Editing Richard Todd (section)

==Career==
===Associated British Picture Corporation===
After the war, Todd was unsure what direction to take in his career. His former agent, Robert Lennard, had become a casting agent for [[Associated British Picture Corporation]] and advised him to try out for the Dundee Repertory Company. Todd did so, performing in plays such as ''Claudia'', where he appeared with Catherine Grant-Bogle, who became his first wife. Lennard arranged for a screen test and Associated British offered him a seven year contract in 1948. Todd was cast in the lead in ''[[For Them That Trespass]]'' (1949), directed by [[Alberto Cavalcanti]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47223206 |title=Richard Todd is newest find for British films. |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] | date=9 July 1949 |access-date=25 July 2012 |page=38 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The film was a minor hit and Todd's career was launched.<ref>Nepean, E. (1957, Feb 09). Round the British studios. Picture show, 68, 11</ref>

Todd had appeared in the Dundee Repertory stage version of [[John Patrick (dramatist)|John Patrick]]'s play ''[[The Hasty Heart]]'', portraying the role of Yank and was chosen to appear in the 1948 London stage version of the play, this time in the leading role of Cpl. Lachlan McLachlan. This led to his being cast in that role in the [[The Hasty Heart|film adaptation of the play]], filmed in Britain, alongside [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Patricia Neal]] for [[Warner Bros.]] (which was a part owner of Associated British). Todd was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for the role in 1949.<ref name=caught>Todd, Richard. ''Caught in the Act'', Hutchinson, 1986 {{ISBN|0-09-163800-3}}</ref> He was also voted favourite British male film star in Britain's National Film Awards.
<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84371574 |title=Jean Simmons Named No. 1 British Film Star. |newspaper=[[Daily News (Perth, Western Australia)|The Daily News]] |location=Perth |date=22 April 1950 |access-date=18 December 2013 |page=5|edition=FIRST|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The film was the tenth most popular movie at the British box office in 1949.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49700937 |title=TOPS AT HOME. |newspaper=[[The Courier-Mail]] |location=Brisbane |date=31 December 1949 |access-date=24 April 2012 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Todd was now much in demand. He was lent to Constellation Films to appear in the thriller ''[[The Interrupted Journey]]'' (1949). [[Alfred Hitchcock]] then used him in ''[[Stage Fright (1950 film)|Stage Fright]]'' (1950), opposite [[Marlene Dietrich]] and [[Jane Wyman]] – Hitchcock's first British film since 1939. Associated British put him in the drama ''[[Portrait of Clare (film)|Portrait of Clare]]'' (1950), which did not perform well at the box office. Neither did ''[[Flesh and Blood (1951 film)|Flesh and Blood]]'' (1951) for London Films, in which Todd had a dual role. Director [[King Vidor]] offered Todd a lead in  ''[[Lightning Strikes Twice (1951 film)|Lightning Strikes Twice]]'' (1951), for Warners. Far more popular was ''[[The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men]]'' (1952), in which Todd played the title role for Walt Disney Productions.

Associated British put him in ''[[24 Hours of a Woman's Life]]'' (1952), with [[Merle Oberon]]. The Rank Organisation borrowed him for ''[[Venetian Bird]]'' (1952), directed by [[Ralph Thomas]]. Todd turned down the lead in ''[[The Red Beret]]'' because he disliked the script. Disney reunited the ''Robin Hood'' team in ''[[The Sword and the Rose]]'' (1953), with Todd as [[Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk]]. It was not as popular as ''Robin Hood'' in the U.S. but performed well in Europe. The same went for Disney's ''[[Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue]]'' (1953), in which Todd played the title role. Disney pulled back on making costume films as a result.<ref>Disney Reports Income Gain Los Angeles Times 4 June 1954: A7.</ref>

In 1953, he appeared in a [[Wuthering Heights (1953 TV play)|BBC television adaptation]] of the novel ''[[Wuthering Heights]]'' as Heathcliff. [[Nigel Kneale]], responsible for the adaptation, said the production came about purely because Todd had turned up at the BBC and told them that he would like to play Heathcliff for them. Kneale had only a week to write the script, as the broadcast was rushed into production.<ref name="kneale">{{cite book|last=Murray|first=Andy |title=Into the Unknown: The Fantastic Life of Nigel Kneale|type=paperback|year=2006|location=London|publisher=[[Headpress]]|isbn=978-1-900486-50-7|page=34}}</ref>

===20th Century Fox===
Todd's career received a boost when [[20th Century-Fox]] signed him to a non-exclusive contract and cast him as the United States Senate Chaplain [[Peter Marshall (preacher)|Peter Marshall]] in the [[A Man Called Peter|film version]] of [[Catherine Marshall]]'s best selling biography ''[[Peter Marshall (preacher)|A Man Called Peter]]'' (1955), which was a popular success.

