Bernard Fox

Bernard Lawson (11 May 1927 14 December 2016), better known as Bernard Fox, was a Welsh actor. He is remembered for his roles as Dr. Bombay in the comedy fantasy series Bewitched (1964–1972) of which he was the last surviving adult cast member, Colonel Crittendon in the comedy series Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971), Malcolm Merriweather in The Andy Griffith Show (1963–1965), Max in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Archibald Gracie IV in the film Titanic (1997), and Captain Winston Havelock in The Mummy (1999)

Early life Fox was a fifth-generation performer. He was born in Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales the son of Queenie (née Barrett) and Gerald Lawson, both stage actors. He had an older sister, Mavis, and his uncle was British actor Wilfrid Lawson.

Career

Film Fox began his film career at the age of 18 months and by age 14 was an apprentice assistant manager of a theatre. After serving with the Royal Navy in World War II and the Korean War, he resumed his acting career and appeared in over 30 cinema films from 1956 to 2004, including two cinematic dramatizations of the sinking of the doomed passenger liner the RMS Titanic, separated by 39 years, viz, Titanic (1997) (as Colonel Archibald Gracie IV) and an earlier version of the tragedy A Night to Remember (1958) uncredited as Frederick Fleet, appearing very briefly in the film but with the memorable line, "Iceberg, dead ahead sir!" as a lookout stationed in the ship's crow's nest. His other screen roles ranged from supporting parts in broad comedies (Yellowbeard, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, and The Private Eyes, playing a homicidal butler in the last) to supplying the voice of the Chairmouse in the Disney animated features The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under. He played the role of Winston Havelock, a put-out-to-grass former Royal Flying Corps airman in the 1999 adventure film The Mummy. In 2004, Fox made his final appearance in Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes.

Television

In 1961, he played Malcolm in all 26 episodes in the comedy series Three Live Wires.

Between 1967 and 1972, Fox portrayed the witch doctor Dr. Bombay on 18 episodes of the sitcom Bewitched. His first appearance on that show was not as Dr. Bombay, though, but as a professional witch debunker, Osgood Rightmire, in 1966. He reprised the role of Dr. Bombay on the 1977 sequel series Tabitha, 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. Fox was one of the last surviving adult recurring cast members of Bewitched, leaving Nancy Kovack (who portrayed character Darrin Stephens' ex-girlfriend Sheila throughout the series) and Bernie Kopell (who appeared as various characters in 9 episodes) as the only remaining adult cast members upon his death; child actors Erin Murphy and David Lawrence, who portrayed Darrin and Samantha's children (Tabitha and Adam) are still alive.

Between 1965 and 1970, Fox portrayed the bumbling "Colonel" Rodney Crittendon on eight episodes of Hogan's Heroes (Crittendon is a Royal Air Force group captain, the equivalent of the American rank of colonel, which was used to avoid confusion for the show's U.S. audience). He appeared in two episodes in the detective mystery series Columbo, "Dagger of the Mind" and "Troubled Waters". Fox also appeared as English valet Malcolm Meriweather in three episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and in Knight Rider as Commander Smiths in season two, episode eight.

Fox appeared as a British major in "The Phantom Major", episode three of F Troop and in "Tea and Empathy", episode 18 of season six 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 who keeps beating up Richie Petrie. He also appeared in "Teacher's Petrie", where he played a night-school creative-writing teacher, and in "Never Bathe on Saturday" as the house detective. In 1965, Fox made a guest appearance on Perry Mason as Peter Stange in "The Case of the Laughing Lady".

Fox also appeared in McHale's Navy, in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ("The Thor Affair" episode as munitions magnate Brutus Thor, intent on assassinating a "Gandhi-like" figure who's attempting to bring world peace (1966), as well as in the two-part episode "The Bridge of Lions Affair" in 1966, wherein he starred as THRUSH agent Jordin, whose constant response to each additional assignment is, "I'll look into it"), and in the Murder, She Wrote episode "One White Rose for Death" in 1986. In addition, he co-starred as Dr. Watson with Michael Evans as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock & Me in the early 1980s.

Personal life Fox and his wife had two daughters, Amanda and Valerie.

Death On the morning of 14 December 2016, Fox died of heart failure at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, California. He was 89 years old.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1956 Soho Incident McLeod Home and Away Johnnie Knowles The Counterfeit Plan Detective Sergeant 1957 Scotland Yard film series Sergeant Conway Inside InformationBlue Murder at St. Trinian's Photographer Uncredited 1958 The Safecracker Shafter A Night to Remember Lookout Frederick Fleet UncreditedThe Two-Headed Spy Lieutenant 1959 Captured Morrison Uncredited1962 The Longest Day Pvt. Hutchinson Uncredited1963 The List of Adrian Messenger Lynch Uncredited 1964 Honeymoon Hotel Room Clerk Quick, Before It Melts Leslie Folliott 1965 Strange Bedfellows Policeman 1966 Munster, Go Home! Squire Lester Moresby Hold On! Dudley Hawks One of Our Spies Is Missing Jordin 1968 Star! Asst. to Lord Chamberlain UncreditedThe Bamboo Saucer Ephram 1971 Big Jake Scottish Shepherd UncreditedThe Million Dollar Duck Car Salesman Uncredited1973 Arnold Constable Hooke 1977 The Rescuers The Chairman VoiceHerbie Goes to Monte Carlo Max 1978 The House of the Dead Inspector McDowal 1980 The Private Eyes Justin Gauguin the Savage Captain Chablat 1983 Yellowbeard Tarbuck 1988 18 Again! Horton 1990 The Rescuers Down Under Chairman / Doctor Voice1997 Titanic Col. Archibald Gracie 1999 The Mummy Capt. Winston Havelock 2004 Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes Himself Final film role

