# John Dodsworth (actor)

John Cecil Dodsworth (17 September 1910 – 11 September 1964) was an English actor.

## Biography and career

Born John Cecil Dodsworth in London, England. Dodsworth started his film career as an extra in British films of the 1930s before taking on small parts in The Next of Kin (1942), They Were Sisters and The Rake's Progress (both 1945). He had much larger roles in his next two films, as the romantic lead in the Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen comedy Here Comes the Sun (1946), and Who Killed Van Loon? (1948), an early film from Hammer Film Productions.
Like a lot of British actors of the period he moved to America in the 1950s, where he was usually cast as the archetypal English officer or aristocrat. He made his Hollywood film debut in Up Front (1951), followed by supporting roles in prestige films including Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) and Lust for Life (1956). Interspersed with these small parts were more substantial roles in modest scale productions, such as William Cameron Menzies' cult classic The Maze (1953) and the Bowery Boys comedies Loose in London (1953) and In the Money (1958). He also appeared in tv shows such as Jungle Jim, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip.
He married film production secretary Donna Hedyt in 1961. Dodsworth committed suicide in 1964 at the age of 53.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1934 | The Return of Bulldog Drummond | Extra - Audience Member Leaving Auditorium | Uncredited |
| 1942 | The Next of Kin | Officer Giving Davis a Lift | Uncredited |
| 1945 | They Were Sisters | Cyril | Uncredited |
| 1945 | The Rake's Progress | Team Manager | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Here Comes the Sun | Roy Lucas | |
| 1948 | Who Killed Van Loon | Ian Ferguson | |
| 1951 | Up Front | British Officer | Uncredited |
| 1951 | David and Bathsheba | Ahithophel | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Singin' in the Rain | Baron de la Ma de la Toulon | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Storm Over Tibet | Malloy | |
| 1952 | Les Misérables | Sergeant | Uncredited |
| 1952 | The Snows of Kilimanjaro | Compton | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Bwana Devil | Sir William Drayton | |
| 1953 | Rogue's March | Major MacStreet | |
| 1953 | The Magnetic Monster | Dr. Carthwright | |
| 1953 | Titanic | Stoker Exclaiming 'For God's Sake!' | Uncredited |
| 1953 | Loose in London | Sir Edgar Whipsnade | |
| 1953 | The Maze | Dr. Bert Dilling | |
| 1954 | Her Twelve Men | Mr. Curtis | Uncredited |
| 1954 | Charade | Lieutenant Meyerdorf | |
| 1954 | Bengal Brigade | Captain Guy Fitz-Morell | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Untamed | Captain Richard Eaton | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Escape to Burma | Undetermined Role | Uncredited |
| 1955 | The Sea Chase | British Officer of the Watch | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Gaby | Broadcaster | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Lust for Life | Handsome Man | Uncredited |
| 1956 | The Mole People | Priest | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Something of Value | Doctor | Uncredited |
| 1957 | The 27th Day | BBC Newscaster | Uncredited |
| 1958 | In the Money | Blake Cummings | |
| 1958 | Merry Andrew | Lord Elmwood | Uncredited |

## Television

| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
| 1952 | Fireside Theater | Undetermined Role | Season 4 Episode 36: 'The Last Stop' |
| 1952 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Undetermined Role | Season 1 Episode 40: 'The House of Death' |
| 1952 | Cavalcade of America | Lt. Allen | Season 1 Episode 2: 'All's Well With Lydia' |
| 1953 | Cavalcade of America | Undetermined Role | Season 2 Episode 1: 'Sam and the Whale' |
| 1953 | Cavalcade of America | Undetermined Role | Season 2 Episode 2: 'The Stolen General' |
| 1953 | Chevron Theatre | Undetermined Role | Season 2 Episode 6: 'Adventure in Java' |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater | Undetermined Role | Season 1 Episode 4: 'Best Seller' |
| 1954 | Cavalcade of America | John Morley | Season 2 Episode 21: 'The Splendid Dream' |
| 1955 | TV Reader's Digest | Undetermined Role | Season 1 Episode 12: 'Incident on the China Coast' |
| 1955 | Climax! | Major Adams | Season 1 Episode 29: 'To Wake at Midnight' |
| 1955 | NBC Matinee Theater | Undetermined Role | Season 1 Episode 14: 'The Aspern Papers' |
| 1955 | Jungle Jim | Neil Croft | Season 1 Episode 10: 'The Deadly Idol' |
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Calender | Season 1 Episode 31: 'The Gentleman From America' |
| 1956 | Telephone Time | Undetermined Role | Season 1 Episode 7: 'Time Bomb' |
| 1956 | General Electric Summer Originals | Undetermined Role | Season 1 Episode 2: 'Duel at Dawn' |
| 1958 | Maverick | Clayton Palmer | Season 1 Episode 20: 'The Savage Hills' |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip | Martin Melville | Season 1 Episode 2: 'Lovely Lady, Pity Me' |