Patrick Holt

Biography

Born Patrick G. Parsons, Holt spent some of his childhood in India with his uncle, after which he was sent to Christ's Hospital, a famous charity school in Britain. Here he formed a close friendship with a boy in the same boarding house, the future film star Michael Wilding.

He started his acting career in repertory theatres, and in 1939, landed a leading part on the London stage, but when the Second World War broke out he joined the army. His army service saw him in Burma, Singapore and India, often on secret missions behind enemy lines, and he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After the war, he joined the J. Arthur Rank charm school and after supporting roles in films such as Hungry Hill, Frieda and The October Man (all 1947), steadily established himself as a lead actor in films of the late 1940s, including The Mark of Cain (1947), My Sister and I (1948), Portrait from Life, Marry Me and A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (all 1949).

His leading man status in prestige films was brief and he found himself as the star of 'B' movies during the fifties and early sixties, with the film writer David Quinlan calling him "the Dennis Price of the B film." These second features included Guilt Is My Shadow (1950), Stolen Assignment (1955), Miss Tulip Stays the Night (1955) and Suspended Alibi (1957), with his final lead roles coming in the 1962 films Serena, Flight from Singapore and Night of the Prowler. During this period he also took on supporting roles in bigger budget movies such as Ivanhoe (1952) and I Was Monty's Double (1958).

He was one of many leading men and women of the 1950s who struggled to maintain their status as leads beyond the early 1960s. However, by evolving into a character actor, he sustained his career into old age, working on stage and television as well as in the cinema, and he was still listed in the Spotlight casting directory at the time of his death. Later film appearances include Guns at Batasi (1964), Thunderball (1965), Young Winston (1972) and The Wild Geese (1978), while television included The Avengers, The Saint, Dixon of Dock Green, Armchair Theatre, Crown Court, Survivors and Poldark.

Personal life

His first wife was the actress Sonia Holm. In 1954, he married Sandra Dorne, with whom he had occasionally co-starred.