Tripti Joshi (Editor)

John Longden

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Occupation
  
Actor

Spouse
  
Jean Jay (m. 1926–1971)

Role
  
Film actor


Name
  
John Longden

Years active
  
1926–1964

TV shows
  
Man from Interpol


Born
  
11 November 1900 (
1900-11-11
)
West Indies

Died
  
May 26, 1971, London, United Kingdom

Movies
  
Blackmail, Young and Innocent, Quatermass 2, The Skin Game, Juno and the Paycock

Similar People
  
Alma Reville, Val Guest, Edwin Greenwood, Anthony Hinds, Maurice Elvey

Sherlock holmes unsold tv pilot 1951 the man who disappeared w john longden


John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was a West Indian-born English film actor. He appeared in 84 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Contents

Biography

Longden was born in the West Indies, the son of a Methodist missionary, and was educated at Kingswood School, Bath, Somerset. Originally intending to be a mining engineer, he worked for two years in a coal mine in Yorkshire, where he started acting in amateur theatrical companies. An introduction to Seymour Hicks saw him start acting on the legitimate stage, beginning with a walk-on part in Old Bill, MP. He played in My Old Dutch with Albert Chevalier, then spent time with the Liverpool and Birmingham repertory theatres. He also appeared in The Farmer's Wife, produced by Barry Jackson at the Court Theatre in London for two years.

About this time Longden began to appear in silent films. He signed a contract with Gaumont British Pictures to write and act, earning a notable success with Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail (1929).

Australian interlude

Longden went out to Australia in 1933 to perform in several plays. While there he appeared in the film The Silence of Dean Maitland (1934) for Cinesound Productions.

The performance was so well received Longden made two more films for the same company, Thoroughbred (1936) and It Isn't Done (1937).

In 1934 it was announced that he was going to play the lead in an adaptation of Robbery Under Arms, but this film was never made. The same year Longden also announced he was going to act in and direct an Australian film called Highway Romance, about an English man and Australian girl travelling from Sydney to Brisbane. A company called Highway Productions was formed with a capital of £10,000 but no film resulted.

Later career

Longden returned to Britain where he continued to work steadily in theatre and film (including An Honourable Murder (1960), an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", in which he played tycoon 'Julian Caesar'). He appeared on several episodes of season one of The Adventures of Robin Hood playing various characters, and returned for one episode in season three. He died in London, 26 May 1971, aged 70.

