Hampstead and Highgate...
who was also to go on to become a Labour MP.
One of Faulds' most famous roles is that of Phalerus in Jason and the Argonauts (1963), taking part in the famous skeleton fight scene by Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
, and another was in one of Tony Hancock
Tony Hancock
Anthony John "Tony" Hancock was an English actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth, where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in...
's best remembered television programmes, unseen but as the voice of 'mayday' in "The Radio Ham" (1961).
Filmography
- Passport to Treason (1956)
- The One That Got Away (1957)
- Blind SpotBlind Spot (film)Blind Spot is a 1958 British drama film directed by Peter Maxwell and starring Robert MacKenzie, Delphi Lawrence, Gordon Jackson, John Le Mesurier and Michael Caine in an early screen appearance....
(1958) - Blood of the VampireBlood of the Vampire-Plot:A young couple are terrorized by Dr. Callistratus who was executed but has returned to life with a heart transplant...
(1958) - The Trollenberg TerrorThe Trollenberg TerrorThe Trollenberg Terror is the title of both a 1956 "Saturday Serial" ITV UK television programme and a better-known 1958 black and white science fiction film. The latter is also known as The Crawling Eye, Creature from Another World, The Creeping Eye, and The Flying Eye...
(1958) - Sea of Sand (1958)
- The Professionals (1959)
- Danger WithinDanger WithinDanger Within is a 1959 British war film set in a prisoner of war camp in northern Italy during the summer of 1943.-Plot:After a clever escape plan fails, the escape committee, led by Lieutenant Colonel David Baird suspects that there is an informer in their ranks...
(1959) - SOS PacificSOS PacificSOS Pacific is a 1959 British drama film directed by Guy Green and starring Richard Attenborough and Pier Angeli.-Plot synopsis:The pilot of a flying boat, along with five passengers, has to ditch his plane in a thunder storm. The plane ditches in the Pacific near an island...
(1959) - The Flesh and the FiendsThe Flesh and the FiendsThe Flesh and the Fiends is a 1960 horror film starring Peter Cushing as medical doctor Robert Knox, who purchases human corpses for research from an obliging pair named Burke and Hare.-Cast:*Peter Cushing as Dr...
(1960) - Once More, with Feeling!Once More, with Feeling!Once More, with Feeling! is a British comedy film directed and produced by Stanley Donen from a screenplay by Harry Kurnitz, based on his play. The film was released by Columbia Pictures and has music by Franz Liszt, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Richard Wagner, arranged by Muir Mathieson...
(1960) - A Matter of WHOA Matter of WHOA Matter of WHO is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Terry-Thomas as a World Health Organisation employee trying to trail the source of a deadly virus. It also featured Sonja Ziemann, Alex Nicol, Richard Briers, Honor Blackman and Carol White....
(1961) - PayrollPayroll (film)Payroll is a 1961 British crime thriller starring Michael Craig, and based on the novel by Derek Bickerton. The story is about a gang of villains that stage a wages robbery, which turns into a disaster. Most of the film was shot on location in and around Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne...
(1961) - The Hellfire ClubThe Hellfire Club (film)The Hellfire Club is a 1961 film which tells a story based upon 'The Hellfire Club'. Sir Francis Dashwood's infamous 'Gentlemans' society of the 18th century. It starred Peter Cushing....
(1961) - What Every Woman WantsWhat Every Woman Wants (1962 film)What Every Woman Wants is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Ernest Morris and starring James Fox, Hy Hazell and Dennis Lotis. A marriage guidance counsellor struggles with their own domestic life.-Cast:* James Fox - Philip Goodwin...
(1962) - CleopatraCleopatra (1963 film)Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...
(1963) - Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
- Campanadas a medianoche (1965)
- The One Eyed Soldiers (1966)
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film)A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a 1966 farce musical comedy film, based on the stage musical.Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus – specifically Pseudolus, Miles Gloriosus and Mostellaria – it tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus...
(1966) - The Charge of the Light BrigadeThe Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 film)The Charge of the Light Brigade is a 1968 British war film made by Woodfall Film Productions and distributed by United Artists . It was directed by Tony Richardson and produced by Neil Hartley....
(1968) - The Music LoversThe Music LoversThe Music Lovers is a 1970 British biographical film directed by Ken Russell. The screenplay by Melvyn Bragg, based on Beloved Friend, a collection of personal correspondence edited by Catherine Drinker Bowen and Barbara von Meck, focuses on the life and career of 19th century Russian composer...
(1970) - The DevilsThe Devils (film)The Devils is a 1971 British historical drama directed by Ken Russell and starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave. It is based partially on the 1952 book The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley, and partially on the 1960 play The Devils by John Whiting, also based on Huxley's book...
(1971) - Young WinstonYoung WinstonYoung Winston is a 1972 British film based on the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.The film was based on the book My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill. The first part of the film covers Churchill's unhappy schooldays, up to the death of his father...
(1972) - MahlerMahler (film)Mahler is a 1974 biographical film based on the life of composer Gustav Mahler. It was written and directed by Ken Russell for Goodtimes Enterprises, and starred Robert Powell as Gustav Mahler and Georgina Hale as Alma Mahler...
(1974) - Lisztomania (1975)
External links
- Catalogue of the Faulds papers at the Archives Division of the London School of EconomicsLondon School of EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
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