Richard Wattis

Acting · 1.2 popularity

Age

114

Movies

Born: February 25, 1912 – February 1, 1975
From: Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, UK

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.

Works

99 films

The Longest Day

19627.6

Casino Royale

19675.3

The Man Who Knew Too Much

19567.4

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

19686.8

Operation Crossbow

19656.7

The Prince and the Showgirl

19576.3

Kind Hearts and Coronets

19497.6

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

19586.8

Hobson's Choice

19547.4

Confessions of a Window Cleaner

19745.0

The Belles of St Trinian's

19546.4

The Abominable Snowman

19576.2

The Man Who Never Was

19567.0

Bunny Lake Is Missing

19657.2

Carry On Spying

19646.4

Wonderwall

19695.2

The V.I.P.s

19636.1

Bon Voyage!

19625.6

Egghead's Robot

19706.0

The Green Man

19567.0

The Captain's Table

19596.0

The Colditz Story

19556.8

The Importance of Being Earnest

19527.2

Park Plaza 605

19534.7

A Yank at Oxford

19386.7

Sex and the Other Woman

19725.0

The Liquidator

19656.3

Barnacle Bill

19576.6

The Battle of the Villa Fiorita

19654.4

Second Fiddle

19576.3

The Alphabet Murders

19655.9

Lady Godiva Rides Again

19515.9

Blue Murder at St. Trinian's

19576.8

It's a Wonderful World

19565.8

Ten Seconds to Hell

19596.2

Up Jumped a Swagman

19657.0

Colonel March Investigates

19536.3

As Long as They're Happy

19557.5

The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery

19666.2

Doctor in the House

19546.5

The Crowded Day

19545.8

The Ballad of Tam Lin

19705.1

A Yank in Ermine

19556.0

Come Fly with Me

19635.0

The Silken Affair

19563.3

Play It Cool

19626.1

An Alligator Named Daisy

19556.4

The Prince, The Showgirl and Me

2004

Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers

1981

Left Right and Centre

19596.1

Helter Skelter

19496.4

A Touch of the Sun

19566.0

You Must Be Joking

19655.4

Follow a Star

19596.2

Libel

19596.8

Marry Me

19495.8

That's Your Funeral

19724.3

The Clouded Yellow

19506.3

The Iron Petticoat

19565.8

I Thank a Fool

19626.1

Innocents in Paris

19535.2

Simon and Laura

19555.9

The Intruder

19537.6

The Ugly Duckling

19596.0

Appointment in London

19536.5

Mother Riley Meets the Vampire

19524.3

The Chiltern Hundreds

19496.0

Appointment with Venus

19515.7

Blood Orange

19535.5

The Final Test

19536.7

High Flight

19576.2

Eyewitness

19566.8

Top Secret

19528.0

Very Important Person

19615.5

Top of the Form

19537.5

Bachelor in Paris

19527.8

Take Me High

19734.8

The Happiest Days of Your Life

19506.7

Lease of Life

19547.4

Your Money or Your Wife

19604.5

Venus fra Vestø

19626.2

Diamonds on Wheels

19738.0

The Bargain

1965

Derby Day

19526.8

I Am a Camera

19556.2

The Time of His Life

19556.7

Made in Heaven

19525.0

Dentist on the Job

19616.5

Penny Princess

19526.7

Small Town Story

19535.9

The Troublesome Double

19679.0

Background

19537.0

Games That Lovers Play

19714.0

Nearly a Nasty Accident

19617.0

Follow That Horse!

196010.0

Aladdin

1974

Jumping for Joy

19566.7

Hancock's Half Hour: Volume 1

1957

Too Close for Comfort

1971