Birthday: 1912-02-25
Deathday: 1975-02-01
Birthplace: Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, UK
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned
Richard Cameron Wattis (25 February 1912 – 1 February 1975) was an English actor.
After leaving the family business, Wattis became an actor. His debut was with Croydon Repertory Theatre, and he made many stage appearances in the West End in London. His first appearance in a film was A Yank at Oxford (1938), but war service interrupted his career as an actor. He served as a second lieutenant in the Small Arms Section of Special Operations Executive at Station VI during World War II (James Bond author, Ian Fleming worked in the same section). He is best known for his appearances, wearing his thick-rimmed round spectacles, in British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s, often as a "Man from the Ministry" or similar character. He was also involved as the secretary to Lord Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Such appearances included the St Trinian's films (The Belles of St Trinian's, Blue Murder at St Trinian's, and The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery) as Manton Bassett, a civil servant who was the Deputy Director of Schools in the Ministry of Education, where he was often seen frowning and expressing indignation at the outrageous behaviour of other characters. To American audiences, Wattis is probably best known for his performance as the British civil servant Northbrook in The Prince and the Showgirl (1957). He broke from this typecasting in his later films, such as his starring role in Games That Lovers Play.
Wattis's other films included Hobson's Choice, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Carry On Spying, The Colditz Story, Dentist on the Job, Very Important Person, The Happiest Days of Your Life, and The Longest Day. He also appeared on television, including a long-running role in Sykes, and appearances in Danger Man, The Prisoner, The Goodies, Hancock's Half Hour, and Father, Dear Father. From 1957 to 1958, he appeared as Peter Jamison in three episodes of the American sitcom Dick and the Duchess.
Year | Title | Character | |
---|---|---|---|
1974-08-16 | Confessions of a Window Cleaner | Carole's Father | |
1973-12-07 | Take Me High | Sir Charles Furness | |
1973-08-19 | Diamonds on Wheels | Sir Hilary Stanton | |
1972-12-30 | Sex and the Other Woman | Presenter | |
1972-12-01 | That's Your Funeral | Simmonds | |
1971-01-25 | Games That Lovers Play | Mr. Lothran | |
1970-12-01 | The Ballad of Tam Lin | Elroy | |
1970-01-01 | Egghead's Robot | ||
1968-12-17 | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Secretary at Sweet Factory (uncredited) | |
1968-12-17 | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Secretary at Sweet Factory (Uncredited) | |
1968-05-17 | Wonderwall | Perkins | |
1967-04-13 | Casino Royale | British Army Officer | |
1967-01-01 | The Troublesome Double | Mr. Wentworth | |
1966-03-11 | The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery | Manton Bassett | |
1965-12-26 | The Alphabet Murders | Wolf | |
1965-12-21 | Up Jumped a Swagman | Lever, Music Publisher | |
1965-11-01 | The Liquidator | Flying Instructor | |
1965-10-03 | Bunny Lake Is Missing | Shipping Clerk | |
1965-08-03 | You Must Be Joking | Parkins | |
1965-05-26 | The Battle of the Villa Fiorita | Travel Agent | |
1965-04-01 | Operation Crossbow | Sir Charles Sims | |
1964-06-01 | Carry On Spying | Cobley | |
1963-09-01 | The V.I.P.s | Sanders | |
1963-03-27 | Come Fly with Me | Oliver Garson | |