Filmography

Actor
1965
Court Martial (TV Series) as
President of Court 1 / President of the Court
- Judge Them Gently (1966) - President of Court 1 (as John Longdon)
- Vengeance Is Mine (1965) - President of the Court
1964
Frozen Alive as
Prof. Hubbard
1964
Miss Adventure (TV Series) as
Carver
- Strangers in Paradise: Part 1 (1964) - Carver
1964
Espionage (TV Series) as
American Ambassador
- Final Decision (1964) - American Ambassador
1963
The Man Who Finally Died as
Munch (uncredited)
1960
BBC Sunday-Night Play (TV Series) as
The Passenger / Henry Burgess / Nigel Fergusson
- Night Express (1963) - The Passenger
- Centenary Year (1961) - Henry Burgess
- Summer Theatre: A Dream of Treason (1960) - Nigel Fergusson
1963
Z Cars (TV Series) as
Port Superintendent
- Scare (1963) - Port Superintendent
1963
Sword of Lancelot as
King Leodogran (uncredited)
1963
Television Club (TV Series) as
Clerk of the Court
- The Wade Family: Monday Morning (1963) - Clerk of the Court
1963
Ghost Squad (TV Series) as
Spencer Deedes
- Death of a Sportsman (1963) - Spencer Deedes
1962
Richard the Lionheart (TV Series) as
Sir Thomas
- Queen in Danger (1962) - Sir Thomas
- The Bride (1962) - Sir Thomas
- The Challenge (1962) - Sir Thomas
- The King's Champion (1962) - Sir Thomas
- The Pirate King (1962) - Sir Thomas
1961
So Evil, So Young as
Mr. Turner
1960
Emergency-Ward 10 (TV Series) as
J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.436 (1961) - J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.378 (1960) - J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.377 (1960) - J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.376 (1960) - J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.375 (1960) - J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.374 (1960) - J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.372 (1960) - J. Maxwell Rennie
- Episode #1.371 (1960) - J. Maxwell Rennie
1961
A Life of Bliss (TV Series) as
Mr. Tribe
- Episode #2.4 (1961) - Mr. Tribe
1961
Probation Officer (TV Series) as
Mr. Carter
- Episode #2.22 (1961) - Mr. Carter
1960
An Honourable Murder as
Julian Caesar
1960
Man from Interpol (TV Series) as
Supt. Mercer / Mercer
- All the Dead Were Harrisons (1960) - Mercer
- The Golden Shirri (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Big Racket (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Child of Eve (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- Multi-Murder (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- Latest Fashion in Crime (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- Death in Oils (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- My Brother's Keeper (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- A Man Alone (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- A Woman in Paris (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- Diplomatic Courier (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Last Words (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The International Diamond Incident (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Murder Racket (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Man Who Sold Hope (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Trap (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Doll Maker (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- Love by Extortion (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- Escape Route (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Key Witness (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- The Odds on Murder (1960) - Supt. Mercer
- A Nest of Vipers (1960) - Supt. Mercer
1960
Rendezvous (TV Series) as
Sampenza Tosca
- Next Time You'll See Venice (1960) - Sampenza Tosca
1960
On Trial (TV Series) as
Mr. Owen
- Horatio Bottomley, MP (1960) - Mr. Owen
1960
Interpol Calling (TV Series) as
Lord Ruskington / Police Chief
- The Absent Assassin (1960) - Lord Ruskington
