John Fraser (actor)
John Fraser | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Picturegoer postcard, 1950s | |
| Born | John Alexander Fraser 18 March 1931 |
| Died | 6 November 2020 (aged 89) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1952–1996 |
John Alexander Fraser (18 March 1931 – 6 November 2020) was a Scottish actor and author.[1][2] He is best known for his performances in the films The Dam Busters (1955), The Good Companions (1957), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), El Cid (1961), Repulsion (1965) and Isadora (1968).
Career
One of his earliest roles was as Inigo Jollifant in the second film version of J.B. Priestley's The Good Companions (1957).[3] Later, Fraser had leading roles in films such as El Cid, Tunes of Glory, The Trials of Oscar Wilde (playing Lord Alfred Douglas), Roman Polanski's Repulsion, Isadora and Schizo.[1] He made appearances on television series including Danger Man (1964), Casting the Runes (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (1969), Columbo (1972), Doctor Who (1981) and The Bill (1995).[4][5]
He released several singles in the late 1950s.[6]
In 2004, he published his autobiography, Close Up, in which he wrote frankly about his gay life and friendships.[7] In the book, Fraser wrote that actor Laurence Harvey was gay and that his long-term lover was his manager James Woolf.[8] Of Dirk Bogarde, Fraser wrote, "Dirk's life with [Anthony] Forwood had been so respectable, their love for each other so profound and so enduring, it would have been a glorious day for the pursuit of understanding and the promotion of tolerance if he had screwed up the courage ... to make one dignified allusion to his true nature. Self-love is no substitute for self-respect."[8]
Personal life and death
Fraser died from oesophageal cancer on 6 November 2020 at the age of 89.[2][9][10][11][12]
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Truth or Dare | Gordon Hillan | |
| 1982 | Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House | Uncle Gideon | |
| 1981 | Doctor Who: Logopolis | The Monitor | |
| 1978 | Wilde Alliance ('The Private Army of Colonel Stone', episode) | Colonel Stone | |
| 1976 | Schizo | Leonard Hawthorne | |
| 1975 | The Doll | Peter Matty | |
| 1968 | Isadora | Roger | |
| 1966 | Doctor in Clover | Miles Grimsdyke | |
| 1965 | A Study in Terror | Lord Carfax | |
| 1965 | Repulsion | Colin | |
| 1965 | Operation Crossbow | Flight Lieutenant Kenny | |
| 1963 | Tamahine | Richard Poole | |
| 1962 | Waltz of the Toreadors | Lt. Finch | |
| 1961 | El Cid | Prince Alfonso | |
| 1961 | Fury at Smugglers' Bay | Christopher Trevenyan | |
| 1960 | The Trials of Oscar Wilde | Lord Alfred Douglas | BAFTA nomination[13] |
| 1960 | Tunes of Glory | Corporal Piper Ian Fraser | |
| 1958 | The Wind Cannot Read | Peter Munroe | |
| 1957 | The Good Companions | Inigo Jollifant | |
| 1955 | Touch and Go | Richard Kenyon | |
| 1955 | The Dam Busters | Flight Lieutenant John Hopgood DFC | |
| 1954 | The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships | Drago | |
| 1953 | The Good Beginning | Johnny Lipson | |
| 1953 | Valley of Song | Cliff Lloyd | |
| 1953 | The Desert Rats | Artillery Man | |
| 1953 | Titanic | Steward |
Selected recordings
- 1957 - Bye Bye Love / Why Don't They Understand
- 1958 - Presenting John Fraser (EP) with Tony Osborne, the Beryl Stott Group, the Kim Drake Orchestra
- 1958 - Trolley Stop / Bye Bye Love with the Beryl Stott Group
- 1959 - Bye Bye Baby Goodbye
- 1960 - Jaula Dorada / Adios Adios Muchacha / Adios Amor / Por Que No Comprenden
Footnotes
- ^ a b "John Fraser". British Film Institute.
- ^ a b Percival, Ash (10 November 2020). "John Fraser, The Dam Busters Star, Dies Aged 89". The Huffington Post.
- ^ "The Good Companions (1957)". BFI.
- ^ "John Fraser". www.aveleyman.com.
- ^ TV.com. "John Fraser". TV.com.
- ^ "John Fraser - Trolley Stop" – via www.45cat.com.
- ^ Fraser, John (2004). Close Up : An Actor Telling Tales The Autobiography of John Fraser (1st, Sarah Zaluckyj ed.). London UK: Oberon Books. ISBN 978-1-84002-457-9.
- ^ a b The Guardian "Sexy self-image that revved up Dirk Bogarde", 2 October 2004
- ^ "John Fraser". www.aveleyman.com.
- ^ "It's not just Michael Powell: British films of the 30s, 40s and 50s". www.britishpictures.com.
- ^ "John Fraser, prolific film actor of 1950s and 1960s once dubbed most handsome man in Britain – obituary". The Telegraph. 9 November 2020. (subscription required)
- ^ "In pictures: Scottish screen legend John Fraser dead at 89 after battle with cancer". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
Bibliography of works
- Fraser, John (2004). Close Up. Oberon. ISBN 1-84002-504-2.
- Fraser, J. (1986). In Place of Reason. Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-40718-0.
- Fraser, J. (1978). The Bard in the Bush. Granada. ISBN 0-246-11014-7.
- Fraser, J. (1969). Clap Hands If You Believe in Fairies. Collins. ISBN 0-00-221116-5.
External links
- John Fraser at IMDb
- John Fraser discography at Discogs
- The Guardian obituary
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
  | This article about a Scottish actor is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1931 births
- 2020 deaths
- 20th-century Scottish male actors
- 21st-century Scottish male actors
- Deaths from cancer in the United Kingdom
- Deaths from esophageal cancer
- Scottish gay actors
- British gay writers
- Scottish LGBT writers
- Male actors from Glasgow
- Scottish expatriates in Italy
- Scottish male film actors
- Scottish male stage actors
- Scottish male television actors
- Scottish writers
- 20th-century LGBT people
- 21st-century LGBT people
- Scottish actor stubs