Allan Cuthbertson

Allan Darling Cuthbertson (7 April 1920 – 8 February 1988) was an Australian actor. He was best known for playing stern-faced military officers in British films of the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life Cuthbertson was born in Perth, Western Australia, son of Ernest and Isobel Ferguson (Darling) Cuthbertson. He performed on stage and radio from an early age.

During the Second World War, he served as a flight lieutenant with the Royal Australian Air Force from 6 December 1941 to 1 July 1947, including service with 111 Air Sea Rescue Flight.

Career Cuthbertson arrived in Britain in 1947, and appeared shortly thereafter as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at the Boltons. In London's West End, he appeared as Laertes in Hamlet, Aimwell in The Beaux Stratagem, and Octavius Robinson in Man and Superman, among many other roles.

He was often cast in military roles, which was quite common in actors of his generation, especially those with a military air about them. He made a brief appearance as a harassed staff officer, who then gets blown up, at the beginning of Ice Cold in Alex (1958). He was Captain Eric Simpson in Tunes of Glory (1960) as well as being cast as more stuffy regimental types in such films as Carrington V.C. (1954) and The Guns of Navarone (1961), (both of which starred David Niven) and as the callous and officious Colonel Cavendish in The 7th Dawn (1964) with William Holden. In 1961 he appeared in the TV series Danger Man in the episode entitled "The Island" as Mr. Wilson. In 1962 he played a school teacher in Term of Trial with Laurence Olivier. He appeared four times in the television series The Avengers. He appeared in many roles on British television, including with Tommy Cooper, Dick Emery and Frankie Howerd, and in All Gas and Gaiters, Gideon's Way episode The V Men (1964) as Chief Supt Bill Parsons and episode The Thin Red Line (1965) as Major Donald Ross, The Avengers (1965 episode Death at Bargain Prices as Fotheringale and 1967 episode Death's Door as Lord Melford), The Champions (1969 episode The Experiment as Cranmore), Danger Man, UFO (1970 episode "The Square Triangle"), an episode of The Persuaders! as Colonel Wright and Terry and June, where he played annoying neighbour Tarquin Spry. In the acclaimed 1985 Suspense Serial, Edge of Darkness, Allan played as Investigative Speaker Mr. Chilwell. One of his last TV appearances was in Michael Palin's East of Ipswich in 1987.

One of his last stage roles was in The Corn Is Green by Emlyn Williams at the Old Vic in 1985.

Personal life Cuthbertson was long married to Dr Gertrude Willner, a refugee from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, who had been a lawyer originally, but became a teacher in Britain. They had an adopted son.

At the time of his death, Cuthbertson was living in Surbiton, Greater London.

Filmography

Misalliance (1954) - Joseph Percival Carrington V.C. (1954) – Lt. Col. Henniker Portrait of Alison (1955) – Henry Carmichael On Such a Night (1956) – 1st Gentleman Doublecross (1956) – Clifford Cloak Without Dagger (1956) – Colonel Packham The Man Who Never Was (1956) – Vice-Admiral Eyewitness (1956) – Det Insp (uncredited) Anastasia (1956) – Blond Man (uncredited) The Passionate Stranger (1957) – Dr. Stevenson Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957) – Captain Donaldson RN A Wasp in Cloisters (1957) – Reverend John Matthews Barnacle Bill (1957) – Chailey Law and Disorder (1958) – Police Inspector Ice Cold in Alex (1958) – Brigadier's Staff Officer I Was Monty's Double (1958) – Guards Officer Room at the Top (1959) – George Aisgill The Crowning Touch (1959) – Philip Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) – Captain The Devil's Disciple (1959) – British Captain Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) – Sexton North West Frontier (1959) – Monocled Officer (uncredited) The Stranglers of Bombay (1960) – Capt. Christopher Connaught-Smith Tunes of Glory (1960) – Capt. Eric Simpson The Malpas Mystery (1960) – Lacey Marshalt Man at the Carlton Tower (1961) The Guns of Navarone (1961) – Maj. Baker On the Double (1961) – Captain Patterson Solo for Sparrow (1962) – Supt. Symington Term of Trial (1962) – Sylvan-Jones The Boys (1962) – Randolph St. John The Brain (1962) – Da Silva (uncredited) The Fast Lady (1962) – Bodley Freud: The Secret Passion (1962) – Wilkie

Nine Hours to Rama (1963) – Capt. Goff The Running Man (1963) – Jenkins The Mouse on the Moon (1963) – Member of Whitehall Conference Tamahine (1963) – Housemaster Bitter Harvest (1963) – Mr. Eccles The Informers (1963) – Smythe The 7th Dawn (1964) – Colonel Cavendish Operation Crossbow (1965) – German Technical Examiner Life at the Top (1965) – George Aisgill Game for Three Losers (1965) – Garsden Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) – Immigration Officer Press for Time (1966) – Mr. Ballard The Trygon Factor (1966) – Det. Thompson Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (1967) – Scuttling Half a Sixpence (1967) – Wilkins Sinful Davey (1969) – Captain Douglas The Body Stealers (1969) – Hindesmith Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969) – Lomax The Adventurers (1970) – Hugh One More Time (1970) – Belton Performance (1970) – The Lawyer The Firechasers (1971) – D.O Jarvis Assault (1971) – Coroner Paul Temple (TV series), episode "Catch Your Death" (1971) – Robert O'Keefe Diamonds on Wheels (1974) – Gus Ashley Fawlty Towers, episode "Gourmet Night" (1975) – Colonel Hall The Outsider (1979) – Stanley The Sea Wolves (1980) – Melborne Hopscotch (1980) – Chartermain The Mirror Crack'd (1980) – Peter Montrose ('Murder at Midnight') The Winds of War (miniseries), episodes "Cataclysm" & "The Changing of the Guard" (1983) – Maj. Gen. Tillet Edge of Darkness (miniseries), episodes 3-6 (1985) - Mr. Chilwell Thirteen at Dinner (1985) – Sir Montague Corner East of Ipswich (1987) – Mr. Horrobin