Richard Fraser

Richard Fraser

Born: March 15, 1913
Died: January 19, 1972
in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Early life

After graduating from Sedbergh School as Richard Mackie Simpson, Richard's mother Margaret Kyd Mackie divorced and his name was shortened to Richard Mackie. After attending Cambridge University, Richard Mackie studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Having Spent time as a London stage actor, Richard emigrated to the USA and in New York married Louise Christine Sheldon, the couple then moved to Hollywood before the Second World War. Discovering that there was already a Richard Mackie acting in the US he adopted the stage name Richard Fraser. He then signed a contract with 20th Century Fox and appeared in numerous films.

Career

His American film career reached its peak with his performance as James Vane, the vengeful brother of Sibyl Vane in the film The Picture of Dorian Gray. Richard retired from acting in 1949, returning to Britain in 1961 with his then-wife, US actress Ann Gillis, spending his most of his last decade working for the BBC in export sales.

Private life

Richard married Louise Christine Sheldon in 1938 and had a daughter by her (Melinda Mackie 1940-2012), they divorced in 1944. Richard then married actress Ann Gillis in 1952, and had a son by her (Gordon Hamilton Mackie Fraser 1958- ). After retiring from acting in 1949 Richard and Ann lived in Britain in the 1960s, Richard as a businessman in which, among other things, he worked for the BBC in export sales selling Dr. Who around the world, as Ann continued her acting career (2 Episodes of "The Saint" and a small part in 2001 A Space Odyssey). The two divorced in 1970 and Richard married Edna Martin in summer 1971, he died in January 1972 of cancer.

Movies for Richard Fraser...

