John Fraser (actor)
John Alexander Fraser (born 18 March 1931) is a Scottish actor and author.[1] He is best known for his performances in the films The Good Companions (1957), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), El Cid (1961), Repulsion (1965) and Isadora (1968).
John Fraser | |
---|---|
Born | John Alexander Fraser 18 March 1931 Glasgow, Scotland |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1952–1996 |
Career
One of his earliest roles was as Inigo Jollifant in the second film version of J. B. Priestley's The Good Companions (1957).[2] He went on to have leading roles in films such as El Cid, 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), Randall and Hopkirk (1969), Columbo (1972), Doctor Who (1981) and The Bill (1995).[3][4]
In 2004, he published his autobiography, Close Up, in which he wrote frankly about his gay life and friendships.[5] In the book, Fraser wrote that actor Laurence Harvey was gay and that his long-term lover was his manager James Woolf.[6] 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."[6]
Selected filmography
Year | Title | Role | |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Truth or Dare | Gordon Hillan | |
1982 | Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House | Uncle Gideon | |
1981 | Doctor Who: Logopolis | The Monitor | |
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[7]) |
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 |
Footnotes
- "John Fraser". British Film Institute.
- "The Good Companions (1957)".
- "John Fraser". www.aveleyman.com.
- TV.com. "John Fraser". TV.com.
- Fraser, John. 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.
- The Guardian "Sexy self-image that revved up Dirk Bogarde", 2 October 2004
- "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 on IMDb