Richard Wattis
97 movies · 13 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Feb 25, 1912
- Died
- Feb 1, 1975 (age 62)
- Place of birth
- Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, UK
- Also known as
- Richard Cameron Wattis
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.
Read the full biography
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.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
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★ 7.4 The Man Who Knew Too Much
1956 · Film
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★ 7.6 The Longest Day
1962 · Film
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★ 5.2 Casino Royale
1967 · Film
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★ 6.8 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
1968 · Film
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★ 7.6 Kind Hearts and Coronets
1949 · Film
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★ 7.2 Bunny Lake Is Missing
1965 · Film
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★ 7.7 The Prisoner
1967 · TV
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★ 6.4 The Prince and the Showgirl
1957 · Film
Richard Wattis: movies and TV shows
Acting (110)
- 1974 Aladdin
as Emperor Nanki
- 1974 Confessions of a Window Cleaner
as Mr. Prendergast
- 1973 Take Me High
as Sir Charles Furness
- 1973 Diamonds on Wheels
as Sir Hilary Stanton
- 1973
- 1972 Sex and the Other Woman
as Presenter
- 1972 That's Your Funeral
as Simmonds
- 1972
- 1971
- 1971 Games That Lovers Play
as Mr. Lothran
- 1971 Too Close for Comfort
as Narrator
- 1970 The Ballad of Tam Lin
as Elroy
- 1970
- 1970
- 1969 Wonderwall
as Perkins
- 1968 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
as Secretary at Sweet Factory (uncredited)
- 1967
- 1967
- 1967 Casino Royale
as British Army Officer
- 1967 The Troublesome Double
as Mr. Wentworth
- 1966 The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery
as Manton Bassett
- 1965 The Alphabet Murders
as Wolf
- 1965 Up Jumped a Swagman
as Lever, Music Publisher
- 1965 The Liquidator
as Flying Instructor
- 1965 Bunny Lake Is Missing
as Clerk in Shipping Office
- 1965 You Must Be Joking
as Parkins
- 1965 The Battle of the Villa Fiorita
as Travel Agent
- 1965 Operation Crossbow
as Sir Charles Sims
- 1965 The Bargain
as Narrator
- 1964 Carry On Spying
as Cobley
- 1963 The V.I.P.s
as Sanders
- 1963 Come Fly with Me
as Oliver Garson
- 1962
- 1962 The Longest Day
as British Paratrooper
- 1962 I Thank a Fool
as Ebblington
- 1962 Play It Cool
as Nervous Man
- 1962 Bon Voyage!
as Party Guest
- 1961 Dentist on the Job
as Macreedy
- 1961 Nearly a Nasty Accident
as Wagstaffe
- 1961 Very Important Person
as Entertainments Officer Woodcock
- 1961
- 1960
- 1960
- 1960
- 1960 Your Money or Your Wife
as Hubert Fry
- 1960
- 1959 Libel
as The Judge
- 1959 The Ugly Duckling
as Barclay
- 1959 Left Right and Centre
as Harding-Pratt
- 1959 Ten Seconds to Hell
as Major Haven
- 1959 The Captain's Table
as Chief Purser Herbert Prittlewell
- 1959 Follow a Star
as Dr. W. Chatterway
- 1958 The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
as Mr. Murfin
- 1957 Barnacle Bill
as Registrar of Shipping
- 1957 Hancock's Half Hour: Volume 1
as Hotelier
- 1957 Blue Murder at St. Trinian's
as Manton Bassett
- 1957 High Flight
as Wilson
- 1957 The Abominable Snowman
as Dr. Peter Fox
- 1957 The Prince and the Showgirl
as Northbrook
- 1957 Second Fiddle
as Bill Turner
- 1956 The Green Man
as Doctor
- 1956 The Silken Affair
as Worthington
- 1956 A Touch of the Sun
as Purchase
- 1956 The Iron Petticoat
as Lingerie Clerk
- 1956 It's a Wonderful World
as Harold
- 1956 Eyewitness
as Anaesthetist
- 1956
- 1956 The Man Who Knew Too Much
as Assistant Manager
- 1956 The Man Who Never Was
as Shop Assistant
- 1956
- 1956 Jumping for Joy
as Carruthers
- 1955 An Alligator Named Daisy
as Hoskins
- 1955 Simon and Laura
as Controller of Television Drama
- 1955 I Am a Camera
as Bespectacled Man at Book Launch (uncredited)
- 1955 As Long as They're Happy
as Hippodrome Stage Manager
- 1955 The Colditz Story
as Richard Gordon
- 1955 The Time of His Life
as Edgar
- 1955 A Yank in Ermine
as Boone
- 1954 Lease of Life
as Solicitor
- 1954 The Crowded Day
as Mr. Christopher
- 1954 The Belles of St Trinian's
as Manton Bassett
- 1954 Hobson's Choice
as Albert Prosser
- 1954 Doctor in the House
as Medical Book Salesman (uncredited)
- 1953 Small Town Story
as Marsh
- 1953 Background
as David Wallace
- 1953 The Intruder
as School Master
- 1953 Blood Orange
as Detective Inspector MacLeod
- 1953 Park Plaza 605
as Theodore Feather
- 1953 Innocents in Paris
as Wilkinson
- 1953 Colonel March Investigates
as Cabot
- 1953 The Final Test
as Cricket Fan
- 1953 Appointment in London
as Pascal
- 1953 Top of the Form
as Willoughby-Gore
- 1952 Top Secret
as Barnes
- 1952 Made in Heaven
as The vicar
- 1952 Mother Riley Meets the Vampire
as P.C. Freddie
- 1952 Derby Day
as Editor
- 1952 The Importance of Being Earnest
as Seton
- 1952
- 1952 Penny Princess
as Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
- 1952 Song of Paris
as Carter
- 1951 Lady Godiva Rides Again
as Casting Director
- 1951 Appointment with Venus
as Carruthers - Higher Executive
- 1950 The Clouded Yellow
as Employment Agent
- 1950 The Happiest Days of Your Life
as Arnold Billings: Staff of Nutbourne
- 1949 The Chiltern Hundreds
as Vicar (uncredited)
- 1949 Helter Skelter
as Compere of Nick Nack Show (uncredited)
- 1949 Kind Hearts and Coronets
as Defence Counsel (uncredited)
- 1949 Marry Me
as Minor Role (uncredited)
- 1938 A Yank at Oxford
as Latin Speaker at Dinner (uncredited)
Talk shows and appearances (2)
- 2004
- 1981