- Payment in Advance (1960) - Police Chief (uncredited)
1955
The Vise (TV Series) as
Ross / Standish / Burgess / ...
- The Big Stone (1959) - Ross
- Platinum Murder (1959) - Standish
- Fire! (1959) - Burgess
- Weakness Doesn't Pay (1958) - Burton Pool (as John Longdon)
- A Coffin for Johnny (1958) - Durvey
- The Root of Evil (1957) - Wilson
- Short Cut to Murder (1957) - Richard
- Return to Danger (1956) - Burnaby
- Dead Man's Evidence (1955) - Inspector Cox
- The Corpse in Room Thirteen (1955)
- The Final Column (1955) - Albert Lake (as John Longdon)
- Count of Twelve (1955) - Simon Graves
1959
A Woman's Temptation as
Inspector Syms
1959
William Tell (TV Series) as
Reinhardt
- Undercover (1959) - Reinhardt
1959
The Bandit of Zhobe as
General (uncredited)
1951
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (TV Series) as
Dr. Kent O'Donnell / Egeus / John Bennett / ...
- No Deadly Medicine (1959) - Dr. Kent O'Donnell
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1958) - Egeus
- The Frog (1958) - John Bennett
- The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1958) - Captain Blakely
- The Public Prosecutor (1957) - Montané
- The Cold Light (1956) - Sir Elwin Ketterick
- Caesar's Wife (1951) - Sir Arthur Little
1957
White Hunter (TV Series) as
Brad Holt / Davidson
- The Girl Hunt (1958) - Brad Holt
- Brute Man (1957) - Davidson
1958
Television Playwright (TV Series) as
Arthur Hassall
- Hour of the Rat (1958) - Arthur Hassall
1958
African Patrol (TV Series) as
Walters
- Heart of Gold (1958) - Walters
- The Hunt (1958)
1958
ITV Play of the Week (TV Series) as
Mr. Sprock
- The Troublemakers (1958) - Mr. Sprock
1958
Sailor of Fortune (TV Series) as
Vice-Admiral
- The Deserted Yacht (1958) - Vice-Admiral
1958
Innocent Sinners as
Admiral (uncredited)
1958
The Man Who Sold Death (TV Movie) as
Sir Frank Egerton
1956
The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV Series) as
Hodges / Ned / Tailor / ...
- The Profiteer (1958) - Hodges
- The Thorkil Ghost (1956) - Ned
- The Traitor (1956) - Tailor
- Tables Turned (1956) - Count Leger
- Secret Mission (1956) - Wulfric (as John Longdon)
- The Byzantine Treasure (1956) - Archbishop
- The Wanderer (1956) - Sir Walter De Lys
- The May Queen (1956) - Lord Blackstone
- Children of the Greenwood (1956) - Walter Fitzurse
- Trial by Battle (1956) - Sir Gyles of Wren
- The Deserted Castle (1956) - Chambertin (as John Longdon)
- The Intruders (1956) - The Abbot
1957
Sword of Freedom (TV Series) as
Umberto
- The Value of Paper (1957) - Umberto
1957
Ordeal by Fire (TV Movie) as
De La Fayette
1957
Three Sundays to Live as
Warder
1957
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (TV Series) as
Philip Royce
- The Final Curtain (1957) - Philip Royce
1957
The Honourable Member (TV Movie) as
The Rt. Hon. Thomas Ackroyd
1957
Quatermass 2 as
Lomax (as John Longdon)
1957
ITV Television Playhouse (TV Series) as
Worthington
- Dangerous Cargo (1957) - Worthington
1956
The Light of Heart (TV Movie) as
Maddoc Thomas
1956
Nom-de-Plume (TV Series) as
The Author
- Well, He Was a Success (1956) - The Author
1956
Rheingold Theatre (TV Series) as
Mr. Campbell
- Guy in the Middle (1956) - Mr. Campbell
1956
The Count of Monte Cristo (TV Series) as
Marat
- Point, Counter Point (1956) - Marat
1956
Raiders of the River as
Professor Dykes
1955
Count of Twelve as
Simon Graves (episode "The Count of Twelve")
1955
Alias John Preston as
Richard Sandford
1955
PT Raiders as
The Detective
1954
Meet Mr. Callaghan as
Jeremy Meraulton
1954
Dangerous Cargo as
Worthington
1952
Chevron Theatre (TV Series)
- Venture in Ivory (1952)
1952
The Wallet as
Man With Pipe
1951
The Black Widow as
Mr. Kemp
1951
The Magic Box as
Speaker in Connaught Rooms
1951
Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Disappeared (TV Movie) as
Sherlock Holmes
1951
The Dark Light as
Stephen
1951
Pool of London as
Det. Insp. Williams
1950
The Lady Craved Excitement as
Inspector James
1949
Feature Story
1949
Buoyant Billions (TV Movie) as
