Richard Todd, actor and D-day para

Richard Todd, who epitomised the wartime British officer in several classic films, died yesterday.Here's an extract from a newspaper obituary.....
Handsome, dashing and with a striking military posture, Richard Todd was postwar Hollywood's first choice to play gallant British officers.

But the blue-eyed star, who has died aged 90, didn't need a script to become a hero.


He was among the first paratroopers in Normandy on D-Day, helping to capture and hold Pegasus Bridge in an epic struggle.

Todd fought alongside Major John Howard, who 18 years later he would portray in classic war movie The Longest Day.

Sadly, the bravery he showed in war was needed to deal with the tragedies in his life.

His mother killed herself, his two marriages ended in divorce and two of his four children also committed suicide.

One of the greatest British movie stars, Todd was Ian Fleming's No1 choice to play James Bond in the first 007 film Dr No. But work schedules ruled that out and the 1962 role went to Sean Connery.

After Todd died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, a family spokesman said: "He was suffering from cancer, an illness he bore with his habitual courage and dignity. His family were with him throughout."

Friends near his home in the village of Little Humby, near Grantham, Lincs, also paid tribute yesterday. Neighbour Tessa Buckley said: "Richard was very charming. He really was a gentleman of another era."

Michael Winner, who directed Todd in The Big Sleep in 1978, said: "Richard Todd was the most wonderful type of British stiff upperlip acting. His contribution to British movies was enormous. He was a very fine actor.

"He was also a very, very nice person, a good friend and wonderful to work with, utterly professional - just got on with it."

Todd was born Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd in Dublin on June 11, 1919, into an aristocratic Anglo-Irish family.

His father Andrew was a British Army physician who won three caps for Ireland at rugby. His mother was a noted beauty.

While at Shrewsbury School the young Todd set his heart on becoming a playwright.

After military training at Sandhurst he enrolled at the Italia Conti Academy so he could "learn something about the theatre."

He caught the acting bug but his mother was keen on the diplomatic service and her insistence caused a bitter rift. He later said that when he was told she had committed suicide when he was 19 he didn't bother grieving.

In 1936 he made his first professional appearance on stage in London and became a founding member of the Dundee repertory company.

At the outbreak of war he volunteered and became an officer in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1941.

He asked to become a paratrooper and in May 1943 he was posted to the 7th Parachute Battalion.

Todd and his comrades captured Pegasus Bridge in early action on D-Day in what has been described as "the finest piece of airmanship of the war".

A true hero gone to his reward amongst old comrades.

May God bless him and keep him.

One thing I particularly remember, was when Richard Todd was interviewed on a complilation show, about the best 100 War films. Discussing The Dambusters they showed the final scene where Guy Gibson tells Barnes Wallis that he has to go and write letters to the next of kin of those missing on the raid. Richard Todd said that the scene was difficult to play, because, as a wartime officer "one had to write those letters", and you could see that even sixty years later he was still emotionally affected by it.