Michael Wilding

Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he also made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, Under Capricorn and Stage Fright (1950); and he guest starred on Hitchcock's TV show in 1963. He was married four times, including to Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he had two sons.

Biography Born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, and educated at Christ's Hospital, Wilding left home at age 17 and trained as a commercial artist. He went to Europe when he was 20 and supported himself in Europe by doing sketches. He wanted to get into designing sets for films and approached a London film studio in 1933 looking for work. They invited him to come to work as an extra.

Acting career Wilding appeared as an extra in British films such as Bitter Sweet (1933), Heads We Go (1933), and Channel Crossing (1933). He caught the acting bug and decided to make it a career. He reportedly appeared in an Austrian film called Pastorale. The plays included Personal Appearance, Victoria Regina, Tonight at Eight Thirty and George and Margaret. While in Australia he filmed a prologue for Personal Appearance.

Back in England he appeared in the first Gate Revue, then followed this with another revue, Let's Face It and a pantomime, Who's Taking Liberty. Director Alfred Hitchcock then cast him in two consecutive films that he produced through his own film production company Transatlantic Pictures (distributed through Warner Brothers Pictures). The first, Under Capricorn (released in 1949), in which he played opposite Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten, was shot mostly in London but had final retakes and overdubs filmed in Hollywood. It was one of Hitchcock's few flops. His second film for Hitchcock was the more popular Stage Fright (released in 1950), also filmed in London, with Marlene Dietrich and Jane Wyman. Thirteen years later, in 1963, Wilding starred in an Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode titled "Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans".

Wilcox used him in a film without Neagle, Into the Blue (1950) and the public response was considerably less enthusiastic than for the films they made together. He put Anouk Aimée under personal contract and announced plans to make a movie together but none resulted.

Hollywood MGM made an offer for Wilding to appear opposite Greer Garson in The Law and the Lady (1951); the film was not a success. He returned to Britain for The Lady with a Lamp (1951), a biopic of Florence Nightingale with Neagle and Wilcox. It was popular in Britain, though less so than their earlier collaborations.

So too was Derby Day (1952), the last Neagle–Wilding collaboration. Wilcox tried Wilding with a new star, Margaret Lockwood, in Trent's Last Case (1952), a minor hit. In 1952 British exhibitors voted him the fourth most popular star at the local box office.

In May 1952, Wilding signed a long-term contract with MGM. He turned down a role in MGM's Latin Lovers, and the studio put him under suspension.

In Hollywood, Wilding supported Joan Crawford in MGM's Torch Song (1953). 20th Century Fox borrowed him to play a pharaoh in its big-budget spectacular, The Egyptian (1954), which was a box-office disappointment.

At MGM, he was Prince Charming to Leslie Caron's Cinderella in The Glass Slipper (1955), and Major John André in The Scarlet Coat (1956).

Supporting actor Wilding journeyed with Taylor to Africa to appear in Zarak (1956) for Warwick Films, after which his marriage to Taylor ended. He began appearing regularly on U.S. television, including the title role in the 1957 episode "The Trial of Colonel Blood" of NBC's anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show.

He had some roles in Danger Within (1959), a POW movie; The World of Suzie Wong (1960); The Naked Edge (1961); The Best of Enemies (1961); and A Girl Named Tamiko (1962).

Final films His last roles included The Sweet Ride (1968) and Waterloo (1970).

His last appearance in a feature was in a cameo in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), which co-starred his last wife, Margaret Leighton. His last role was in the TV movie Frankenstein: The True Story (1973).

Box-office ranking At the peak of his career, British exhibitors voted him among the most popular stars in the country:

1947—seventh most popular British star 1948—fifth most popular star 1949—second most popular star 1950—sixth most popular British star 1951—tenth most popular star 1952 fourth most popular British star Elizabeth Taylor (married February 1952, separated July 1956, divorced January 1957); Susan Nell (married February 1958, divorced July 1962); and Margaret Leighton (married from July 1964 until her death in January 1976).