Sir Ferdinand Flopper
1949
The Fighting Pimpernel as
The Abbot
1949
Now Barabbas as
Customs Officer (uncredited)
1949
Trapped by the Terror as
Pierre
1948
Bonnie Prince Charlie as
Col. O'Sullivan
1948
The Last Load as
Mr. Potter
1948
Anna Karenina as
Gen. Serpuhousky
1947
The Ghosts of Berkeley Square as
Mortimer Digby
1947
The Adventures of Dusty Bates as
Tod Jenkins
1947
A Cup of Kindness (TV Movie) as
Fred Tutt
1946
Stairway to Heaven as
Narrator of Introduction (voice, uncredited)
1943
Death by Design as
Inspector Slade
1943
Yellow Canary as
Officer (uncredited)
1943
The Silver Fleet as
Jost Meertens
1942
Post 23 (Short) as
Narrator
1942
Rose of Tralee as
Paddy O'Brien
1942
Unpublished Story as
Metcalf (uncredited)
1942
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing as
Ground Officer (uncredited)
1942
This Was Paris as
French Officer (uncredited)
1941
The Common Touch as
Stuart Gordon
1941
Old Mother Riley's Circus as
Bill
1941
Tower of Terror as
Commandant
1940
Blackout as
Passport Officer
1939
The Lion Has Wings as
Unnamed Character
1939
Goodbye, Mr. Chips as
Raven (uncredited)
1939
Jamaica Inn as
Captain Johnson (uncredited)
1939
Q Planes as
Peters (as John Longdon)
1938
Bad Boy as
Inspector Thompson
1938
The Phantom Strikes as
Inspector Bliss
1938
Dial 999 as
Bill Waring
1937
Little Miss Somebody as
Jim Trevor
1937
Jennifer Hale as
Police Inspector Merton
1937
French Leave as
Lt. Glennister
1937
It Isn't Done as
Peter Ashton
1937
Young and Innocent as
Det. Insp. Kent
1936
Thoroughbred as
Bill Peel
1934
The Silence of Dean Maitland as
Dean Cyril Maitland
1933
Born Lucky as
Frank Dale
1932
A Lucky Sweep as
Bill Higgins
1932
Murder on the Second Floor as
Warder Jackson
1931
Rynox as
Tony Benedik
1931
The Wickham Mystery as
Harry Crawford
1931
Hindle Wakes as
Boyfriend (uncredited)
1931
Two Crowded Hours (Short) as
Harry Fielding
1931
The Gaunt Stranger as
Inspector Wembury
1931
The Skin Game as
Charles Hornblower
1930
Children of Chance as
Geoffrey
1930
Two Worlds as
Lt. Stanislaus von Zaminsky (British Version)
1930
The Flame of Love as
Lieutenant Boris Borrisoff
1930
Elstree Calling
1929
Juno and the Paycock as
Charles Bentham
1929
Atlantic as
Lanchester
1929
Memories (Short)
1929
Blackmail as
Detective Frank Webber
1929
Piccadilly as
Man from China (uncredited)
1929
The Flying Squad as
Inspector John Bradley
1929
The Last Post as
David / Martin
1928
You Know What Sailors Are as
Undetermined Role (unconfirmed)
1928
What Money Can Buy as
Ralph Tresham
1928
Palais de danse as
No. 1
1928
Mademoiselle Parley Voo as
Le Beau - Illusionist
1927
Bright Young Things (Short) as
Jerry
1927
The Arcadians as
Jack Meadows
1927
Quinneys as
Joseph Quinney
1927
The Flight Commander as
Ivan
1927
The Glad Eye as
Floquet
1927
The House of Marney as
Richard
1926
The Ball of Fortune as
Daltry
Writer
1932
Come Into My Parlour
1928
Palais de danse (writer)
1928
Mademoiselle Parley Voo (writer)
1927
Quinneys (script)
Director
1932
Come Into My Parlour
Soundtrack
1929
Blackmail ("Sonny Boy" (1928), uncredited)
Self
1971
Yesterday's Witness (TV Series) as
Self - Interviewee
- The Talkies Come to Britain (1971) - Self - Interviewee
1959
Broad Waterways (Documentary short) as
Self - Narrator
Archive Footage
2022
My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock (Documentary) as
Self
2007
Anna May Wong, Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend (Documentary) as
Lieutenant Boris Borisoff (clip from Road to Dishonour (1930))
1997
Century of Cinema (TV Series documentary) as
Bill Peel / Dean Cyril Maitland
- 40,000 years of dreaming (1997) - Bill Peel / Dean Cyril Maitland
1995
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (TV Mini Series documentary) as
Self / Lanchester
- End of an Era (1995) - Self / Lanchester
1991
Robin Hood: The Movie (Video) as
Sir Gyles of the Wren
1977
To See Such Fun (Documentary) as
Self
1955
Final Column as
Albert Lake

References

John Longden Wikipedia