Television Year Title Role Notes1955–1956 Sixpenny Corner Tom Norton 10 episodes1957 Wire Service Naval Officer Episode: "Atom at Spithead"1958 Victory Performer TV movie 1959 Dixon of Dock Green Smiler Hodges Episode: "A Case for the Inland Revenue"The Golden Spur Soldier at Inn Episode: #1.3ITV Television Playhouse Morton Leslie Episode: "Ticket for Tomorrow" 1960 No Hiding Place Insp. Brighouse Episode: "The Golden Crown"The Love of Mike Malcolm Danders 2 episodesITV Play of the Week Captain Scott Episode: "Beyond the Horizon" 1961 Armchair Theatre Barman Episode: "Honeymoon Postponed"Three Live Wires Malcolm 26 episodes1962–1963 The Danny Thomas Show Alfie Wingate 4 episodes 1963 Ensign O'Toole Hastings Episode: "Operation Intrigue"The Great Adventure Redcoat Lt. Episode: "A Boy at War"1963–1965 The Andy Griffith Show Malcolm Merriweather 3 episodes1964 McHale's Navy Sub-Lieutenant Clivedon Episode: "The British Also Have Ensigns"1964–1965 The Dick Van Dyke Show Various Roles 3 episodes1964–1966 Twelve O'Clock High Sgt. Major Higgins / Maj. Dutton / Colonel Charles 3 episodes 1965 Perry Mason Peter Stange Episode: "The Case of the Laughing Lady"F-Troop Major Bently Royce Episode: "The Phantom Major"The Flintstones Eppy Brianstone Voice, Episode: "No Biz Like Show Biz"I Spy Harold Episode: "Carry Me Back to Old Tsing-Tao"1965–1970 Hogan's Heroes Col. Crittendon 8 episodes 1966 I Dream of Jeannie Arnie Episode: "Is There an Extra Jeannie in the House?"The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Jordin / Brutus Thor 3 episodes1966–1972 Bewitched Dr. Bombay 19 episodes1968 The Monkees Sir Twiggly Episode: "Monkees Mind Their Manor" 1969 Daniel Boone Carruthers Episode: "A Bearskin for Jamie Blue"Here Come the Brides Father Ned Episode: "The Wealthiest Man in Seattle"1971 Night Gallery Mr. Canby / Ghost Segment: "House with Ghost"1971–1973 Love, American Style Jocko / Oliver / Marshall 3 episodes 1972 The Hound of the Baskervilles Dr. Watson TV movieColumbo Det. Chief William Durk Episode: "Dagger of the Mind"1973 Intertect Barrett TV movie 1975 Columbo Purser Watkins Episode: "Troubled Waters" Barnaby Jones Colonel George Redford Episode: "Jeopardy for Two" Cannon Allen Farrell Episode: "The Victim"Emergency! Mr. Kern 2 episodes1977–1978 Tabitha Dr. Bombay 2 episodes 1978 Soap Randolph Gatling Episode: #1.5M*A*S*H Major Ross Episode: "Tea and Empathy"What's Happening!! Britisher Episode: "Diplomatic Immunity"1979 Fantasy Island Brian Lipscomb Episode: "Amusement Park/Rock Stars" 1980 The Dukes of Hazzard Higgins the Butler Episode: "Southern Comfurts"Lou Grant Clive Whitcomb Episode: "Libel" 1981 Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo VoiceThe Love Boat Henry Whitewood Season 5 Episode 10 1982 Hart to Hart Nigel Hegland Episode: "Million Dollar Harts"The Jeffersons Andrew Derek 2 episodes 1983 Gun Shy Sir Charles W.R. Episode: "Western Velvet"Knight Rider Comm. Smythe Episode: "Custom K.I.T.T." 1984 Hotel Adam Partridge Episode: "Ideals"Simon & Simon Rupert Ginnias Episode: "Revolution 9 1/2"1985 The Fall Guy Santa Episode: "Escape Claus" 1986 Riptide Prof. Holcombe Episode: "The Play's the Thing"Murder, She Wrote Andrew Wyckham Episode: "One White Rose for Death"1988 Punky Brewster Whitmore Episode: "Aunt Larnese Is Coming to Town"1989 Pee-wee's Playhouse Dr. Jinga-Janga Episode: "Sick? Did Somebody Say Sick?"1990 Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Professor, Radio Voice, Jewelry Store Owner Voice, Episode: "Gorilla My Dreams"1999–2000 Passions Dr. Bombay 3 episodes2001 Dharma & Greg Henry Cooper Episode: "Without Reservations"2003 Time Squad Sir Henry Morton Stanley Voice, Episode: "Out with the In Crowd"

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result1997 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Titanic