Even more popular was ''[[The Dam Busters (film)|The Dam Busters]]'' (1955) in which Todd played [[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] [[Guy Gibson]]. This was the most successful film at the British box office in 1955<ref>"'The Dam Busters'." ''Times'' [London, England], 29 December 1955, p. 12, via ''The Times Digital Archive''. Retrieved: 11 July 2012.</ref>  and became the defining role of Todd's movie career.

The success of ''Man Called Peter'' led 20th Century Fox to offer Todd a four-picture contract. Associated British signed the actor to a new contract to make one film a year, but which enabled him to make "outside" movies. Todd's first film for Fox under the new deal was ''[[The Virgin Queen (1955 film)|The Virgin Queen]]'' (1955), playing [[Sir Walter Raleigh]] opposite [[Bette Davis]]' [[Queen Elizabeth I]]. It did not do as well as ''Peter''.<ref>Richard Todd INTERNATIONAL STAR: RICHARD TODD Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune 10 Apr 1955: h20.</ref> He agreed to appear in ''[[Loser Takes All (film)|Loser Takes All]]'' but had to pull out when that film was delayed.

In France, Todd played [[Axel von Fersen the Younger|Axel Fersen]] opposite [[Michèle Morgan]] in ''[[Marie Antoinette Queen of France]]'' (1956), which was popular in France but not widely seen elsewhere. Fox cast him in ''[[D-Day the Sixth of June]]'' (1956), opposite [[Robert Taylor (American actor)|Robert Taylor]], which was a mild success.

''[[Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst]]'' (1957) was an attempt to repeat the success of ''The Dam Busters'', with the same director (Michael Anderson) and Todd playing another real-life hero. It was popular in Britain but not on the scale of ''The Dam Busters''. He was [[Jean de Dunois|Dunois, Bastard of Orléans]] in ''[[Saint Joan (1957 film)|Saint Joan]]'' (1957), directed by [[Otto Preminger]].

''[[Chase a Crooked Shadow]]'' (1958) was a thriller with director Anderson for Associated British. ''[[Intent to Kill (1958 film)|Intent to Kill]]'' (1958) was another thriller, which he was forced to do under his contract with Fox. He returned to war films with ''[[Danger Within]]'' (1958), a POW story. Then there were more thrillers, with ''[[Never Let Go (1960 film)|Never Let Go]]'' (1960), directed by [[John Guillermin]] and co-starring [[Peter Sellers]] in a rare straight acting role; Todd gave what has been called one of his best performances.<ref name="ink">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=John Guillermin: Action Man|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/john-guillermin-action-man/|date=17 November 2020}}</ref>

Few of these films had been overly popular but Todd was still the top-billed star of ''[[The Long and the Short and the Tall (film)|The Long and the Short and the Tall]]'' (1961), with Laurence Harvey and Richard Harris, for Associated British. He tried comedy with ''[[Don't Bother to Knock (1961 film)|Don't Bother to Knock]]'' (1961), again for Associated British in conjunction with Todd's own company, Haileywood Films. This was followed by ''[[The Hellions (film)|The Hellions]]'' (1961), shot in South Africa.
===Decline as a star===
Todd's cinema career rapidly declined in the 1960s as the [[counter-culture]] movement in the arts became fashionable in Britain, with [[British New Wave|social-realist]] dramas commercially replacing the more middle-class orientated dramatic productions that Todd's performance character-type had previously excelled in.

