John Dodsworth

John Cecil Dodsworth (17 September 1910 – 11 September 1964) was an English actor.

Biography and career Born John Cecil Dodsworth in London, England. Dodsworth started his film career as an extra in British films of the 1930s before taking on small parts in The Next of Kin (1942), They Were Sisters and The Rake's Progress (both 1945). He had much larger roles in his next two films, as the romantic lead in the Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen comedy Here Comes the Sun (1946), and Who Killed Van Loon? (1948), an early film from Hammer Film Productions.

Like a lot of British actors of the period he moved to America in the 1950s, where he was usually cast as the archetypal English officer or aristocrat. He made his Hollywood film debut in Up Front (1951), followed by supporting roles in prestige films including Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) and Lust for Life (1956). Interspersed with these small parts were more substantial roles in modest scale productions, such as William Cameron Menzies' cult classic The Maze (1953) and the Bowery Boys comedies Loose in London (1953) and In the Money (1958). He also appeared in TV shows such as Jungle Jim, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip.

He married film production secretary Donna Hedyt in 1961. Dodsworth committed suicide in 1964 at the age of 53.

Filmography

Television Year Title Role Episode1952 Fireside Theater Undetermined Role Season 4 Episode 36: 'The Last Stop'1952 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Undetermined Role Season 1 Episode 40: 'The House of Death'1952 Cavalcade of America Lt. Allen Season 1 Episode 2: 'All's Well With Lydia'1953 Cavalcade of America Undetermined Role Season 2 Episode 1: 'Sam and the Whale'1953 Cavalcade of America Undetermined Role Season 2 Episode 2: 'The Stolen General'1953 Chevron Theatre Undetermined Role Season 2 Episode 6: 'Adventure in Java'1953 General Electric Theater Undetermined Role Season 1 Episode 4: 'Best Seller'1954 Cavalcade of America John Morley Season 2 Episode 21: 'The Splendid Dream'1955 TV Reader's Digest Undetermined Role Season 1 Episode 12: 'Incident on the China Coast'1955 Climax! Major Adams Season 1 Episode 29: 'To Wake at Midnight'1955 NBC Matinee Theater Undetermined Role Season 1 Episode 14: 'The Aspern Papers'1955 Jungle Jim Neil Croft Season 1 Episode 10: 'The Deadly Idol'1956 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Calender Season 1 Episode 31: 'The Gentleman From America'1956 Telephone Time Undetermined Role Season 1 Episode 7: 'Time Bomb'1956 General Electric Summer Originals Undetermined Role Season 1 Episode 2: 'Duel at Dawn'1958 Maverick Clayton Palmer Season 1 Episode 20: 'The Savage Hills'1958 77 Sunset Strip Martin Melville Season 1 Episode 2: 'Lovely Lady, Pity Me'