Editing Richard Todd

{{Short description|British actor (1919–2009)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Richard Todd
| honorific_suffix   = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| image              = Richard Todd - 1959.jpg
| caption            = Publicity photo of Todd, {{circa|1959}}
| birth_name         = Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd
| birth_place        = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| birth_date         = {{birth date|df=y|1919|06|11}}
| death_date         = {{death date and age|df=y|2009|12|03|1919|06|11}}
| death_place        = [[Grantham]], Lincolnshire, England
| burial_place       = St. Guthlac's Church, [[Little Ponton]], Lincolnshire, England
| alma_mater         = [[Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts]]<br/>[[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
| spouse             = {{marriage|Catherine Grant-Bogle|1949|1970|end=divorced}}<br /> {{marriage|Virginia Mailer|1970|1992|end=divorced}}
| occupation         = Actor
| partner            = Patricia Nelson
| children           = 5  
| module             = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes | allegiance = {{flagu|United Kingdom}} | branch = {{army|United Kingdom}} | serviceyears = 1941–1946 | servicenumber = 180649| unit = [[King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry]]<br/>[[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] | commands = | battles = Second World War
*[[Operation Tonga]]
*[[Operation Overlord]]
[[Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]]
| battles_label = | awards = | relations = | rank = Captain}}
}}

'''Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd''' (11 June 1919{{spaced ndash}}3 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his [[leading man]] roles of the 1950s. He received a [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male]], and an [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] nomination and a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor]] nomination for his performance as Corporal Lachlan MacLachlan in the 1949 film ''[[The Hasty Heart]]''. His other notable roles include Jonathan Cooper in ''[[Stage Fright (1950 film)|Stage Fright]]'' (1950), Wing Commander [[Guy Gibson]] in ''[[The Dam Busters (film)|The Dam Busters]]'' (1955), [[Sir Walter Raleigh]] in ''[[The Virgin Queen (1955 film)|The Virgin Queen]]'' (1955), and Major [[John Howard (British Army officer)|John Howard]] in [[The Longest Day (film)|''The Longest Day'']] (1962). He was previously a Captain in the [[British Army]] during the Second World War, fighting in the [[Normandy Landings|D-Day landings]] as a member of the [[7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Lieutenant Richard Todd|url=https://www.pegasusarchive.org/normandy/richard_todd.htm|access-date=2021-05-12|website=www.pegasusarchive.org}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
Richard Todd was born in [[Dublin]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8394812.stm |title=Dam Busters star Richard Todd dies aged 90 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |access-date=4 December 2009 |date=4 December 2009}}</ref> His father, [[Andrew Todd (rugby union)|Andrew William Palethorpe-Todd]], was an Irish physician and an international [[Ireland national rugby union team|Irish rugby]] player who gained three [[Cap (sport)|caps]] for his country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/106920.html |title=Varsity match venues, uncapped Barbarians... |publisher=scrum.com |access-date=17 February 2010}}</ref> Richard spent a few of his childhood years in [[British Raj|India]], where his father, an officer in the British Army, served as a physician.<ref name="Obit"/> Later his family moved to Devon, and Todd attended [[Shrewsbury School]].

Upon leaving school, Todd trained for a potential military career at [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|Sandhurst]] before beginning his acting training at the [[Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts|Italia Conti Academy]] in London. This change in career led to estrangement from his mother. When he learned at the age of 19 that she had committed suicide, he did not grieve long (or so he admitted in later life).<ref name="Obit">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/6743553/Richard-Todd.html |title=Richard Todd |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=6 December 2009 |access-date=13 December 2009}}</ref>

He first appeared professionally as an actor at the [[Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park]] in 1936 in a production of ''[[Twelfth Night]]''. He played in regional theatres and then co-founded the [[Dundee Repertory Theatre]] in Scotland in 1939. He also appeared as an extra in British films including ''[[Good Morning, Boys]]'' (1937), ''[[A Yank at Oxford]]'' (1938) and ''[[Old Bones of the River]]'' (1939).

== Military service ==
[[File:RichardTodd1944.jpeg|thumb|left|Lieutenants Tony Bowler (left) and Richard Todd of the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion in Wales prior to D-Day, 1944.]]

