Richard Vernon Biography

Richard Vernon (7 March 1925 " 4 December 1997) was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled in to playing archetypal middle-aged lords and military types while still in his 30s.

Early life

He was educated at Reading School and Leighton Park School (both in Reading, Berkshire) and during World War II served in the Royal Navy. Vernon trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

In 1960, Vernon appeared in an adaptation of A.J. Cronin's novel, The Citadel. An early leading role was as wartime agent-turned-criminologist Edwin Oldenshaw in the TV series The Man in Room 17 (1965"66) and its sequel The Fellows (1967). He also played a small role as Colonel Smithers opposite Sean Connery in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger around a dinner table when they are discussing how Auric Goldfinger transports his gold overseas.

He is remembered for his parts as the unnamed 'city gent' reluctantly sharing a train compartment with the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night, the planetary designer Slartibartfast (designer of fjords) in the BBC radio and TV series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as Sir James Greenley ("C") in The Sandbaggers, as Lord Salisbury in Edward the Seventh, as Major Toby Smith-Barton in The Duchess of Duke Street, as the Duke of Broughton in Nanny, as the occasional character Sir Desmond Glazebrook in the TV series Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, and his role as Mr Becket in Sammy's Super T-Shirt. He also appeared in the 1965 Morecambe and Wise film The Intelligence Men as patron of the arts Sir Edward Seabrook, Lord Bartelsham in Ripping Yarns, and Squire Dale in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Small House at Allington. He played Admiral Croft in the 1971 BBC television adaptation of Persuasion. In 1986 he appeared in Paradise Postponed. He also appeared in the final episode of the BBC's television production of Rumpole of the Bailey (1992) as Rumpole's exculpatory dentist, Lionel Leering, and in the last series of Lovejoy (1994,) playing Tinker's brother-in-law.

On radio, in 1978 he played Sir Gerald Tarrant in a BBC World Service adaptation of the Modesty Blaise book Last Day in Limbo. He also starred in the title role of Lord Emsworth in several BBC Radio 4 series of Blandings between 1985 and 1992.

His final film appearance was a cameo at the end of the family film Loch Ness, which was released in 1996.

He died of Parkinson's disease on 4 December 1997.

Filmography

• Stop Press Girl (1949)
• Indiscreet (1958)
• The Heart of a Man (1959)
• The Siege of Pinchgut (1959)
• Foxhole in Cairo (1960)
• Village of the Damned (1960)
• Cash on Demand (1961)
• We Joined the Navy (1962)
• Reach for Glory (1962)
• Just for Fun (1963)
• The Servant (1963)
• Hot Enough for June (1964)
• A Hard Day's Night (1964)
• Goldfinger (1964)
• The Counterfeit Constable (1964) (French title: Allez France!)
• The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
• The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
• The Intelligence Men (1965)
• The Secret of My Success (1965)
• The Early Bird (1965)
• One Brief Summer (1970)
• Song of Norway (1970)
• She'll Follow You Anywhere (1971)
• Persuasion (1971)
• Upstairs, Downstairs (TV) (1973)
• Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976)
• The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
• Sammy's Super T-Shirt (1978)
• The Human Factor (1979)
• The Box (1981)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
• Evil Under the Sun (1982)
• Gandhi (1982)
• Night Train to Murder (1983)
• Lady Jane (1986)
• A Month in the Country (1987)
• Loch Ness (1996) (cameo)