Richard Fraser (actor)
Encyclopedia
Early life
After attending Cambridge University, Richard Fraser studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Spending time as a London stage actor, Richard came to Hollywood before WWII, where he signed a contract with 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
and appeared in several films.
Career
His American film career reached its peak with his performance as James VaneThe Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray...
, the vengeful brother of Sybil Vane
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray...
in the film The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray...
. Richard retired from acting in 1949, returning to England in 1961 with his then-wife, Actress Ann Gillis, spending his most of his last decade working for the BBC in export sales.
Private life
Richard married actress Ann GillisAnn Gillis
Ann Gillis , sometimes credited as Anne Gillis or Ann Gilles, is a retired actress, starting her career in the early 1930s as a child actress and ending in 1947. She later came back into acting for a small part in 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968...
in 1952, and had a son by her. After retiring from acting in 1949 Richard and Ann lived in England in the 1960s, Richard as a businessman, as Ann continued her acting career. The two divorced in 1970, two years prior to Richard's death due to cancer.
Filmography
- Alaska Patrol (1949) (as Dick Fraser) .... Operative Farrell
- Rogues' RegimentRogues' RegimentRogues' Regiment is a black-and-white 1948 Universal-International then topical exploitation film adventure starring Dick Powell and directed and co-written by Robert Florey...
(1948) .... Rycroft - The Cobra Strikes (1948) .... Michael Kent
- The Lone Wolf in London (1947) .... David Woolerton
- BlackmailBlackmailIn common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
(1947) .... Antoine le Blanc - The Private Affairs of Bel AmiThe Private Affairs of Bel AmiThe Private Affairs of Bel Ami is a 1947 drama film which stars George Sanders as a ruthless cad who uses women to rise in Parisian society...
(1947) .... Philippe de Cantel - Cloak and Dagger (1946) (uncredited) .... British Submarine Skipper
- Blonde for a Day (1946) .... Dillingham 'Dilly' Smith
- BedlamBedlam (film)Bedlam is a film starring Boris Karloff and Anna Lee, and was the last in a series of stylish B films produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictures. The film was inspired by William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress, and Hogarth was given a writing credit.-Plot:Set in 1761 London, England, the film...
(1946) .... Hannay - The Undercover Woman (1946) .... Gregory Vixon
- The Tiger WomanThe Tiger Woman (1944 film)The Tiger Woman is a 12-chapter Republic film serial starring Allan Lane and Linda Stirling . The serial was re-released in 1951 under the title Perils of the Darkest Jungle and, in 1966, it was edited into the 100-minute Century-66 film Jungle Gold.Linda Stirling is a jungle girl lost in the...
(1945) .... Stephen Mason - White PongoWhite PongoWhite Pongo is a 1945 American film directed by Sam Newfield. The film is also known as Adventure Unlimited in the United Kingdom.- Plot summary :...
(1945) .... Geoffrey Bishop - Shadow of Terror (1945) .... Jim, aka Howard Norton
- Scotland Yard Investigator (1945) .... Inspector Cartwright
- The Fatal Witness (1945) .... Inspector William 'Bill' Trent
- The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)The Picture of Dorian Gray is an American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray...
(1945) .... James Vane - Ladies Courageous (1944) .... Col. Andy Brennan
- Holy Matrimony (1943) (uncredited) .... John Leek
- Thumbs UpThumbs UpA thumbs-up or thumbs-down is a common hand gesture achieved by a closed fist held with the thumb extended upward or downward in approval or disapproval, respectively...
(1943) .... Douglas Heath - Edge of DarknessEdge of DarknessEdge of Darkness is a British television drama serial, produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six fifty-five minute episodes in late 1985...
(1943) .... Pastor Aalesen - Truck Busters (1943) .... Limey
- The Gorilla Man (1943) .... Lieutenant Walter Sibley
- Desperate JourneyDesperate JourneyDesperate Journey is a 1942 American World War II aviation film starring Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Raymond Massey, Alan Hale and Arthur Kennedy, and the movie was directed by Raoul Walsh...
(1942) .... Squadron Leader Clark - Busses Roar (1942) .... Dick Remick
- Eagle SquadronEagle squadronThe Eagle Squadrons were 3 fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force formed during World War II with volunteer pilots from the United States...
(1942) .... Lt. Jefferys - Joan of ParisJoan of ParisJoan of Paris is a 1942 war film about five Royal Air Force pilots shot down over Nazi-occupied France during World War II and their attempt to escape to England...
(1942) .... Geoffrey - How Green Was My ValleyHow Green Was My ValleyHow Green Was My Valley is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, telling the story through narration of the main character, of his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed to have based the book on his own knowledge of the Gilfach Goch area, but this was proven...
(1941) .... Davy - A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) .... Thorndyke
- Man HuntMan Hunt (1941 film)Man Hunt is a 1941 American thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Walter Pidgeon and Joan Bennett. It is based on the 1939 novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household and is set just prior to the Second World War. A Jewish liberal, Lang had fled Germany into exile in the mid 1930s - this was...
(1941) (uncredited) .... Navigator - The Ghost Goes WestThe Ghost Goes WestThe Ghost Goes West is a British romantic comedy/fantasy film starring Robert Donat, Jean Parker, and Eugene Pallette, and directed by René Clair, his first English-language film...
(1935) (uncredited) .... Son of MacLaggen