Edmund Willard


Edmund Willard was a British actor of the 1930s and 1940s.
Born in Brighton, Sussex in 1884, the nephew of Victorian era actor Edward Smith Willard, in 1920 Willard appeared in the plays of William Shakespeare at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. He appeared in Hamlet, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, Richard III, and The Taming of the Shrew.
Willard's first film role was as the Fourth Party in A Window in Piccadilly. His other film appearances include The Private Life of Don Juan with Douglas Fairbanks and Merle Oberon, The [Scarlet Pimpernel (1934 film)|The Scarlet Pimpernel] with Leslie Howard and Raymond Massey, The Mystery of the Mary Celeste with Bela Lugosi, Van Zeeland in Rembrandt with Charles Laughton and Gertrude Lawrence, the Chief Steward in Underneath the Arches with Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen and The Crazy Gang, the Chief of German Intelligence in Dark Journey with Vivien Leigh and Conrad Veidt, Hoots Mon! with Max Miller, Penn of Pennsylvania with Clifford Evans and Deborah Kerr, and The Young Mr. Pitt with Robert Donat and Robert Morley.
His television roles included appearances in Fabian of the Yard, The Errol Flynn Theatre and The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Willard married Mabel Theresa Tebbs in 1907 at Steyning in Sussex. They had a daughter, the children's author Barbara Willard, and a son, Christopher Willard.
Edmund Willard died in 1956 in Kingston, London, aged 71.

Partial filmography

The Green Orchard - Tony RyeA Window in Piccadilly - The Fourth PartyCape Forlorn - Henry CassA Night in Montmartre - AlexandreThe Crooked Lady - Joseph GarstinRynox - Capt. JamesLa mille et deuxième nuit - The Sultan The Fear Ship - Jack ArkwrightThe Private Life of Don Juan - Prisoner The Iron Duke - Marshal NeyThe Scarlet Pimpernel - Bibot - Republican Officer William Tell - Walter FuerstHeat Wave - HoffmanMoscow Nights - Officer of ProsecutionThe Mystery of the Mary Celeste - Toby BilsonKing of the Damned - The GreekRoyal Eagle - BurnockRembrandt - Van ZeelandThe Mill on the Floss - Dark Journey - General Berlin of German IntelligenceUnderneath the Arches - Chief StewardFarewell Again - Pvt. WithersSmash and Grab - CappellanoMake It Three - Big EdThe Stars Look Down - Mr. RamageHoots Mon! - Sandy McBridePastor Hall - FreundlichAtlantic Ferry - Robert NapierPenn of Pennsylvania - Ship's CaptainThe Young Mr. Pitt - Minor Role Cardboard Cavalier - Oliver CromwellHelter Skelter - EzekialUp in the World - Judge