1962-12-21 | Venus fra Vestø | ||
1962-09-25 | The Longest Day | British Paratrooper | |
1962-09-14 | I Thank a Fool | Ebblington | |
1962-05-17 | Bon Voyage! | Party Guest | |
1962-03-01 | Play It Cool | Nervous Man | |
1961-06-01 | Dentist on the Job | Macreedy | |
1961-05-01 | Nearly a Nasty Accident | Wagstaffe | |
1961-04-24 | Very Important Person | Woodcock, Entertainments Officer | |
1960-07-11 | Follow That Horse! | ||
1960-03-01 | Your Money or Your Wife | Hubert Fry | |
1959-10-23 | Libel | The Judge | |
1959-09-09 | The Ugly Duckling | Barclay | |
1959-06-23 | Left Right and Centre | Harding-Pratt | |
1959-04-23 | Ten Seconds to Hell | Major Haven | |
1959-01-06 | The Captain's Table | Prittlewell | |
1959-01-01 | Follow a Star | Dr. W. Chatterway | |
1958-12-11 | The Inn of the Sixth Happiness | Mr. Murfin | |
1957-12-17 | Barnacle Bill | Registrar of Shipping | |
1957-12-01 | Blue Murder at St. Trinian's | Manton Bassett | |
1957-09-17 | High Flight | Wilson | |
1957-08-26 | The Abominable Snowman | Dr. Peter Fox | |
1957-06-13 | The Prince and the Showgirl | Northbrook | |
1957-06-10 | Second Fiddle | Bill Turner | |
1956-12-21 | The Green Man | Doctor | |
1956-10-02 | The Silken Affair | Worthington | |
1956-10-01 | A Touch of the Sun | Purchase | |
1956-09-01 | The Iron Petticoat | Lingerie Clerk | |
1956-08-28 | It's a Wonderful World | Harold | |
1956-08-14 | Eyewitness | Anaesthetist | |
1956-05-16 | The Man Who Knew Too Much | Assistant Manager | |
1956-04-03 | The Man Who Never Was | Shop Assistant | |
1956-01-01 | Jumping for Joy | Carruthers | |
1955-12-13 | An Alligator Named Daisy | Hoskins | |
1955-11-02 | Simon and Laura | Controller of Television Drama | |
1955-07-21 | I Am a Camera | Bespectacled Man at Book Launch (uncredited) | |
1955-03-15 | As Long as They're Happy | Hippodrome Stage Manager | |
1955-01-25 | The Colditz Story | Richard Gordon | |
1955-01-01 | The Time of His Life | Edgar | |
1955-01-01 | A Yank in Ermine | Boone | |
1954-10-18 | Lease of Life | Solicitor | |
1954-10-01 | The Crowded Day | Mr. Christopher | |
1954-09-28 | The Belles of St. Trinian's | Manton Bassett | |
1954-04-19 | Hobson's Choice | Albert Prosser | |
1954-03-23 | Doctor in the House | Medical Book Salesman | |
1953-12-21 | Small Town Story | Marsh | |
1953-11-09 | Background | David Wallace | |
1953-10-18 | The Intruder | School Master | |
1953-10-10 | Blood Orange | Detective Inspector MacLeod | |
1953-09-11 | Park Plaza 605 | Theodore Feather | |
1953-07-22 | Innocents in Paris | Wilkinson | |
1953-07-01 | Colonel March Investigates | Cabot | |
1953-04-09 | The Final Test | Cricket Fan | |
1953-02-17 | Appointment in London | Pascal | |
1953-02-01 | Top of the Form | ||
1952-11-10 | Top Secret | Barnes | |
1952-11-01 | Made in Heaven | The vicar | |
1952-07-11 | Mother Riley Meets the Vampire | P.C. Freddie | |
1952-06-09 | Derby Day | Editor | |
1952-06-02 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Seton | |
1952-02-10 | Song of Paris | Carter | |
1951-10-25 | Lady Godiva Rides Again | Casting Director | |
1951-10-08 | Appointment with Venus | Carruthers - Higher Executive | |
1950-11-21 | The Clouded Yellow | Employment Agent | |
1950-03-08 | The Happiest Days of Your Life | Arnold Billings: Staff of Nutbourne | |
1949-09-27 | The Chiltern Hundreds | Vicar (uncredited) | |
1949-06-21 | Kind Hearts and Coronets | Defence Counsel (uncredited) | |
1949-06-07 | Marry Me | Minor Role (uncredited) | |
1949-01-07 | Helter Skelter | Compere of Nick Nack Show | |
1938-02-18 | A Yank at Oxford | Latin Speaker at Dinner (uncredited) |