Michael Balfour

Michael Creighton Balfour (11 February 1918 – 24 October 1997) was an English actor, working mainly in British films and TV, following his TV debut in the BBC's The Marvellous History of St Bernard, in 1938. He was a recognisable face, often in small character parts and supporting roles, in nearly two hundred films and TV shows, from the 1940s to the 1990s, often playing comical heavies or otherwise shady characters notable for their "loud" clothes, sometimes convincingly cast as an American.

He worked for a roll call of film directors, including Tony Richardson, Pete Walker, Billy Wilder, Lewis Gilbert, Roman Polanski, Leslie Norman, Tim Burton, John Frankenheimer, François Truffaut, John Gilling, Stanley Donen, Ken Annakin, Cavalcanti, Lance Comfort, Terence Young, Gerald Thomas, Pasolini, John Paddy Carstairs, Terence Fisher, Val Guest, Frank Launder, John Huston, Basil Dearden and Howard Hawks.

Balfour had parts in many popular TV shows of the era including Department S, Educated Evans, Mess Mates, Danger Man, The Avengers, Hancock's Half Hour, Dixon of Dock Green, Rogue's Gallery, Z-Cars, The Onedin Line, and the detective drama The Vise, playing Saber's assistant Barney O'Keefe, and Strange Experiences. His son later became a circus manager.

As well as performing, Balfour was a dedicated painter and sculptor, and in later years turned increasingly to sculpture and the arts, even running his own gallery for a while.

Selected filmography

Just William's Luck (1948) as Jenks No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948) as Barney Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948) as Spiegel (uncredited) Woman Hater (1948) as Reporter (uncredited) The Small Voice (1948) as Frankie William Comes to Town (1948) as Stall-holder Stop Press Girl (1949) as Crook (uncredited) Don't Ever Leave Me (1949) as Jim Kennedy Helter Skelter (1949) as Barman (uncredited) Melody Club (1949) as Max Obsession (1949) as American sailor I Was a Male War Bride (1949) as Male Billet Sergeant (uncredited) Prelude to Fame (1950) as Lucio Cage of Gold (1950) as American Soldier (uncredited) Her Favourite Husband (1950) as Pete Blackout (1950) as Tom (uncredited) The Quiet Woman (1951) as Lefty A Case for PC 49 (1951) as Chubby Price 13 East Street (1952) as Joey Long Venetian Bird (1952) as Moretto Top Secret (1952) as Jersey Sailor Moulin Rouge (1952) as Dodo (uncredited) Hot Ice (1952) as Jacobson Three Steps to the Gallows (1953) as Carter – boxing fan Genevieve (1953) as Trumpeter (uncredited) The Steel Key (1953) as Sailor (uncredited) The Captain's Paradise (1953) as Customs official No. 2 Johnny on the Run (1953) as Fingers The Red Beret (1953) as American Sergeant Recoil (1953) as Parkes Park Plaza 605 (1953) as Ted Birston Three's Company (1953) as The Drunk (segment "Take a Number' story) Albert R.N. (1953) as Hank Black 13 (1953) as Joe Small Town Story (1953) as Turner (uncredited) Love in Pawn (1953) as Alaric Escape by Night (1953) as Bearded Reporter (uncredited) River Beat (1954) as Adams The Diamond (1954) as Hoxie The Scarlet Web (1954) as Coffee Stallkeeper (uncredited) Delayed Action (1954) as Honey The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954) as Bus Driver (uncredited) The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954) as Dray Devil's Point (1954) as Bennett, short henchman Impulse (1954) as Sailor (uncredited) Delavine Affair (1955) as Sammy One Good Turn (1955) as Boxing Booth Spectator (uncredited) The Gilded Cage (1955) as USAF staff (uncredited) Track the Man Down (1955) (uncredited) Barbados Quest (1955) as Barney Wilson Reluctant Bride (1955) as Boxer Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955) as Stage Doorman Secret Venture (1955) as Stevens It's a Great Day (1956) as Charlie Mead's Mate The Secret of the Forest (1956) as Len Reach for the Sky (1956) as Orderly (uncredited) Breakaway (1956) as Barney The Big Money (1956) as 'Wilberforce' Hour of Decision (1957) as Barman Quatermass 2 (1957) as Harry The Steel Bayonet (1957) as Pvt. Thomas Light Fingers (1957) as The Major Man from Tangier (1957) as Spade Murphy Fiend Without a Face (1958) as Sgt. Kasper Look Back in Anger (1959) as Picky Shopper (uncredited) The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) as Drunken Sailor Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as Able Seaman – Lookout on 'Suffolk' (uncredited) Carry On Constable (1960) as Matt Too Hot to Handle (1960) as Tourist guide Make Mine Mink (1960) as Rowson's Butler Surprise Package (1960) as Oscar (uncredited) The Hellfire Club (1961) as John – Juggler (uncredited) The Monster of Highgate Ponds (1961) as Bert The Treasure of Monte Cristo (1961) as Pepe Pit of Darkness (1961) as Fisher Design for Loving (1962) as Bernie She Always Gets Their Man (1962) as Runkle The Fast Lady (1962) as Bandit #2 The Rescue Squad (1963) as Barrow-Boy Echo of Diana (1963) as Newsagent A Stitch in Time (1963) as Workman with Mallet (uncredited) Five Have a Mystery to Solve (1964) as Emilio The Sicilians (1964) as Stage Door Keeper Strangler's Web (1965) as John Vichelski The Sandwich Man (1966) as Workman (uncredited) Kaleidoscope (1966) as Poker Player #4 Where the Bullets Fly (1966) as Band Leader Fahrenheit 451 (1966) as Book Person: Machiavelli's 'The Prince' (uncredited) Press for Time (1966) as Sewerman Trouble with Junia (1967) as Joe Pennyworth Department S (1968) as Eccles The Fixer (1968) as Boatman (uncredited) The Oblong Box (1969) as Ruddock Hoverbug (1969) as Mr. Gutteridge The Adventurers (1970) as Detective The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) as Cabby Macbeth (1971) as First Murderer Man of Violence (1971) as Cafe Owner All Coppers Are... (1972) as Heart Attack Victim (uncredited) The Canterbury Tales (1972) as The Carpenter (segment the Miller's Tale) Wreck Raisers (1972) as Mr. Trevor The Copter Kids (1976) as Benny Baker Joseph Andrews (1977) as Ruffian Come Play with Me (1977) as Nosher Candleshoe (1977) as Mr. McCress The Stick Up (1977) as Sam The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) as Luger The Holcroft Covenant (1985) as Hard Hat Batman (1989) as Axis Chemicals scientist The Krays (1990) as Referee Revenge of Billy the Kid (1992) as Gyles MacDonald (final film role)