Sydney Tafler

Sydney Tafler (31 July 1916 – 8 November 1979) was an English actor who after having started his career on stage, was best remembered for numerous appearances in films and television from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Personal life Tafler was born into a Jewish family, the son of Eva (née Kosky) and Mark Tafler, an antique dealer. His sister, Hylda, married the film director Lewis Gilbert. Another sister, Sheila, was also an actress.

He was married to the actress Joy Shelton from 1941 until his death from cancer; they had three children – two sons, Jeremy and Jonathan, and a daughter, Jennifer, who became a child actress.

Career After two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Tafler first appeared on stage in London's West End in 1936, with Sir Seymour Hicks in The Man in Dress Clothes. From 1943 to 1946 he played many Shakespearean roles with the Old Vic company at the New Theatre. a role he'd already played in William Friedkin's 1968 film version alongside Robert Shaw and Patrick Magee. His last acting role was with his wife Joy in a 1979 tour of Barefoot in the Park.

On British television, he appeared alongside Sid James in Citizen James. His other television work included Angel Pavement, The Gentle Killers, The Infernal Machine, Focus, Dixon of Dock Green, Wodehouse Playhouse, and Hadleigh. He appeared in many films from 1947 to 1977, including The Lavender Hill Mob, The Sea Shall Not Have Them, and Alfie, frequently being directed by his brother-in-law Lewis Gilbert.

Tafler starred in several crime films for Anglo-Amalgamated such as Assassin for Hire.

He most commonly played spiv characters. One notable exception being the film Reach for the Sky (1956), in which he played the sympathetic prosthetics expert to Douglas Bader. There again, he appeared briefly in a dryly comic role as a uniformed policeman in the film The Cockleshell Heroes (also 1956). His film career ended with a featured role as the captain of the supertanker Liparus in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

Selected filmography Film

Cottage to Let (1941) as RAF Officer (uncredited) The Little Ballerina (1947) as (uncredited) It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) as Morry Hyams Uneasy Terms (1948) as Maysin London Belongs to Me (1948) as Nightclub Receptionist No Room at the Inn (1948) as Stranger The Monkey's Paw (1948) as The Dealer Broken Journey (1948), uncredited, final scene. Passport to Pimlico (1949) as Fred Cowan Dance Hall (1950) as Manager Once a Sinner (1950) as Jimmy Smart Assassin for Hire (1951) as Antonio Riccardi Scarlet Thread (1951) as Marcon The Galloping Major (1951) as Mr. Leon The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) as Clayton Chelsea Story (1951) as Fletcher Gilchrist Hotel Sahara (1951) as Corporal Pullar Mystery Junction (1951) as Larry Gordon Blind Man's Bluff (1952) as Rick Martin Secret People (1952) as Syd Burnett Wide Boy (1952) as Benny Emergency Call (1952) as Brett Time Gentlemen, Please! (1952) as Joseph Spink Venetian Bird (1952) as Boldesca The Floating Dutchman (1952) as Victor Skinner There Was a Young Lady (1953) as Johnny Johnny on the Run (1953) as Harry The Square Ring (1953) as 1st Wiseacre The Saint's Return (1953) as Max Lennar Operation Diplomat (1953) as Wade The Crowded Day (1954) as Alex The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954) as Cpl. Robb The Glass Cage (1955) as Rorke A Kid for Two Farthings (1955) as Madam Rita The Woman for Joe (1955) as Butch The Cockleshell Heroes (1955) as Policeman Dial 999 (1955) as Alf Cressett Guilty? as Camino The Long Arm (1956) as Stone Fire Maidens from Outer Space (1956) as Dr. Higgins Reach for the Sky (1956) as Robert Desoutter The Counterfeit Plan (1957) as Harry Flint Interpol (1957) as Curtis The Surgeon's Knife (1957) as Dr. Hearne Carve Her Name with Pride (1958) as Potter The Bank Raiders (1958) as Bernie Shelton Too Many Crooks (1959) as Solicitor The Crowning Touch (1959) as Joe Follow a Star (1959) as Pendlebury Tommy the Toreador (1959) as Ramon (uncredited) Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as First Workman Bottoms Up (1960) as Sid Biggs Let's Get Married (1960) as Pendle Light Up the Sky! (1960) as Ted Green Make Mine Mink (1960) as Lionel Spanager The Bulldog Breed (1960) as Speedboat Owner Five Golden Hours (1961) as Alfredo No Kidding (1961) as Mr. Rockbottom Carry On Regardless (1961) as Strip Club Manager A Weekend with Lulu (1961) as Stationmaster The 7th Dawn (1964) as Tom. Chief Petty Officer Promise Her Anything (1965) as Panel Participant Runaway Railway (1965) as Mr. Jones Alfie (1966) as Frank The Sandwich Man (1966) as First Fish Porter Berserk! (1967) as Harrison Liston The Birthday Party (1968) as Nat Goldberg The Adventurers (1970) as Col. Gutierrez The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) as Liparus captain