Todd enlisted soon after the outbreak of the Second World War, entering the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] in late 1939. On 29 January 1941, he was one of 26 cadets injured when 'D' Block of New College was hit by a German bomb in an attack by the [[Luftwaffe]]. In his memoirs, he describes seeing the bomb pass through the ceiling in front of him before he was blown out of the building by its blast, landing on a grass bank and suffering lacerations; five cadets were killed in the incident. Todd passed out (completed the course) in the spring of 1941.<ref name="Officers of the British Army">{{cite web|url=https://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_T01.html#Todd_RAP|title=British Army officer histories|publisher=Unit Histories|access-date=2022-07-30}}</ref> On the day he received his commission, he tried to join several friends at the [[Café de Paris (London)|Café de Paris]] in London, but could not get a table booked for the evening. That evening, the venue was destroyed in an air raid and 15 newly commissioned subalterns were killed.

[[File:Pegasus Bridge, June 1944 B5288.jpg|thumb|right|175px|[[Pegasus Bridge]], where Lieutenant Todd landed on D-Day, 6 June 1944.]]

He was commissioned into the 2nd/4th Battalion of the [[King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry]] (KOYLI). Following arctic warfare training in [[Iceland in World War II|Iceland]] he returned to the UK as a [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] (having been promoted to that rank on 1 October 1942).<ref name="Officers of the British Army" /> For a short while he was posted, at his request, as liaison officer to the [[42nd Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|42nd Armoured Division]] then applied to join the [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]] to have a better chance at seeing action. He was accepted and after training was posted to the [[7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion]], which formed part of the [[5th Parachute Brigade (United Kingdom)|5th Parachute Brigade]] of the [[6th Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|6th Airborne Division]], commanded by Major General [[Richard Gale (British Army officer)|Richard Gale]]. On 6 June 1944, he participated in [[Operation Tonga]] during the [[Normandy landings|D-Day landings]].<ref name="d-day">{{cite book|last=Ambrose|first=Stephen E.|title=Pegasus Bridge|url=https://archive.org/details/pegasusbridgejun00ambr|url-access=registration|year=1985 |orig-year=2003|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=London|isbn=978-0-7434-5068-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/pegasusbridgejun00ambr/page/105 105]}}</ref> He was among the first British soldiers to land in [[Normandy]] and the first Irishman.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Richardson|first=Neil|title=Extract: The story of an Irishman in WW II: Richard Todd – actor and soldier|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/extract-the-story-of-an-irishman-in-ww-ii-richard-todd-actor-and-soldier-668312-Nov2012/|access-date=2021-05-12|website=TheJournal.ie|date=11 November 2012 |language=en}}</ref> His battalion parachuted after glider-borne forces had landed to capture the [[Pegasus Bridge]] near [[Caen]].<ref name="d-day"/> During the operation he met Major [[John Howard (British Army officer)|John Howard]] on the bridge and was involved in helping to repulse counter-attacks by the German forces in the area. Five days after D-Day, while still in the bridge defence area, he was promoted to captain.<ref>Holland, James, Normandy '44, {{ISBN|9780552176118}}</ref><ref name="Officers of the British Army" /> Todd later played Howard in the 1962 film ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'', recreating these events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/extract-the-story-of-an-irishman-in-ww-ii-richard-todd-actor-and-soldier-668312-Nov2012/ |title=Extract: The story of an Irishman in WW II: Richard Todd – actor and soldier |publisher=The Journal |date=11 November 2012 |access-date=7 August 2019}}</ref>

After three months fighting in Normandy, the 6th Airborne Division returned to the UK to reconstitute and went back to the continent three months later as emergency reinforcements to halt the [[Battle of the Bulge]] the German offensive in the Ardennes. Short of transport as they advanced into Germany, Todd, as the motor transport officer, was responsible for gathering a rag-tag selection of commandeered vehicles to ferry troops forward. After VE day, the division returned to the UK for a few weeks, then was sent on counter-insurgency operations in [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]]. During this posting he was seriously injured when his [[Willys MB|Jeep]] overturned, breaking both shoulders and receiving a concussion. He returned to the UK to be demobilised in 1946.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Caught in the act: The Story of my Life |last=Todd, Richard |date=1986 |publisher=Hutchinson |isbn=0-09-163800-3 |oclc=982188986}}</ref>

==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."

==Personal life==
Todd was married twice; both marriages ended in divorce. His first wife was actress Catherine Grant-Bogle, whom he met in Dundee Repertory. They were married from 1949 until 1970. They had a son, Peter (1952–2005), and a daughter, Fiona Margaret Todd born 1956. In 1960 he had a son Jeremy Todd-Nelson with model Patricia Nelson.  He was married to model Virginia Mailer from 1970 until 1992; they had two sons together, Andrew then Seamus (1977–1997).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp |title=Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006 |access-date=7 December 2009 |archive-date=4 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104084417/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref> In retirement, Todd lived in the village of [[Little Ponton]] and later in [[Little Humby]], eight miles from [[Grantham]], [[Lincolnshire]]. 

