Bernard Fox
Encyclopedia
Bernard Fox is a British
film and television actor from Wales
.
, Glamorgan
, Wales
, the son of Queenie (née
Barrett) and Gerald Lawson, both of whom were stage actors. He had an older sister, Mavis, and has been married to his wife Jacqueline since 1961 and together they have 2 children. His uncle was veteran film and stage actor Wilfrid Lawson
.
(1997) (as Colonel Archibald Gracie) and the earlier version of the tragedy A Night to Remember (1958) (uncredited as Frederick Fleet
). In the latter, he delivered the line, "Iceberg dead ahead, sir!" Other film roles ranged from supporting parts in broad comedies (Yellowbeard
, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
, and The Private Eyes, playing a homicidal butler in the latter) to supplying the voice of the chairmouse in the Disney
animated features The Rescuers
and The Rescuers Down Under
. His last part was that of Winston Havelock, a retired Air Force pilot in the 1999 adventure film The Mummy
.
In television, his best-known role was as the warlock physician Dr. Bombay
on Bewitched
and as the inept British Colonel Crittenden on Hogan's Heroes
. However, his first appearance in Bewitched was not as Dr. Bombay, but as a professional witch debunker. He repeated the role of Dr. Bombay on the 1977 sequel Tabitha
, and again in 1999 on the soap opera Passions
, and spoofed it as a genie doctor ("wish doctor") in a 1989 episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse
. He appeared in two episodes in the mystery series Columbo
, starring Peter Falk
as the rumpled detective. , Fox is one of only three surviving adult recurring cast members of Bewitched, (the others being Nancy Kovack
and Mary Grace Canfield
). Fox also appeared as English valet Malcolm Meriweather on The Andy Griffith Show
and in Knight Rider as Commander Smiths in season 2 episode 8.
Fox appeared as a British Major in "The Phantom Major", Episode 3 of F Troop
, and in "Tea and Empathy", Episode 17 of Series 6 of M*A*S*H.
In 1964, Fox appeared in episode #117 of The Dick Van Dyke Show
titled "Girls Will Be Boys". Fox plays the father of a little girl that keeps beating up Richie Petrie. He also appeared in episode #94 of The Dick Van Dyke Show, "Teacher's Petrie" where he played a night school creative writing teacher and in "Never Bathe on Saturday" as the house detective.
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...
film and television actor from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Personal life
Fox, a "fifth generation performer", was born Bernard Lawson in Port TalbotPort Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
, Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, the son of Queenie (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Barrett) and Gerald Lawson, both of whom were stage actors. He had an older sister, Mavis, and has been married to his wife Jacqueline since 1961 and together they have 2 children. His uncle was veteran film and stage actor Wilfrid Lawson
Wilfrid Lawson (actor)
Wilfrid Lawson was a British character actor of stage and screen.-Life and career:...
.
Career
His 30 film credits from 1956 to 2004 include two films revolving around the sinking of RMS Titanic, separated by 39 years. Fox was in both TitanicTitanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
(1997) (as Colonel Archibald Gracie) and the earlier version of the tragedy A Night to Remember (1958) (uncredited as Frederick Fleet
Frederick Fleet
Frederick Fleet was a crewman and survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic after it struck an iceberg on 14 April 1912...
). In the latter, he delivered the line, "Iceberg dead ahead, sir!" Other film roles ranged from supporting parts in broad comedies (Yellowbeard
Yellowbeard
Yellowbeard is a 1983 comedy film by Graham Chapman, along with Peter Cook, Bernard McKenna and David Sherlock. It was directed by Mel Damski, and was Marty Feldman's last film appearance.-Plot:...
, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo is a 1977 film, the third of a series of films by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie – the white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own.-Plot:...
, and The Private Eyes, playing a homicidal butler in the latter) to supplying the voice of the chairmouse in the Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
animated features The Rescuers
The Rescuers
The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing...
and The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 16, 1990...
. His last part was that of Winston Havelock, a retired Air Force pilot in the 1999 adventure film The Mummy
The Mummy (1999 film)
The Mummy is a 1999 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language, spoken...
.
In television, his best-known role was as the warlock physician Dr. Bombay
Dr. Bombay
Dr. Bombay is a fictional warlock character who appeared in eighteen episodes of the television series Bewitched . The role of Samantha's family "witch doctor" was played by actor Bernard Fox. He once reprised the role for the eventual spinoff series, Tabitha...
on Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
and as the inept British Colonel Crittenden on Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
. However, his first appearance in Bewitched was not as Dr. Bombay, but as a professional witch debunker. He repeated the role of Dr. Bombay on the 1977 sequel Tabitha
Tabitha (TV series)
Tabitha is an American fantasy sitcom that aired during the 1977-1978 season on ABC. It is a spin-off of Bewitched, which had ended its run several years earlier...
, and again in 1999 on the soap opera Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
, and spoofed it as a genie doctor ("wish doctor") in a 1989 episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse
Pee-wee's Playhouse
Pee-wee's Playhouse is an American children's television program starring Paul Reubens as the child-like Pee-wee Herman. The show was developed from Reubens' popular stage show and the one-off TV special The Pee-wee Herman Show, produced for HBO, which was similar in style but featured much more...
. He appeared in two episodes in the mystery series Columbo
Columbo
Columbo is an American crime fiction television film series, which starred Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. It was created by William Link and Richard Levinson. The show popularized the inverted detective story format...
, starring Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
as the rumpled detective. , Fox is one of only three surviving adult recurring cast members of Bewitched, (the others being Nancy Kovack
Nancy Kovack
__forcetoc__Nancy Kovack is a former American actress.-Biography:She attended the University of Michigan at age 15 and graduated by 19. At the age of 20 she had won eight beauty titles....
and Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield is an American actress who often played the role of a romance-starved spinster/wallflower...
). Fox also appeared as English valet Malcolm Meriweather on The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
and in Knight Rider as Commander Smiths in season 2 episode 8.
Fox appeared as a British Major in "The Phantom Major", Episode 3 of F Troop
F Troop
F Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on ABC-TV. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white, but the show...
, and in "Tea and Empathy", Episode 17 of Series 6 of M*A*S*H.
In 1964, Fox appeared in episode #117 of The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
titled "Girls Will Be Boys". Fox plays the father of a little girl that keeps beating up Richie Petrie. He also appeared in episode #94 of The Dick Van Dyke Show, "Teacher's Petrie" where he played a night school creative writing teacher and in "Never Bathe on Saturday" as the house detective.