Television

Sunday-Night Theatre (1950–1957, 8 episodes) as Harry Soames / George Ware / Professor Frey / Alexander Lopakhin / Chauvelin / Petronius Arbiter / Dorn / Chauvelin Back to Methuselah (1952, 2 episodes) as Ghost of Cain / Cain Your Favorite Story (1953, 1 episode) ITV Play of the Week (1955, 1 episode) as Nacky Theatre Royal (1955, 1 episode) Angel Pavement (1957–1958, 4 episodes) as Mr. Golspie Educated Evans (1957, 1 episode) as Morry Green The Gentle Killers (1957, 6 episodes) ITV Television Playhouse (1957–1960, 3 episodes) as Gregor / Charlie / Landrieu East End, West End (1958, 1 episode) Dick and the Duchess (1958, 2 episodes) as Giuseppe Theatre Night (1958, 1 episode) as Pedro Juarez Dial 999, ( including the 'Night Mail', and 'The Big Fish', episodes, plus one more)-(1958–1959, 3 episodes) as Pete / Smiler Harris / Mick Coletta Alfred Marks Time (1959, 1 episode) Playhouse 90 (1959, 1 episode) as Club Manager The Third Man (1959–1962, 2 episodes) as George Freeman / Colonel Abu Said Whack-O! (1959, 1 episode) as Harrison Jessel Glencannon (1959, 1 episode) as Mr. Daninds Citizen James (1960–1962, 31 episodes) as Charlie Davenport Boyd Q.C. (1960, 1 episode) as De Viani The Larkins (1960, 1 episode) as Sidney Foskett Knight Errant Limited (1960, 1 episode) as Angelo Broza Danger Man (1960, 1 episode) as Mikhail Radek A Christmas Night with the Stars (1960, 1 episode) as Charlie Davenport – with Sid James No Hiding Place (1961–1965, 3 episodes) as Marty Cook / Charlie Monkton / Lew Hemming The Arthur Askey Show (1961, 2 episodes) as Oscar Lamouche Three Live Wires (1961, 1 episode) Hamlet (1961, 5 episodes) as Claudius Here's Harry (1961, 1 episode) Deadline Midnight (1961, 1 episode) as Bluey Roxon Comedy Playhouse (1962, 1 episode) as Lionel Z-Cars (1963–1974, 5 episodes) as Ray Dawson / Willy Tyndale / Wasilewski / Ray Dawson / Oliver Snow A World of His Own (1964, 1 episode) Gideon's Way (1964, 1 episode) as Gabriel Lyon Dixon of Dock Green (1964–1969, 3 episodes) as Mr. Green / Peter Cassidy / Ralph Edwards Front Page Story (1965, 1 episode) as Waterman A Slight Case of... (1965, 1 episode) Theatre 625 (1966, 2 episodes) as Shamrayef / Finkelstein The Wednesday Play (1966–1970, 2 episodes) as Blaustein / Arthur Bradshaw Sam and Janet (1967, 1 episode) as Mr. Spalding The World of Wooster (1967, 1 episode) as Jas. Waterbury Man in a Suitcase (1968, 1 episode) as Reynolds The Ugliest Girl in Town (1968, 1 episode) as Bert Pooley Me Mammy (1969, 1 episode) as Sir Gerald Bronstein Hadleigh (1969, 1 episode) as Zinneman Coronation Street (1969, 2 episodes) as Mr. Maddox-Smith W. Somerset Maugham (1970, 1 episode) as Sir Adolphus Bland Misleading Cases (1971, 1 episode) as Mr. Benkle Alexander the Greatest (1971–1972, 13 episodes) as Joe Green The Adventurer (1973, 1 episode) as Wyvern Love Story (1973, 1 episode) as Mr. Miller Van der Valk (1973, 3 episodes) as Halsbeek Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973, 1 episode) as Lockwood Play for Today (1973–1977, 2 episodes) as Harry Perlman / Mr. Crowley Vienna 1900 (1974, 1 episode) as Herr Klingemann Marked Personal (1974, 1 episode) as Cartwright Village Hall (1974, 1 episode) as Arthur Bolton Churchill's People (1975, 1 episode) as Haskelot Crown Court (1975, 1 episode) as Harry Simons The Sweeney (1975, 1 episode) as Manny Bellow Wodehouse Playhouse (1975–1976, 2 episodes) as Isadore Q. Fishbein Yes, Honestly (1976, 1 episode) as Harry Burton Survivors (1976, 2 episodes) as Manny Victorian Scandals (1976, 1 episode) as Achille Fould Thriller (1976, 1 episode) as Sam Meadows Do You Remember? (1978, 1 episode) as Ambrose Solto Devenish (1978, 1 episode) as Sidney Bloom Potter (1979, 1 episode) as Harry Tooms Cannon and Ball (1979, 1 episode) as The Agent BBC2 Playhouse (1980, 1 episode) as Kugelmann The Enigma Files (1980, 1 episode) as Solly King (final appearance)