Anthony Dawson (18 October 1916 – 8 January 1992) was a
Scottish-born
English actor, best known for his supporting roles in British films.
Born in
Edinburgh, he made his film debut in 1943's
They Met in the Dark, going on to appear in such classic British films as
The Way to the Stars (1945),
The Queen of Spades (1948), and
The Wooden Horse (1950), before relocating to America in the early 1950s.
It was while there that he appeared in
Alfred Hitchcock's
Dial M for Murder (1954), playing C. J. Swann/Captain Lesgate. In the film, he is
blackmailed by Tony Wendice (
Ray Milland) into murdering his wife Margot (
Grace Kelly). In his unpublished memoirs,
Rambling Recollections, Dawson reminisced about getting the part:
He had two other memorable roles on his return to
England, including the evil Marques Siniestro in
Hammer's
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), and henchman
Professor Dent in the first
James Bond film,
Dr. No (1962).
Throughout his career he could often be found in the films of director
Terence Young, including the aforementioned
Dr. No,
They Were Not Divided (1950),
Valley of Eagles (1951),
The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965),
Triple Cross (1966),
Red Sun (1971),
Inchon (1982), and
The Jigsaw Man (1983). Young also cast him as the physical presence of
Ernst Stavro Blofeld in his Bond films
From Russia with Love (1963), and
Thunderball (1965), stroking the ubiquitous white cat. His face was never seen, however, and Blofeld's voice was provided by
Eric Pohlmann....
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