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Richard Wattis

Richard Wattis

Actor · 1912 – 1975 · Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, UK

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.

Movies24

  • Movie7.6

    The Longest Day

    1962 · 1.1K votes

  • Movie5.2

    Casino Royale

    1967 · 858 votes

  • Movie7.4

    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    1956 · 1.6K votes

  • Movie6.8

    Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

    1968 · 769 votes

  • Movie7.2

    Bunny Lake Is Missing

    1965 · 223 votes

  • Movie5.0
  • Movie7.6

    Kind Hearts and Coronets

    1949 · 629 votes

  • Movie6.4
  • Movie7.0

    The Man Who Never Was

    1956 · 95 votes

  • Movie6.1

    The V.I.P.s

    1963 · 68 votes

  • Movie6.8
  • Movie6.7

    Operation Crossbow

    1965 · 125 votes

  • Movie5.7

    The Alphabet Murders

    1965 · 52 votes

  • Movie7.4

    Hobson's Choice

    1954 · 171 votes

  • Movie6.3

    The Liquidator

    1965 · 23 votes

  • Movie6.8

    The Colditz Story

    1955 · 62 votes

  • Movie6.2

    The Abominable Snowman

    1957 · 119 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Bon Voyage!

    1962 · 24 votes

  • Movie7.2
  • Movie6.5

    Appointment in London

    1953 · 16 votes

  • Movie6.8

    A Yank at Oxford

    1938 · 12 votes

  • Movie5.1

    The Ballad of Tam Lin

    1970 · 18 votes

  • Movie7.0

    The Green Man

    1956 · 39 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Helter Skelter

    1949 · 4 votes

Series11

  • TV7.8

    The Avengers

    1961 · 156 votes

  • TV7.3

    Danger Man

    1960 · 25 votes

  • TV6.7

    Sykes

    1972 · 6 votes

  • TV7.7

    The Prisoner

    1967 · 219 votes

  • TV7.7

    The Goodies

    1970 · 26 votes

  • TV7.0

    Centre Play

    1973 · 1 votes

  • TV7.4

    Hancock's Half Hour

    1956 · 9 votes

  • TV7.5
  • TV7.0

    Misleading Cases

    1967 · 2 votes

  • TV7.3

    Sykes and a...

    1960 · 3 votes

  • TV8.0

    The Liberace Show

    1952 · 1 votes