Victor Brooks | |
|---|---|
 in The Brides of Dracula (1960) | |
| Born | Victor Ronald Brooks 11 November 1918 Woolwich, London, England |
| Died | 19 January 2000 (aged 81) Dorset, England, UK |
| Years active | 1956–1994 |
Victor Brooks (1918–2000) was a prolific English film and television actor.[1]
He specialised in character roles, police inspectors in particular, in British thrillers such as Cover Girl Killer (1959), Witchcraft (1964) and Devils of Darkness (1965).[1] In 1961, he narrated the 15-minute instructional short The Warden, His Duties and Training,[2] but his best-known films remain The Brides of Dracula (1960), Billy Budd (1962) and Goldfinger (1964).[3]
On television, he co-hosted eight of the 32 episodes of the 1964 magazine programme Open House.[3][4] He was noted for playing pipe-smoking authority figures in crime series like Dixon of Dock Green, Gideon's Way, Detective, Z Cars and Crown Court.[3] He also appeared in the television series Raffles in the recurring role of the Albany porter.[1][5][6]
Stage appearances were scarce, but in July 1970 he played opposite Alec Guinness in the Bridget Boland play Time Out of Mind at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford.[7] In addition to acting, he was also a financial adviser, describing himself in The Stage in 1977 as "an Equity member of long standing and a taxation / investment / insurance consultant to boot".[8]
Selected filmography
Film
- The Hostage (1956) – Inspector Clifford
- These Dangerous Years (1957)
- No Time for Tears (1957) – Mr. Harris
- The Scamp (1957) – Inspector Birch
- The Birthday Present (1957) – 2nd Reception Officer (uncredited)
- The One That Got Away (1957) – Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- Innocent Sinners (1958) – Inspector Russell (uncredited)
- The Moonraker (1958) – Blacksmith
- The Long Knife (1958) – Supt Leigh
- The Man Upstairs (1958) – Sergeant Collins
- Further Up the Creek (1958) – Policeman (uncredited)
- Too Many Crooks (1959) Court Usher (uncredited)
- Life in Danger – Tom Baldwin
- No Trees in the Street (1959) – Bookie's Clerk
- Whirlpool (1959) – Riverman
- Cover Girl Killer (1959) – Inspector Brunner
- The Price of Silence (1959) – Supt. Wilson
- Sapphire (1959) Police Sergeant
- The 39 Steps (1959) Policeman at Accident (uncredited)
- Jackpot (1960) – Sgt. Jacks
- The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) – Constable
- The Challenge (1960) – Foreman
- In the Nick (1960) – Screw Smith
- The Brides of Dracula (1960) – Hans
- Follow That Horse! (1960) – Blake
- Offbeat (1961) – Inspector Adams
- Seven Keys (1961) – Discharging Officer (uncredited)
- No My Darling Daughter (1961) – Policeman
- Victim (1961) – Detective (uncredited)
- Play It Cool (1962) – Twist Commissioner (uncredited)
- Crooks Anonymous (1962) – Police Officer
- The Road to Hong Kong (1962) – Leader's Man (uncredited)
- The Inspector (1962) – Sgt. Groninger
- The Day of the Triffids (1962) – Poiret
- The Brain (1962) – Farmer at Crash Site (uncredited)
- The Wild and the Willing (1962) – Fire Chief
- Billy Budd (1962) – Amos Leonard – First Mate, Rights of Man
- The Fast Lady (1963) – Policeman
- The Yellow Teddy Bears (1963) – George Donaghue
- Doctor in Distress (1963) – Police Constable (uncredited)
- 80,000 Suspects (1963) – Health Inspector Collins (uncredited)
- Witchcraft (1964) – Inspector Baldwin
- The Eyes of Annie Jones (1964) – Sgt Henry
- Goldfinger (1964) – Blacking
- Devils of Darkness (1965) – Inspector Hardwick
- The Murder Game (1965) – Rev Francis Hood
- You Must Be Joking! – Commissionaire
- Burke & Hare (1972) – Butler
- Give Us Tomorrow (1978) – Supt Ogilvie (final film role)
Television
- Sergeant Cork (1963–1964) – Yates / Sgt Dempsey
- Dixon of Dock Green (1964–1967) – Gaoler / Sgt Cox / Sgt Barrett
- Gideon's Way (1965) – Supt Ridgeway
- Z-Cars (1967–1969) – Sgt Potter / Sergeant
- Raffles (1977) – Albany Porter
- Hilary (1985) - Butler (final TV role)
References
- 1 2 3 "Victor Brooks". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016.
- ↑ "The Warden... His Duties and Training (1961)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Victor Brooks". IMDb. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ↑ "Broadcast – BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 18 July 1964.
- ↑ "Victor Brooks". aveleyman.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ↑ T, Ian (10 April 2013). "Forgotten Actors: Victor Brooks". Forgotten Actors. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ↑ 'Guinness at the Yvonne Arnaud', The Stage, 23rd July 1970, p.15.
- ↑ Victor Brooks, 'The Case for Pensions', The Stage, 7th July 1977, p.23.
External links