John Fraser

John Alexander Fraser (18 March 1931 – 7 November 2020) was a Scottish actor and author. He is best known for his performances in the films The Dam Busters, The Good Companions (1957), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), El Cid (1961), Repulsion (1965) and Isadora (1968).

Fraser received a BAFTA nomination for Best British Actor for his performance as Lord Alfred Douglas in The Trials of Oscar Wilde.

Career One of his earliest roles was as Inigo Jollifant in the second film version of J.B. Priestley's The Good Companions (1957). Later, Fraser had leading roles in films such as El Cid, Tunes of Glory, The Trials of Oscar Wilde (playing Lord Alfred Douglas), Roman Polanski's Repulsion, Isadora and Schizo.

He released several singles in the late 1950s.

In 2004, he published his autobiography, Close Up, in which he wrote frankly about his gay life and friendships. In the book, Fraser wrote that actor Laurence Harvey was gay and that his long-term lover was his manager James Woolf. Of Dirk Bogarde, Fraser wrote, "Dirk's life with [Anthony] Forwood had been so respectable, their love for each other so profound and so enduring, it would have been a glorious day for the pursuit of understanding and the promotion of tolerance if he had screwed up the courage ... to make one dignified allusion to his true nature. Self-love is no substitute for self-respect." and was survived by his partner of 42 years.

Selected filmography

Selected recordings 1957 - Bye Bye Love / Why Don't They Understand 1958 - Presenting John Fraser (EP) with Tony Osborne, the Beryl Stott Group, the Kim Drake Orchestra 1958 - Trolley Stop / Bye Bye Love with the Beryl Stott Group 1959 - Bye Bye Baby Goodbye 1960 - Jaula Dorada / Adios Adios Muchacha / Adios Amor / Por Que No Comprenden

Footnotes

Bibliography of works