He and Taylor, who was 20 years his junior, had two sons, Michael Howard (born 6 January 1953) and Christopher Edward (born 27 February 1955). In 1957, he had a short-lived romance with actress Marie McDonald, who was nicknamed The Body.

In the 1960s, he was forced to cut back on his film appearances because of illness related to his lifelong epilepsy.

Death Wilding died on 8 July 1979 in Chichester, West Sussex, as a result of head injuries from a fall down a flight of stairs during an epileptic seizure. His remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1933 Bitter Sweet Extra Uncredited Heads We Go Minor Role Uncredited Channel Crossing Passenger Boarding Ferry Uncredited 1935 Late Extra Newspaper Telephone Operator Uncredited1936 When Knights Were Bold Soldier Uncredited Wedding Group Dr. Hutherford 1939 There Ain't No Justice Len Charteris 1940 Convoy Dot Tilly of Bloomsbury Percy Welwyn Sailors Three Johnny Wilding Sailors Don't Care Dick 1941 Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light Officer #2 Spring Meeting Tony Fox-Collier The Farmer's Wife Richard Coaker Kipps Ronnie Walshingham Cottage to Let Alan Trently 1942 Ships with Wings Lieutenant David Grant The Big Blockade Captain Uncredited In Which We Serve Flags Secret Mission Private Nobby Clark 1943 Undercover Constantine Dear Octopus Nicholas Randolph 1944 English Without Tears Tom Gilbey 1946 Piccadilly Incident Capt. (later Major) Alan Pearson Carnival Maurice Avery 1947 The Courtneys of Curzon Street Sir Edward Courtney An Ideal Husband Viscount Arthur Goring 1948 Spring in Park Lane Richard 1949 Maytime in Mayfair Michael Gore-Brown Under Capricorn Honorable Charles Adare 1950 Stage Fright Detective Inspector Wilfred 'Ordinary' Smith Into the Blue Nicholas Foster 1951 The Law and the Lady Nigel Duxbury / Lord Henry Minden aka Hoskins The Lady with a Lamp Sidney Herbert / Lord Herbert of Lea 1952 Derby Day David Scott Trent's Last Case Philip Trent 1953 Torch Song Tye Graham 1954 The Egyptian Akhnaton 1955 The Glass Slipper Prince Charming The Scarlet Coat Major John Andre 1956 Zarak Major Michael Ingram 1959 Danger Within Major Charles Marquand 1960 The World of Suzie Wong Ben Marlowe 1961 The Naked Edge Morris Brooke The Best of Enemies Burke 1962 A Girl Named Tamiko Nigel Costairs 1968 Code Name: Red Roses English General The Sweet Ride Mr. Cartwright 1970 Waterloo Sir William Ponsonby 1972 Lady Caroline Lamb Lord Holland

Television Year Title Role Other notes 1956 Screen Directors Playhouse David Scott Episode: The Carroll Formula 1955–1956 The 20th Century Fox Hour Robert Marryot Captain Robert Wilton Episode: Cavalcade Episode: Stranger in the Night 1957 The Joseph Cotten Show Colonel Blood Episode: The Trial of Colonel Blood1958 Climax! Lieutenant MacKenzie Barton Episode: The Volcano Seat (1) Episode: The Volcano Seat (2) Target Episode: The Clean Kill 1959 Lux Playhouse Stephen MacIllroy Episode: The Case of the Two Sisters 1958–1959 Playhouse 90 Sir John Alexander Chris Hughes Episode: Verdict of Three Episode: Dark as the Night 1962 Saints and Sinners Sir Robert Episode: A Night of Horns and Bells1963 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour David Saunders Episode: Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans Burke's Law Dr. Alex Steiner Episode: Who Killed Sweet Betsy?1966 The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Franz Joseph Episode: The Lethal Eagle Affair Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Major Tucker Episode: The Fatal Mistake 1968 Mannix Phillip Montford/Sir Arnold Salt Episode: A View of Nowhere 1973 Frankenstein: The True Story Sir Richard Fanshawe TV film, (final film role)