Ernest Clark

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For other people named Ernest Clark, see Ernest Clark (disambiguation).

Ernest Clark
Born(1912-02-12)12 February 1912
Maida Vale, London, England
Died11 November 1994(1994-11-11) (aged 82)
Hinton St. George, Somerset, England
Years active1937–1994
Spouse(s)Rosamond Burne m.1940-? (divorced)
Avril Hillyer m.1954-? (divorced)
Julia Lockwood m.1972–1994 (his death) (4 children)
Children4
AwardsMilitary Cross

Ernest Clark MC (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film.[1][2]

Early life[edit]

Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving school he became a reporter on a local newspaper in Croydon.[3] He had always wanted to be an actor and when offered a job with the local rep, he took it and apart from six years in the army during World War II, he remained in the profession.

Career[edit]

His first stage appearance was at the Festival Theatre, Cambridge in 1937, and he went on to appear in plays at both the West End in London, and Broadway in New York.[4][5]

In 1955 he appeared on stage in Witness for the Prosecution at Henry Miller's Theatre in New York City, and on film as Air Vice-Marshal The Honourable Ralph Cochrane AFC RAF, AOC, No. 5 Group RAF in The Dam Busters (1955).[6][7]

He is perhaps best remembered for his role as the irascible Professor Geoffrey Loftus in the television comedy series Doctor in the House and its sequels, apart from Doctor at Sea, in which he appeared as Captain Norman Loftus (the brother of Professor Loftus).[3][8][9] He also appeared as the Dean in the BBC sitcom All Gas and Gaiters (1967–71).[10]

Clark was president of the actors' trade union Equity from 1969 to 1973.

Personal life[edit]

He married three times: one of his wives was actress Avril Hillyer, the first two marriages were dissolved.[11] His third marriage, from 1972 until his death, was to Julia Lockwood (née Margaret Julia Leon in 1941), the actress daughter of the British film star Margaret Lockwood, with whom he had four children, Timothy, Nicholas, Lucy and Katharine.[4][12] He died 11 November 1994 in Hinton St. George, Somerset, aged 82.[2]

Filmography[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ernest Clark | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  2. ^ a b "Ernest Clark". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Ernest Clark | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  4. ^ a b McFarlane, Brian (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781526111975 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Ernest Clark – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". Internet Broadway Database.
  6. ^ "Witness for the Prosecution – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". Internet Broadway Database.
  7. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Dam Busters, The (1955) Credits". screenonline.org.uk.
  8. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Doctor in the House cast and crew credits". British Comedy Guide.
  9. ^ "Physician Heal Thyself (1974)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019.
  10. ^ "All Gas and Gaiters". BBC.
  11. ^ Maxford, Howard (25 October 2018). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. McFarland. ISBN 9781476670072 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Hayward, Anthony (5 April 2019). "Julia Lockwood obituary". The Guardian.
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