Title: The Gentle Touch
Released: April 11, 1980
Type: TV
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of the similarly themed BBC series Juliet Bravo by four months.
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Title: Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character: Army Doctor
Released: December 24, 1951
Type: TV
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The longest-running primetime series in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning during 1951 and continuing into 2013. From 1954 onward, all of its productions have been shown in color, although color television video productions were extremely rare in 1954. Many television movies have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones. The series has received eighty Emmy Awards, twenty-four Christopher Awards, eleven Peabody Awards, nine Golden Globes, and four Humanitas Prizes. Once a common practice in American television, it is the last remaining television program such that the title includes the name of the sponsor. Unlike other long-running TV series still on the air, it differs in that it broadcasts only occasionally and not on a weekly broadcast programming schedule.
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Title: Robert Montgomery Presents
Released: January 30, 1950
Type: TV
Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950 until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its seven-year run, and the title was altered to feature the sponsor, usually Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, Robert Montgomery Presents Your Lucky Strike Theater, ....The Johnson's Wax Program, and so on.
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Title: Lights Out
Released: July 19, 1949
Type: TV
Lights Out was an extremely popular American old-time radio program, an early example of a network series devoted mostly to horror and the supernatural, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum. Versions of Lights Out aired on different networks, at various times, from January 1934 to the summer of 1947 and the series eventually made the transition to television. In 1946, NBC Television brought Lights Out to TV in a series of four specials, broadcast live and produced by Fred Coe, who also contributed three of the scripts. NBC asked Cooper to write the script for the premiere, "First Person Singular", which is told entirely from the point of view of an unseen murderer who kills his obnoxious wife and winds up being executed. Variety gave this first episode a rave review ("undoubtedly one of the best dramatic shows yet seen on a television screen"), but Lights Out did not become a regular NBC-TV series until 1949.
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The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Title: The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Character: John Armitage
Released: March 25, 1949
Type: Movie
Sherlock Holmes gets the clues he needs to solve a murder, and to prevent another one from occurring, when he finds out that a doctor owns a poisonous snake--the deadly swamp adder. Filmed on the expensive sets leftover from the movie Joan of Arc at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City and produced for the "Your Show Time" series, the short has been released as a solo feature on many DVDs that chronicle classic Sherlock Holmes films..
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Alaska Patrol
Title: Alaska Patrol
Character: Operative Farrell
Released: March 10, 1949
Type: Movie
Spotted after he microfilms secret U.S. Navy documents, foreign agent Rattick is killed when he tries to make a getaway. Naval Intelligence officer Captain Wright and Operative Dale are assigned to investigate and determine who is behind the spy syndicate for which Rattick worked. They bring in the services of Agent Tom Norman, who bears a strong resemblance to Rattick.
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Title: Suspense
Character: Club President
Released: January 6, 1949
Type: TV
Suspense is an American television anthology series that ran on CBS Television from 1949 to 1954. It was adapted from the radio program of the same name which ran from 1942 to 1962. Like many early television programs, the show was broadcast live from New York City. It was sponsored by the Auto-Lite corporation, and each episode was introduced by host Rex Marshall, who promoted Auto-Lite spark plugs, car batteries, headlights, and other car parts. Some of the early scripts were adapted from Suspense radio scripts, while others were original for television. Like the radio program, many scripts were adaptations of literary classics by well-known authors. Classic authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, and Charles Dickens all had stories adapted for the series, while contemporary authors such as Roald Dahl and Gore Vidal also contributed. Many notable actors appeared on the program, including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Franchot Tone, Robert Emhardt, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, and many more. The program was a live television series, but most episodes were recorded on kinescope. However, only about 90 of the 260 episodes survive today.
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Rogues' Regiment
Title: Rogues' Regiment
Character: Rycroft
Released: December 28, 1948
Type: Movie
A post World War 2, US Army agent is assigned to join the Foreign Legion in search of high ranking Nazi war criminal who may have also enlisted.
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Title: The Philco Television Playhouse
Character: Keith Reddington
Released: October 3, 1948
Type: TV
The Philco Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golden Age of Television, winning a 1954 Peabody Award and receiving eight Emmy nominations between 1951 and 1956.
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Raw Deal
Title: Raw Deal
Character: Fields
Released: May 21, 1948
Type: Movie
A revenge-seeking gangster is sent to prison after being framed for a crime he didn't commit. After seducing a beautiful young woman, he uses her to help him carry out his plot for vengeance, leading him to the crazy pyromaniac who set him up.
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The Cobra Strikes
Title: The Cobra Strikes
Character: Michael Kent
Released: April 24, 1948
Type: Movie
A newspaper reporter investigates the near-fatal shooting of a medical scientist.
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The Lone Wolf in London
Title: The Lone Wolf in London
Character: David Woolerton
Released: November 13, 1947
Type: Movie
Michael Lanyard (Gerald Mohr) is suspected of stealing two fabulous diamonds from a vault in Scotland Yard, where they were being held for safekeeping, but the Yard can't prove he did it. Later, Lanyard is summoned by a member of the nobility to help the latter raise money to pay a blackmailer. Lanyard later finds evidence to reveal the diamonds as having been stolen by a famous stage star.
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Blackmail
Title: Blackmail
Character: Antoine Le Blanc
Released: July 24, 1947
Type: Movie
A private detective is offered a job protecting a rich business man from suspected blackmail. Before he can accept the case a murder is uncovered.
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The Private Affairs of Bel Ami
Title: The Private Affairs of Bel Ami
Character: Philippe de Cantel
Released: April 25, 1947
Type: Movie
A self-serving journalist uses influential women in late-1800s Paris and denies the one who truly loves him.
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Blonde for a Day
Title: Blonde for a Day
Character: Dillingham 'Dilly' Smith
Released: June 10, 1946
Type: Movie
Hugh Beaumont stars as detective "Michael Shayne" in this 1946 B-film.
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Bedlam
Title: Bedlam
Character: The Stonemason
Released: May 10, 1946
Type: Movie
