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".
 |
The Unholy | Father Silva | 1988-04-22 |
 |
The Dawning | Grandfather | 1988-06-08 |
 |
Hand in Glove | Vicar | 1987-01-01 |
 |
White Mischief | Jack Soames | 1987-11-10 |
 |
Time After Time | Brigadier Croshawe | 1986-01-26 |
 |
Foreign Body | Dr Stirry | 1986-09-26 |
 |
Christmas Eve | Maitland | 1986-12-22 |
 |
God Rot Tunbridge Wells! | Georg Friedrich Handel | 1985-04-06 |
 |
Dust | Father | 1985-09-11 |
 |
Memory of the Camps | Narrator | 1985-05-07 |
 |
The Bengal Lancers! | Uncle George | 1984-06-01 |
 |
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | The King | 1984-08-17 |
 |
The Making of 'Superman: The Movie' | Self | 1982-01-24 |
 |
The Deadly Game | Gustave Kummer | 1982-07-22 |
 |
Gandhi | Judge Broomfield | 1982-12-01 |
 |
The Missionary | Lord Henry Ames | 1982-11-02 |
 |
Les Années lumière | Yoshka Poliakeff | 1981-05-20 |
 |
Flashpoint Africa | Program Controller | 1980-01-01 |
 |
Staying On | Col. Tusker Smalley | 1980-12-28 |
 |
Superman II | Krypton Elder (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1980-12-12 |
 |
Windwalker | Windwalker | 1980-12-12 |
 |
The Sea Wolves | Jack Cartwright | 1980-07-03 |
 |
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End | Sir Henry Rawlinson | 1980-11-07 |
|
The Shillingbury Blowers | Saltie | 1980-01-06 |
 |
Meteor | Sir Michael Hughes | 1979-10-19 |
 |
The Spirit of Adventure: Night Flight | Riviere | 1979-01-26 |
 |
Hurricane | Father Malone | 1979-04-12 |
 |
Stevie | The Man | 1978-09-15 |
 |
Slavers - Die Sklavenjäger | Alec Mackenzie | 1978-02-24 |
 |
Superman | 1st Elder | 1978-12-14 |
 |
The Last Remake of Beau Geste | Sir Hector | 1977-06-15 |
 |
Eliza Fraser | Capt. Foster Fyans | 1976-12-16 |
 |
The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones | Squire Western | 1976-08-01 |
 |
Aces High | Lieutenant Colonel Silkin | 1976-05-19 |
 |
Der flüsternde Tod | Johannes | 1976-03-15 |
 |
The Count of Monte-Cristo | Abbé Faria | 1975-10-31 |
 |
Conduct Unbecoming | Colonnello Benjamin Strang | 1975-10-04 |
 |
Hennessy | Comdr. Rice | 1975-12-31 |
 |
Who? | Colonel Azarin | 1974-04-18 |
 |
11 Harrowhouse | Clyde Massey | 1974-09-26 |
 |
Craze | Supt. Bellamy | 1974-05-16 |
 |
Persecution | Paul Bellamy | 1974-11-07 |
 |
The Catholics | The Abbot | 1973-11-29 |
 |
A Doll's House | Dr. Rank | 1973-08-16 |
 |
The Offence | Lieutenant Cartwright, Detective Superintendant | 1973-01-11 |
 |
Ludwig | Richard Wagner | 1973-03-07 |
 |
Pope Joan | Pope Leo | 1972-08-16 |
 |
Kidnapped | Lord Advocate | 1971-12-22 |
 |
The Night Visitor | Inspector | 1971-02-10 |
 |
Catch Me a Spy | Trevor Dawson | 1971-09-06 |
 |
Mary, Queen of Scots | William Cecil | 1971-12-22 |
 |
Ryan's Daughter | Father Collins | 1970-03-19 |
 |
Twinky | Twinky's Grandfather | 1970-01-06 |
 |
Battle of Britain | Air Vice Marshal Keith Park | 1969-09-15 |
 |
The Charge of the Light Brigade | Lord Cardigan | 1968-04-10 |
 |
The Long Duel | Freddie Young | 1967-07-27 |
 |
Pretty Polly | Robert Hook | 1967-10-19 |
 |
The Poppy Is Also a Flower | Sam Lincoln | 1966-05-20 |
 |
Triple Cross | Freddie Young (Distinguished Civilian) | 1966-12-09 |
|
Eagle in a Cage | Napoleon | 1965-10-20 |
 |
Von Ryan's Express | Major Eric Fincham | 1965-06-23 |
 |
Morituri | Colonel Statter | 1965-08-24 |
 |
The Liquidator | Mostyn | 1965-11-01 |
 |
Operation Crossbow | Professor Lindemann | 1965-04-01 |
 |
Man in the Middle | Major Kensington | 1964-01-27 |
 |
Father Goose | Commander Frank Houghton | 1964-12-10 |
 |
The Invincible Mr. Disraeli | Benjamin Disraeli | 1963-04-03 |
 |
The Lion | John Bullit | 1962-08-19 |
 |
Hedda Gabler | Ejlert Lövborg | 1962-12-28 |
 |
Mutiny on the Bounty | Capt. William Bligh | 1962-11-08 |
 |
Sons and Lovers | Walter Morel | 1960-06-23 |
 |
Moment of Danger | John Bain | 1960-01-26 |
 |
The Hiding Place | Robert Wilson | 1960-03-22 |
 |
The Key | Capt. Chris Ford | 1958-05-28 |
 |
The Roots of Heaven | Morel | 1958-10-15 |
 |
Manuela | James Prothero | 1957-07-18 |
 |
Interpol | Frank McNally | 1957-04-02 |
 |
Run for the Sun | Browne | 1956-07-30 |
 |
April in Portugal | Self | 1956-04-17 |
 |
Around the World in 80 Days | Denis Fallentin | 1956-10-17 |
 |
The Cockleshell Heroes | Captain Thompson | 1955-11-16 |
 |
Les Amants du Tage | Inspector Lewis | 1955-01-18 |
 |
La mano dello straniero | Major Roger Court | 1954-01-20 |
 |
The Heart of the Matter | Harry Scobie | 1953-11-03 |
 |
Gift Horse | Lt. Cmdr Hugh Alginon Fraser | 1952-06-01 |
 |
Lady Godiva Rides Again | Guest at Theater Accepting Program (uncredited) | 1951-10-25 |
 |
Outcast of the Islands | Peter Willems | 1951-11-15 |
 |
The Clouded Yellow | Maj. David Somers | 1950-11-21 |
 |
Golden Salamander | David Redfern | 1950-02-01 |
 |
Odette | Captain Peter Churchill | 1950-10-02 |
 |
The Third Man | Major Calloway | 1949-08-31 |
 |
The Passionate Friends | Prof. Steven Stratton | 1949-01-26 |
 |
So Well Remembered | Dr. Richard Whiteside | 1947-07-09 |
 |
They Made Me a Fugitive | George Clement 'Clem' Morgan | 1947-06-24 |
 |
Green for Danger | Dr. Barnes | 1946-12-07 |
 |
I See a Dark Stranger | Lt. David Bayne | 1946-07-04 |
 |
Brief Encounter | Dr. Alec Harvey | 1945-11-24 |
 |
The Way to the Stars | Squadron Leader Carter | 1945-06-16 |
|
The Aircraft Rocket, Part 4: Tactics, Section 2: Coastal | Briefing Officer | 1944-01-01 |
 |
The Way Ahead | Officer on Ship (uncredited) | 1944-06-09 |
|
Squaring the Circle | 1941-01-01 |
