| Eric Portman | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eric Harrison Portman |
| Born | July 13 1901 Halifax, Yorkshire |
| Died | December 7 1969 aged 68 St Veep, Cornwall |
Eric Portman (born Halifax, West Yorkshire on 13 July, 1901 and died St Veep, Cornwall on 7 December, 1969) was a distinguished English stage and film actor. He is probably best remembered for his roles in several films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger during the 1940s. He was in the top ten of Britain's biggest box office draws in 1942.
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Biography
He started work in 1922 as a salesman in the menswear department at Marshall and Snelgrove's department store in Leeds and acted in the amateur Halifax Light Opera Society . He made his professional stage debut in 1924, before he was engaged by Lilian Baylis for the Old Vic Company. In 1928 he starred as Romeo in the rebuilt Old Vic and he forged a reputation as a noted Shakespearian actor. In the 1930s, he began appearing in films - in 1935, he appeared in four films, including Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn, He was a lifelong bachelor, who died at the age of 68 at his home in St Veep, Cornwall. The phrase "he was a lifelong bachelor" was often used in articles about Portman in fan magazines and in some obituaries. It was a well known euphemism intended to imply that he was homosexual. But it should be noted that homosexuality was illegal in the UK until the passing of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act.
Cinema
Portman became a familiar British figure in films during and about World War II. Among his roles were:
| Film | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Forty-Ninth Parallel | 1941 | Stranded U-boat commander |
| One of Our Aircraft is Missing | 1942 | Stranded RAF officer |
| Squadron Leader X | 1943 | Stranded Luftwaffe pilot |
| We Dive at Dawn | 1943 | Stranded RN submariner |
| Millions Like Us | 1943 | Factory manager |
| A Canterbury Tale | 1944 | The Magistrate |
| Wanted For Murder | 1946 | Son of a hangman |
| The Colditz Story | 1955 | Senior British Officer |
| The Bedford Incident | 1965 | Former U-boat commander-cum-advisor |
| The Whisperers | 1967 | |
| Deadfall | 1968 | Thief |
| Assignment to Kill | 1968 | Notary |
Television
He also played Number Two in The Prisoner, episode; Free for All, screened on 22 October, 1967.
Honours
He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor (Dramatic) for his Broadway performance as the bogus Major, in Terence Rattigan's play Separate Tables in 1957.
