1913-09-29 Cliftonville, Kent, England, UK
Howard was born in Cliftonville, Kent, England, the son of Mabel Grey (Wallace) and Arthur John Howard. He was educated at Clifton College (to which he left in his will a substantial legacy for a drama scholarship) and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), acting on the London stage for several years before World War II. His first paid work was in the play Revolt in a Reformatory (1934), before he left RADA in 1935 to take small roles. Although stories of his courageous wartime service in the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals earned him much respect among fellow actors and fans alike, files held in the Public Record Office reveal that he had actually been discharged from the British Army in 1943 for mental instability and having a "psychopathic personality". The story, which surfaced in Terence Pettigrew's biography of the actor, published by Peter Owen in 2001, was initially denied by Howard's widow, actress Helen Cherry. Later, confronted with official records, she told the Daily Telegraph (24 June 2001) that his mother had claimed he was a holder of the Military Cross. She added that Howard had an honourable military record and "had nothing to be ashamed of".
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The Unholy | Father Silva | 1988-04-22 |
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The Dawning | Grandfather | 1988-06-08 |
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White Mischief | Jack Soames | 1987-11-10 |
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Hand in Glove | Vicar | 1987-01-01 |
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Foreign Body | Dr Stirry | 1986-09-26 |
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Christmas Eve | Maitland | 1986-12-22 |
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Time After Time | Brigadier Croshawe | 1986-01-26 |
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God Rot Tunbridge Wells! | Georg Friedrich Handel | 1985-01-01 |
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Dust | Father | 1985-09-11 |
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Memory of the Camps | Narrator | 1985-05-07 |
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Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | The King | 1984-08-17 |
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The Bengal Lancers! | Uncle George | 1984-06-01 |
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The Missionary | Lord Henry Ames | 1982-11-02 |
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Inside the Third Reich | Prof. Heinrich Tessenow | 1982-05-09 |
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The Deadly Game | Gustave Kummer | 1982-07-22 |
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Gandhi | Judge Broomfield | 1982-12-01 |
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Les Années lumière | Yoshka Poliakeff | 1981-05-20 |
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Staying On | Col. Tusker Smalley | 1980-12-28 |
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Sir Henry at Rawlinson End | Sir Henry Rawlinson | 1980-11-07 |
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Superman II | Krypton Elder (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1980-12-12 |
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The Shillingbury Blowers | Saltie | 1980-01-06 |
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The Sea Wolves | Jack Cartwright | 1980-07-03 |
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Windwalker | Windwalker | 1980-12-12 |
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Flashpoint Africa | Program Controller | 1980-01-01 |
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The Making of 'Superman: The Movie' | Self | 1980-01-01 |
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Hurricane | Father Malone | 1979-04-12 |
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The Spirit of Adventure: Night Flight | Riviere | 1979-01-26 |
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Meteor | Sir Michael Hughes | 1979-10-19 |
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Superman | 1st Elder | 1978-12-14 |
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Slavers - Die Sklavenjäger | Alec Mackenzie | 1978-02-24 |
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Stevie | The Man | 1978-09-15 |
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The Last Remake of Beau Geste | Sir Hector | 1977-06-15 |
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Aces High | Lieutenant Colonel Silkin | 1976-05-19 |
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The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones | Squire Western | 1976-08-01 |
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Der flüsternde Tod | Johannes | 1976-03-15 |
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Eliza Fraser | Capt. Foster Fyans | 1976-12-16 |
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Hennessy | Comdr. Rice | 1975-12-31 |
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Conduct Unbecoming | Colonnello Benjamin Strang | 1975-10-04 |
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The Count of Monte-Cristo | Abbé Faria | 1975-10-31 |
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Persecution | Paul Bellamy | 1974-11-07 |
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11 Harrowhouse | Clyde Massey | 1974-09-26 |
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Craze | Supt. Bellamy | 1974-05-16 |
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Who? | Colonel Azarin | 1974-04-18 |
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Ludwig | Richard Wagner | 1973-03-07 |