Tragically, two of Todd's five children died through suicide using family firearms. On 7 December 1997, Todd's youngest son Seamus Palethorpe-Todd 20, shot himself in the head with a shotgun lying on his bed at their home in Lincolnshire while home on a break from Newcastle University where he was a first year student studying politics;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/stars-tears-for-his-sons-1532562 | title=Star's tears for his sons | date=25 April 2006 }}</ref> an inquest determined that the suicide might have been a depressive reaction to the drug he was taking for severe acne. 
Eight years later On 21 September 2005, Todd's eldest son Peter Todd 53, also using a shotgun killed himself in his car in [[East Malling]], [[Kent]], following marital difficulties. Peter had been suffering depression.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4770682.stm|title=Suicide of actor's depressed son |publisher=BBC News |date=3 March 2006 |access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref>

Todd was a supporter of Second World War commemoration events, particularly those associated with the Normandy landings and [[No. 617 Squadron RAF|617 Squadron]] RAF. He continued to be identified in the public consciousness with [[Guy Gibson]] from his portrayal of him in the 1950s film, and attended 617 Squadron anniversaries up to 2008. He narrated a television documentary about the Squadron, and contributed forewords to several books on the subject, including ''The Dam Buster Story'' (2003); ''Filming the Dam Busters'' (2005); and ''Bouncing-Bomb Man: The Science of Sir Barnes Wallis'' (2009).{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

==Death==
Todd died of cancer at his home near Grantham in Lincolnshire on 3 December 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8394812.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Dambusters star Richard Todd dies aged 90 |access-date=4 December 2009 |date=4 December 2009}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/movies/05todd.html Richard Todd, Dashing Actor, Dies at 90]</ref> His body was buried between his two sons Seamus and Peter at St. Guthlac's Church in Little Ponton in Lincolnshire. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Fitzgerald |first=Clare |date=31 March 2023 |title=Before Becoming a Big-Name Actor, Richard Todd was a Paratrooper Who Fought at Pegasus Bridge |url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/richard-todd.html |access-date=31 May 2024 |website=War history on line}}</ref> The gravestone's epitaph reads "Richard Andrew Palethorpe Todd, 1919–2009, husband of Virginia and Kitty, loving father of Peter, Fiona, Andrew, Seamus and Jeremy, Exit Dashing Young Blade" (a reference to the [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Mother]]'s description of him).