''[[The Boys (1962 British film)|The Boys]]'' (1962) was a courtroom drama film in which Todd played the lead prosecuting barrister. He had a good part among the many stars in Fox's ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' (1962), playing British Major John Howard whom Todd knew during the airborne action just before and on D-Day as he, Lt. Richard Todd himself had actually taken part in the 1944 landings. (In an odd twist, another actor, [[Patrick Jordan]] played the role of Lt. Todd in the movie); this was his biggest hit for some time. He appeared in ''[[The Very Edge]]'' (1963), a thriller, then he played Harry Sanders in two films for [[Harry Alan Towers]]: ''[[Death Drums Along the River]]'' (1963) and ''[[Coast of Skeletons]]'' (1965). He also had a small role in Anderson's ''[[Operation Crossbow (film)|Operation Crossbow]]'' (1965).

In 1964. he was a member of the jury at the [[14th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale 1964">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1964/04_jury_1964/04_Jury_1964.html |title=Berlinale 1964: Juries |access-date=16 February 2010 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>

He had a supporting part in ''[[The Battle of the Villa Fiorita]]'' (1965) and the lead in ''[[The Love-Ins]]'' (1968).

Todd claims William Wyler offered him the lead in ''The Collector'' but the actor felt he was miscast and persuaded him not to cast him. "It was not the first time that I had talked myself out of a picture — there had been ''The Guns of Navarone'', ''League of Gentlemen'' and ''Ice Cold in Alex'' — but this latest stupidity of mine came when I desperately needed to make another important international film."<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Todd|title=In camera : an autobiography continued|year=1989|publisher=Hutchinson|url=https://archive.org/details/incameraautobiog0000rich/page/235/mode/1up?|page=235}}</ref>

===Later career===
In the 1970s, Todd gained new fans when he appeared as the reader for Radio Four's ''Morning Story''. In the 1980s, his distinctive voice was heard as narrator of ''Wings Over the World'', a 13-part documentary series about the history of aviation shown on Arts & Entertainment television. He appeared before the camera in the episode about the [[Lancaster bomber]]. Todd continued to act on television, including roles in ''[[Virtual Murder (TV series)|Virtual Murder]]''; ''[[Silent Witness]]'' and in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''[[Kinda (Doctor Who)|"Kinda"]]'' in 1982. In 1989, he appeared in the first episode of the sixth season of ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' in which he played Colonel Alex Schofield in the episode titled [[List of Murder, She Wrote episodes#Season 6 (1989–90)|"Appointment in Athens"]].

He formed Triumph Theatre Productions with [[Duncan Weldon (producer)|Duncan C. Weldon]] and Paul Elliott in the late 1960s. This company produced more than 100 plays, musicals and pantomimes all over the country; some of them starred Todd.

His acting career extended into his 80s, and he made several appearances in British shows such as ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' and ''[[The Royal]]''. He appeared in The Royal as Hugh Hurst, a retired solicitor, in the episode "Kiss and Tell" (2003); his last appearance in ''Heartbeat'' was as Major Harold Beecham in the 2007 episode [[Heartbeat (series 11–18)#Series 16 (2006–2007)|"Seeds of Destruction"]].

Richard Todd was appointed an Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in 1993.<ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?participantId=192516 TCM]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' on two occasions: in March 1960 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at the BBC's [[Lime Grove Studios]];{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} and in November 1988 when [[Michael Aspel]] surprised him on stage at the [[Theatre Royal Windsor]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Richard Todd appeared in the "Midsomer Murders" episode "Birds of Prey" (2003) as Charles Edmonton. In the episode, his character is killed by Dr. Naomi Sinclair. He dies after receiving a fatal injection while asleep.

===Unmade projects===
Todd was the first choice of author [[Ian Fleming]] to play [[James Bond]] in ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'', but a scheduling conflict gave the role to [[Sean Connery]]. In the 1960s, Todd unsuccessfully attempted to produce a film of Ian Fleming's ''[[The Diamond Smugglers]]''<ref name=caught/> and a television series based on true accounts of the [[Queen's Messenger]]s.<ref name=caught/> He was also announced for a proposed film about [[William Shakespeare]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55851326 |title=Hope tops list for popularity. |newspaper=[[The Mail (Adelaide)|The Mail]] |location=Adelaide |date=30 December 1950 |access-date=10 July 2012 |page=5 Supplement: Sunday Magazine |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In his book ''British Film Character Actors'' (1982), Terence Pettigrew described Todd as "an actor who made the most of what he had, which could be summed up as an inability to sit still while there was a horse to leap astride, a swollen river to swim or a tree to vanish into."