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A Doll's House | Dr. Rank | 1973-08-16 |
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The Catholics | The Abbot | 1973-11-29 |
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The Offence | Lieutenant Cartwright, Detective Superintendant | 1973-01-11 |
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Pope Joan | Pope Leo | 1972-08-16 |
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Mary, Queen of Scots | William Cecil | 1971-12-22 |
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Catch Me a Spy | Trevor Dawson | 1971-09-06 |
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Kidnapped | Lord Advocate | 1971-12-22 |
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The Night Visitor | Inspector | 1971-02-10 |
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Twinky | Twinky's Grandfather | 1970-01-06 |
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Ryan's Daughter | Father Collins | 1970-03-19 |
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Battle of Britain | Air Vice Marshal Keith Park | 1969-09-15 |
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The Charge of the Light Brigade | Lord Cardigan | 1968-04-10 |
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Pretty Polly | Robert Hook | 1967-10-19 |
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The Long Duel | Freddie Young | 1967-07-27 |
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Triple Cross | Freddie Young (Distinguished Civilian) | 1966-12-09 |
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The Poppy Is Also a Flower | Sam Lincoln | 1966-05-20 |
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Von Ryan's Express | Major Eric Fincham | 1965-06-23 |
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The Liquidator | Mostyn | 1965-11-01 |
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Operation Crossbow | Professor Lindemann | 1965-04-01 |
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Eagle in a Cage | Napoleon | 1965-10-20 |
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Morituri | Colonel Statter | 1965-08-24 |
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Father Goose | Commander Frank Houghton | 1964-12-10 |
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Man in the Middle | Major Kensington | 1964-01-27 |
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The Invincible Mr. Disraeli | Benjamin Disraeli | 1963-04-03 |
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Mutiny on the Bounty | Capt. William Bligh | 1962-11-08 |
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Hedda Gabler | Ejlert Lövborg | 1962-12-28 |
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The Lion | John Bullit | 1962-08-19 |
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Sons and Lovers | Walter Morel | 1960-08-29 |
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Moment of Danger | John Bain | 1960-01-26 |
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The Key | Capt. Chris Ford | 1958-05-28 |
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The Roots of Heaven | Morel | 1958-10-15 |
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Manuela | James Prothero | 1957-07-18 |
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Interpol | Frank McNally | 1957-04-02 |
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Around the World in Eighty Days | Denis Fallentin | 1956-10-17 |
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Run for the Sun | Browne | 1956-07-30 |
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Les Amants du Tage | Inspector Lewis | 1955-01-18 |
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The Cockleshell Heroes | Captain Thompson | 1955-11-16 |
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La mano dello straniero | Major Roger Court | 1954-01-20 |
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The Heart of the Matter | Harry Scobie | 1953-11-03 |
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Gift Horse | Lt. Cmdr Hugh Alginon Fraser | 1952-06-01 |
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Outcast of the Islands | Peter Willems | 1951-11-15 |
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Lady Godiva Rides Again | Guest at Theater Accepting Program (uncredited) | 1951-10-25 |
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Odette | Captain Peter Churchill | 1950-10-02 |
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Golden Salamander | David Redfern | 1950-02-01 |
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The Clouded Yellow | Maj. David Somers | 1950-11-21 |
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The Passionate Friends | Prof. Steven Stratton | 1949-01-26 |
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The Third Man | Major Calloway | 1949-08-31 |
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So Well Remembered | Dr. Richard Whiteside | 1947-07-09 |
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They Made Me a Fugitive | George Clement 'Clem' Morgan | 1947-06-24 |
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I See a Dark Stranger | Lt. David Bayne | 1946-07-04 |
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Green for Danger | Dr. Barnes | 1946-12-07 |
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Brief Encounter | Dr. Alec Harvey | 1945-11-24 |
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The Way to the Stars | Squadron Leader Carter | 1945-06-16 |
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The Way Ahead | Officer on Ship (uncredited) | 1944-06-09 |
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The Aircraft Rocket, Part 4: Tactics, Section 2: Coastal | Briefing Officer | 1944-01-01 |
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Squaring the Circle | 1941-01-01 |