==Selected filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Director
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1937
| ''[[Good Morning, Boys]]''
| Extra in crowd scene
| ''[[Marcel Varnel]]''
| uncredited
|-
| 1938
| ''[[A Yank at Oxford]]''
| Extra in sporting event
| ''[[Jack Conway (film-maker)|Jack Conway]]''
| uncredited
|-
| 1938
| ''[[Old Bones of the River]]''
| Extra in crowd scene
| ''[[Marcel Varnel]]''
| uncredited
|-
| 1949
| ''[[For Them That Trespass]]''
| Herbert Edward Logan
| ''[[Alberto Cavalcanti]]''
| 
|-
| 1949
| ''[[The Hasty Heart]]''
| Cpl. Lachlan "Lachie" MacLachlan
| ''[[Vincent Sherman]]''
| 
|-
| 1949
| ''[[The Interrupted Journey]]''
| John North
| ''[[Daniel Birt]]''
| 
|-
| 1950
| ''[[Stage Fright (1950 film)|Stage Fright]]''
| Jonathan Cooper
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock]]''
| 
|-
| 1950
| ''[[Portrait of Clare (film)|Portrait of Clare]]''
| Robert Hart
| ''[[Lance Comfort]]''
| 
|-
| 1951
| ''[[Flesh & Blood (1951 film)|Flesh and Blood]]''
| Charles Cameron / Sutherland
| ''[[Anthony Kimmins]]''
| 
|-
| 1951
| ''[[Lightning Strikes Twice (1951 film)|Lightning Strikes Twice]]''
| Richard Trevelyan
| ''[[King Vidor]]''
| 
|-
| 1952
| ''[[The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men]]''
| [[Robin Hood]]
| ''[[Ken Annakin]]''
| 
|-
| 1952
| ''[[24 Hours of a Woman's Life]]''
| The Young Man
| ''[[Victor Saville]]''
| 
|-
| 1952
| ''[[Venetian Bird]]''
| Edward Mercer
| ''[[Ralph Thomas]]''
| 
|-
|1952
|''[[Elstree Story]]''
|Narrator
|''[[Gilbert Gunn]]''
|
|-
| 1953
| ''[[The Sword and the Rose]]''
| [[Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk|Charles Brandon]]
| ''[[Ken Annakin]]''
| 
|-
| 1954
| ''[[Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue]]''
| [[Rob Roy MacGregor]]
| ''[[Harold French]]''
| 
|-
| 1954
| ''[[The Bed (film)|The Bed]]''
| Capitaine Davidson
| 
| 
|-
| 1955
| ''[[A Man Called Peter]]''
| [[Peter Marshall (Presbyterian minister)|Peter Marshall]]
| ''[[Henry Koster]]''
| biopic 
|-
| 1955
| ''[[The Dam Busters (film)|The Dam Busters]]''
| Wing Commander [[Guy Gibson]], V.C, D.S.O., D.F.C.
| ''[[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]]''
| 
|-
| 1955
| ''[[The Virgin Queen (1955 film)|The Virgin Queen]]''
| [[Walter Raleigh|Sir Walter Raleigh]]
| ''[[Henry Koster]]''
| 
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Marie Antoinette Queen of France|Marie-Antoinette reine de France]]''
| [[Count Axel von Fersen the Younger|Comte Axel von Fersen]]
| ''[[Jean Delannoy]]''
| 
|-
| 1956
| ''[[D-Day the Sixth of June]]''
| Lt. Col. John Wynter
| ''[[Henry Koster]]''
| 
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst]]''
| [[John Kerans]]
| ''[[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]]''
| 
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Saint Joan (1957 film)|Saint Joan]]''
| [[Jean de Dunois]], Bastard of Orleans
| ''[[Otto Preminger]]''
| 
|-
| 1958
| ''[[Chase a Crooked Shadow]]''
| Ward Prescott
| ''[[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]]''
| 
|-
| 1958
| ''[[The Naked Earth]]''
| Danny
| ''[[Vincent Sherman]]''
| 
|-
| 1958
| ''[[Intent to Kill (1958 film)|Intent to Kill]]''
| Dr. Bob McLaurin
| ''[[Jack Cardiff]]''
| 
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Danger Within]]''
| Lt. Col. David Baird, M.C
| ''[[Don Chaffey]]''
| 
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Never Let Go (1960 film)|Never Let Go]]''
| John Cummings
| ''[[John Guillermin]]''
| 
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Long and the Short and the Tall (film)|The Long and the Short and the Tall]]''
| Sgt. Mitchem
| ''[[Leslie Norman (director)|Leslie Norman]]''
| 
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Don't Bother to Knock (1961 film)|Don't Bother to Knock]]''
| Bill Ferguson
| ''[[Cyril Frankel]]''
| 
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Hellions (film)|The Hellions]]''
| Sgt. Sam Hargis
| ''[[Ken Annakin]]''
| 
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Le Crime ne paie pas]]''
| Col. Roberts William
| ''[[Gérard Oury]]''
| segment "L'homme de I'avenue"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Boys (1962 British film)|The Boys]]''
| Victor Webster
| ''[[Sidney J. Furie]]''
| 
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]''
| [[John Howard (British Army officer)|John Howard]]
| 
| British Army officer
|-
| 1963
| ''[[The Very Edge]]''
| Geoffrey Lawrence
| ''[[Cyril Frankel]]''
| 
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Death Drums Along the River]]''
| Inspector Harry Sanders
| ''[[Lawrence Huntington]]''
| 
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Coast of Skeletons]]''
| Inspector Harry Sanders
| ''[[Robert Lynn (director)|Robert Lynn]]''
| 
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Operation Crossbow (film)|Operation Crossbow]]''
| Wing Cmdr. Kendall
| ''[[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]]''
| 
|-
| 1965
| ''[[The Battle of the Villa Fiorita]]''
| Darrell
| ''[[Delmer Daves]]''
| 
|-
| 1967
| ''[[The Love-Ins]]''
| Dr. Jonathan Barnett
| ''[[Arthur Dreifuss]]''
| 
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Subterfuge (1968 film)|Subterfuge]]''
| Col. Victor Redmayne
| ''[[Peter Graham Scott]]''
| 
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Last of the Long-haired Boys]]''
| Trigg
| 
| 
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Dorian Gray (1970 film)|Dorian Gray]]''
| Basil Hallward
| ''[[Massimo Dallamano]]''
| 
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Asylum (1972 horror film)|Asylum]]''
| Walter
| ''[[Roy Ward Baker]]''
| segment "Frozen Fear"
|-
| 1977
| ''[[No. 1 of the Secret Service]]''
| Arthur Loveday
| ''[[Lindsay Shonteff]]''
| 
|-
| 1978
| ''[[The Big Sleep (1978 film)|The Big Sleep]]''
| Commander Barker
| ''[[Michael Winner]]''
| 
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Home Before Midnight]]''
| Geoffrey Steele
| ''[[Pete Walker (director)|Pete Walker]]''
| 
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Sky Is Falling (1979 film)|Bloodbath]]''
| Terence
| ''[[Silvio Narizzano]]''
| 
|-
| 1983
| ''[[House of the Long Shadows]]''
| Sam Allyson
| ''[[Pete Walker (director)|Pete Walker]]''
| 
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Incident at Victoria Falls]]''
| Lord Roberts
| ''[[Bill Corcoran]]''
| 
|-
|}

