Richard Wattis
- Acting
- February 25, 1912 · Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, UK
- February 1, 1975
Biography
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.
Known for
Filmography
- The Prince, The Showgirl and Me · Self
- Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers · Self
- Aladdin · Emperor Nanki
- Confessions of a Window Cleaner · Mr. Prendergast
- Take Me High · Sir Charles Furness
- Diamonds on Wheels · Sir Hilary Stanton
- Centre Play · Arthur
- Sex and the Other Woman · Presenter
- That's Your Funeral · Simmonds
- Sykes · Charles Brown
- Coppers End · PC Eddie Edwards
- Games That Lovers Play · Mr. Lothran
- Too Close for Comfort · Narrator
- The Ballad of Tam Lin · Elroy
- The Goodies · TV Show Host
- Egghead's Robot
- Wonderwall · Perkins
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang · Secretary at Sweet Factory (uncredited)
- The Prisoner · Fotheringay
- Misleading Cases · Mr Grout
- Casino Royale · British Army Officer
- The Troublesome Double · Mr. Wentworth
- The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery · Manton Bassett
- The Alphabet Murders · Wolf
- Up Jumped a Swagman · Lever, Music Publisher
- The Liquidator · Flying Instructor
- Bunny Lake Is Missing · Clerk in Shipping Office
- You Must Be Joking · Parkins
- The Battle of the Villa Fiorita · Travel Agent
- Operation Crossbow · Sir Charles Sims
- The Bargain · Narrator
- Carry On Spying · Cobley
- The V.I.P.s · Sanders
- Come Fly with Me · Oliver Garson
- Venus fra Vestø
- The Longest Day · British Paratrooper
- I Thank a Fool · Ebblington
- Play It Cool · Nervous Man
- Bon Voyage! · Party Guest
- Dentist on the Job · Macreedy
- Nearly a Nasty Accident · Wagstaffe
- Very Important Person · Entertainments Officer Woodcock
- The Avengers · Clarke
- The Dickie Henderson Show
- Danger Man · Hardy
- Follow That Horse!
- Your Money or Your Wife · Hubert Fry
- Sykes and a...
- Libel · The Judge
- The Ugly Duckling · Barclay
- Left Right and Centre · Harding-Pratt
- Ten Seconds to Hell · Major Haven
- The Captain's Table · Chief Purser Herbert Prittlewell
- Follow a Star · Dr. W. Chatterway
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness · Mr. Murfin
- Barnacle Bill · Registrar of Shipping
- Hancock's Half Hour: Volume 1 · Hotelier
- Blue Murder at St. Trinian's · Manton Bassett
- High Flight · Wilson
- The Abominable Snowman · Dr. Peter Fox
- The Prince and the Showgirl · Northbrook
- Second Fiddle · Bill Turner
- The Green Man · Doctor
- The Silken Affair · Worthington
- A Touch of the Sun · Purchase
- The Iron Petticoat · Lingerie Clerk
- It's a Wonderful World · Harold
- Eyewitness · Anaesthetist
- Hancock's Half Hour
- The Man Who Knew Too Much · Assistant Manager
- The Man Who Never Was · Shop Assistant
- Colonel March of Scotland Yard · Arthur Cabot
- Jumping for Joy · Carruthers
- An Alligator Named Daisy · Hoskins
- Simon and Laura · Controller of Television Drama
- I Am a Camera · Bespectacled Man at Book Launch (uncredited)
- As Long As They're Happy · Hippodrome Stage Manager
- The Colditz Story · Richard Gordon
- The Time of His Life · Edgar
- A Yank in Ermine · Boone