London, 1761. St. Mary's of Bethlehem, a sinister madhouse, is visited by wealthy people who enjoy watching the patients confined there as if they were caged animals. Nell Bowen, one of the visitors, is horrified by the deplorable living conditions of the unfortunate inhabitants of this godforsaken place, better known as Bedlam.
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The Undercover Woman
Title: The Undercover Woman
Character: Gregory Vixon
Released: January 1, 1946
Type: Movie
Two women private detectives arrive at a dude ranch in time to investigate the murder of their client's philandering husband.
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The Tiger Woman
Title: The Tiger Woman
Character: Stephen Mason
Released: November 16, 1945
Type: Movie
Murder mystery programmer from Republic pictures
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White Pongo
Title: White Pongo
Character: Geoffrey Bishop
Released: November 2, 1945
Type: Movie
Suspecting that a safari guide is a wanted killer, undercover policeman Geoffrey Bishop (Richard Fraser) joins a safari led by the suspect for a scientist that hopes to find and prove that a fabled white gorilla is a missing link.
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Shadow Of Terror
Title: Shadow Of Terror
Character: Jim, aka Howard Norton
Released: October 4, 1945
Type: Movie
A scientist possessing the formula for making a nuclear bomb finds himself chased by evil gangsters in this thriller that was made just after the A-bomb was dropped upon Hiroshima.
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Scotland Yard Investigator
Title: Scotland Yard Investigator
Character: Robert Cartwright
Released: September 30, 1945
Type: Movie
A London curator loses the Mona Lisa to a collector, who discovers it's a fake.
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The Fatal Witness
Title: The Fatal Witness
Character: Inspector William 'Bill' Trent
Released: September 15, 1945
Type: Movie
A playboy produces an airtight alibi when he is questioned about the murder of his wealthy aunt.
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Character: James Vane
Released: March 3, 1945
Type: Movie
Posing for a portrait, Dorian Gray talks with Lord Henry Wotton, who says that men should pursue their sensual longings, but laments that only the young get to do so. Taken with the idea, Dorian imagines a scenario in which the painting will age as he stays youthful. His wish comes true, and his boyish looks aid him as he indulges his every whim. But when a stunning revelation forces him to see what he's become, Dorian faces some very dangerous questions.
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To the People of the United States
Title: To the People of the United States
Character: Young Doctor (uncredited)
Released: April 16, 1944
Type: Movie
World War II public education film about sexually transmitted diseases focused on syphilis.
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Thumbs Up
Title: Thumbs Up
Character: Douglas Heath
Released: July 5, 1943
Type: Movie
In this wartime musical, a feisty singer working in a London dive swears that she will become a star. She gets a job in an airplane plant when she learns that her fiance, a producer, and his partner are looking for new talent at the war factories. While working there, the woman meets a handsome RAF officer and falls in love. This causes some trouble.
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Edge of Darkness
Title: Edge of Darkness
Character: Pastor Aalesen
Released: April 9, 1943
Type: Movie
The film pivots around the local Norwegian doctor and his family. The doctor's wife (Ruth Gordon) wants to hold on to the pretence of gracious living and ignore their German occupiers. The doctor, Martin Stensgard (Walter Huston), would also prefer to stay neutral, but is torn. His brother-in-law, the wealthy owner of the local fish cannery, collaborates with the Nazis. The doctor's daughter, Karen (Ann Sheridan), is involved with the resistance and with its leader Gunnar Brogge (Errol Flynn). The doctor's son has just returned to town, having been sent down from the university, and is soon influenced by his Nazi-sympathizer uncle. Captain Koenig (Helmut Dantine), the young German commandant of the occupying garrison, whose fanatic determination to do everything by the book and spoutings about the invincibility of the Reich hides a growing fear of a local uprising.
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Truck Busters
Title: Truck Busters
Character: Limey
Released: January 28, 1943
Type: Movie
An independent truck driver organizes his fellow truckers to resist the efforts of a crooked trucking company exec to bring all drivers under his control. When the trucker's brother dies in an "accident" arranged by the trucking company's henchmen, he takes matters into his own hands
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The Gorilla Man
Title: The Gorilla Man
Character: Lieutenant Walter Sibley
Released: January 16, 1943
Type: Movie
A wounded soldier discovers his hospital is secretly run by the Nazis.
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Desperate Journey
Title: Desperate Journey
Character: Squadron Leader Clark
Released: September 26, 1942
Type: Movie
During WWII, when an allied bomber is shot down over Germany, the five surviving crew are captured but cleverly escape detention after learning German secret information and knocking out a Nazi major. With the angry major in hot pursuit, aided by military personnel, Gestapo agents and Hitler-loyal citizens, the five wend their way across perilous Germany, intent on reaching the UK with the secrets they have learned.
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Busses Roar
Title: Busses Roar
Character: Dick Remick
Released: September 19, 1942
Type: Movie
A sergeant saves the day when Axis agents plant a bomb on a bus bound for California oil fields.
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Eagle Squadron
Title: Eagle Squadron
Character: Lt. Jefferys
Released: June 16, 1942
Type: Movie
An American joins the British Royal Air Force just before Pearl Harbor is attacked, and falls in love with a beautiful English girl.
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Joan of Paris
Title: Joan of Paris
Character: Geoffrey
Released: January 20, 1942
Type: Movie
An RAF squadron is brought down over occupied France. The flyers get to Paris in spite of the fact that the youngest, Baby, is injured. He must be hidden and his wounds cared for. The Gestapo has already issued orders for their arrest.
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How Green Was My Valley
Title: How Green Was My Valley
Character: Davy Morgan
Released: October 28, 1941
Type: Movie
A man in his fifties reminisces about his childhood growing up in a Welsh mining village at the turn of the 20th century.
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A Yank in the R.A.F.
Title: A Yank in the R.A.F.
Character: Thorndyke
Released: September 26, 1941
Type: Movie
An American pilot impulsively joins His Majesty's Royal Air Force in Britain in an attempt to impress his ex-girlfriend.
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Man Hunt
Title: Man Hunt
Released: June 13, 1941
Type: Movie
Shortly before the start of WW2, renown British big-game hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by Nazi agents and aided by a young woman.
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The Ghost Goes West
Title: The Ghost Goes West
Character: Son of McLaggen
Released: December 17, 1935
Type: Movie
Donald Glourie shares his crumbling ancestral home with the ghost of his Highland ancestor, Murdoch, who has been condemned to haunt the castle until he avenges a 200-year-old insult from a rival clan. To clear his mounting debts, Donald sells the dilapidated pile to an American businessman, Mr Martin, who has the castle complete with the Glourie ghost transported and rebuilt in Florida. While old-world gentility rubs up comically against 20th-century materialism, Martin's daughter takes a liking to both Donald and Murdoch, convinced they are one and the same man...