===Box-office rankings===
British exhibitors regularly listed Todd among the most popular local stars at the box office in various polls:
*1950 – 7th most popular British star<ref>"Success Of British Films." Times [London, England] 29 December 1950: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.</ref>
*1952 – 5th most popular British star in Britain<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18504988 |title=COMEDIAN TOPS FILM POLL. |newspaper=[[The Sunday Herald (Sydney)|The Sunday Herald]] |location=Sydney |date=28 December 1952 |access-date=27 April 2012 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
*1954 – 9th most popular British star
*1955 – 7th most popular British star<ref>"'The Dam Busters'." Times [London, England] 29 December 1955: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.</ref>
*1957 – 3rd most popular star in Britain<ref>Most Popular Film of the Year. ''The Times'' (London, England), Thursday, 12 December 1957; p. 3; Issue 54022</ref>

==Select theatre credits==
*''[[An Ideal Husband]]'' by [[Oscar Wilde]] (1965) – Strand Theatre, London with [[Margaret Lockwood]], [[Michael Denison]], [[Dulcie Gray]] and [[Roger Livesey]] – also toured South Africa
*''[[Dear Octopus (play)|Dear Octopus]]'' by [[Dodie Smith]] (1967) – Haymarket Theatre, London
* "The Winslow Boy" (1971) – national tour with [[Patrick Barr]], [[Elizabeth Sellars]] and David Nicholas Wilkinson
* " A Christmas Carol" (1971–72) – Theatre Royal, Brighton with Patrick Barr, Elizabeth Sellars, [[Mervyn Johns]] and David Nicholas Wilkinson
*''[[Sleuth (play)|Sleuth]]'' (1972–73) – Australian tour<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110705580 |title=Richard Todd off stage. |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |date=3 February 1973 |access-date=18 December 2013 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
*''[[Equus (play)|Equus]]'' (1975) – Australian tour
*''[[The Business of Murder]]'' (1983–91) – Mayfair Theatre, London

==Books==
*''Caught in the Act'' London: Hutchinson {{ISBN|0091638003}} (1986)
*''In Camera, an Autobiography Continued'' London: Hutchinson {{ISBN|0091735343}} (1989)

==See also==
* [[List of British actors]]
* [[List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{portal|Biography}}
*[http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_T01.html#Todd_RAP British Army Officers 1939−1945]
*[http://www.britisharmedforces.org/pages/nat_richard_todd.htm A Day to Remember by Richard Todd]
*[http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/interviews/987-richard-todd Sixty-seconds interview with Richard Todd]
*{{find a Grave|45091349}}
*{{IMDb name|0865262}}
*{{IBDB name|79820}}
*{{Tcmdb name|130460}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes person|richard_todd|Richard Todd}}
*[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/6725717/Richard-Todd.html Richard Todd] – Daily Telegraph obituary
*[http://www.bris.ac.uk/theatrecollection/search/people_sub_plays?forename=Richard&surname=TODD&job=Actor&pid=15634&image_view=Yes&x=19&y=17 Selected performances in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands/series2/dday_richardtodd_war.shtml BBC Inside Out – Richard Todd]
*[http://www.leninimports.com/richard_todd.html Richard Todd – Biography]
*[http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80026985 Imperial War Museum Interview]

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Richard Todd
|list =
{{Disney Legends Awards 2000s}}
{{Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year Actor}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

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