Frederick Piper: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
 
(37 intermediate revisions by 26 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|English actor}}
⚫
{{no footnotes|date=February 2013}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
⚫
{{more footnotes|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Frederick Piper
| name = Frederick Piper
Line 6: Line 9:
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1902|09|23|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1902|09|23}}
| birth_place = [[London]], England
| birth_place = [[London]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|09|22|1902|09|23|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1979|09|22|1902|09|23}}
| death_place = [[Berkshire]], England
| death_place = London, England
| othername =
| othername =
| education = [[Central School of Speech and Drama]]
| occupation = Actor
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1933 – 1971
| years_active = 1920s (theatre) 1933–1971 (film)
| spouse =
| spouse =
| domesticpartner =
| domesticpartner =
Line 18: Line 22:
}}
}}


'''Frederick Piper''' (23 September 1902 &ndash; 22 September 1979) was an English actor who appeared in over 80 films and many television productions in a career spanning over 40 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba2dcc1db|title=Frederick Piper|work=BFI}}</ref> Piper studied drama under [[Elsie Fogerty]] at the [[Central School of Speech and Drama]], then based at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London.<ref>V&A, Theatre and Performance Special Collections, Elsie Fogerty Archive, THM/324</ref>
'''Frederick Piper''' (23 September 1902 – 22 September 1979) was an English actor of stage and screen who appeared in over 80 films and many television productions in a career spanning over 40 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba2dcc1db|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711152541/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba2dcc1db|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-11|title=Frederick Piper|work=BFI}}</ref> Piper studied drama under [[Elsie Fogerty]] at the [[Central School of Speech and Drama]], then based at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London.<ref>V&A, Theatre and Performance Special Collections, Elsie Fogerty Archive, THM/324</ref>


Never a leading player, Piper was usually cast in minor, sometimes uncredited, parts although he also appeared in some more substantial supporting roles. Piper never aspired to star-status, but became a recognisable face on the British screen through the sheer volume of films in which he appeared. His credits include a number of films which are considered classics of British cinema, among them five 1930s [[Alfred Hitchcock]] films; he also appeared in many [[Ealing Studios]] productions, including some of the celebrated [[Ealing comedies]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movie-dude.co.uk/Frederick%20Piper.htm|title=Frederick Piper|publisher=}}</ref>
Never a leading player, Piper was usually cast in minor, sometimes uncredited, parts although he also appeared in some more substantial supporting roles. Piper never aspired to star-status, but became a recognisable face on the British screen through the sheer volume of films in which he appeared. His credits include a number of films which are considered classics of British cinema, among them five 1930s [[Alfred Hitchcock]] films; he also appeared in many [[Ealing Studios]] productions, including some of the celebrated [[Ealing comedies]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movie-dude.co.uk/Frederick%20Piper.htm|title=Frederick Piper}}</ref>

==Stage career==

Born in London, England in September 1902, Piper worked as a tea merchant before starting his acting career on the stage in the 1920s, playing in London productions and also touring as far afield as Canada. He continued to appear in theatrical productions in the [[West End theatre|West End]] alongside his screen roles. These included appearances in the original runs of [[Barré Lyndon]]'s ''[[The Man in Half Moon Street (play)|The Man in Half Moon Street]]'', [[Vernon Sylvaine]]'s ''[[Nap Hand (play)|Nap Hand]]'', [[N.C. Hunter]]'s ''[[A Day by the Sea]]'', [[Robert Bolt]]'s ''[[Flowering Cherry]]'' and ''[[Home at Seven (play)|Home at Seven]]'' and ''[[The White Carnation]]'' by [[R.C. Sheriff]].


==Film career==
==Film career==
⚫
Born in London in 1902, Piper worked as a [[tea merchant]] before starting his acting career on the stage in the 1920s, playing in London productions and also touring as far afield as Canada. His first film appearance came in the 1933 production ''[[The Good Companions (1933 film)|The Good Companions]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/152831%7C55952/Frederick-Piper/|title=Overview for Frederick Piper|work=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/frederick-piper/credits/150949|title=Frederick Piper|work=TV Guide}}</ref>


⚫
His first film appearance came in the 1933 production ''[[The Good Companions (1933 film)|The Good Companions]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/152831%7C55952/Frederick-Piper/|title=Overview for Frederick Piper|work=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/frederick-piper/credits/150949|title=Frederick Piper|work=TV Guide}}</ref>
⚫
An unassuming man with no trappings of ambition or conceit, Piper rapidly earned a reputation as a reliable, congenial presence on set and became a first choice for directors with smaller roles to cast, accumulating screen credits at the rate of up to six a year through to the 1960s. He appeared as an extra in Hitchcock's 1934 film ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' (credited as "Policeman with Rifle"), and the following year was cast again by Hitchcock in the role of the milkman in the famous scene with [[Robert Donat]] in ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]''. Piper was only on screen for seconds, but the iconic nature of the scene ultimately made this probably his most famous film appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sWewbX79ISsC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=frederick+piper+actor&source=bl&ots=qpdr3q3ozO&sig=C4VRqmgsjlnin_QB5vAjXH_GuVA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TqCcVInJC4-UapGigNgE&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBzgK#v=onepage&q=frederick%20piper%20actor&f=false|title=Backstory|publisher=}}</ref> Later minor roles for Hitchcock were ''[[Sabotage (1936 film)|Sabotage]]'' (1936 &ndash; as the doomed bus conductor), ''[[Young and Innocent]]'' (1937) and ''[[Jamaica Inn (film)|Jamaica Inn]]'' (1939 &ndash; as [[Charles Laughton]]'s agent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alfred-hitchcock-films.net/Jamaica-Inn-1938-1939.htm|title=Jamaica Inn|author=Per-Erik Skramstad|publisher=}}</ref>


⚫
An unassuming man with no trappings of ambition or conceit, Piper rapidly earned a reputation as a reliable, congenial presence on set and became a first choice for directors with smaller roles to cast, accumulating screen credits at the rate of up to six a year through to the 1960s. He appeared as an extra in Hitchcock's 1934 film ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' (credited as "Policeman with Rifle"), and the following year was cast again by Hitchcock in the role of the milkman in the famous scene with [[Robert Donat]] in ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]''. Piper was only on screen for seconds, but the iconic nature of the scene ultimately made this probably his most famous film appearance.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sWewbX79ISsC&q=frederick+piper+actor&pg=PA32|title=Backstory|isbn=9780520056893|last1=McGilligan|first1=Patrick|year=1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/top-bit-parts-films/?fbclid=IwAR2xSxi0hk84VAZNtRuo1esU_tluui_sLvWoPFSlN9AZdswE1uaH_d0ryjo|title=My Top Ten Bit Parts in Films|first=Stephen|last= Vagg|date=March 15, 2020}}</ref>
⚫
Piper's services were always in demand, and he is said to have once joked that he had cornered the market in unnamed police officers and barmen. From the late 1930s he became associated with [[Ealing Studios]], appearing in dozens of their productions, from cheaply shot programmers through to the company's most prestigious films such as ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' (1942). Most of Piper's roles were fleeting and his name rarely appeared in promotional material, but there was an occasional more substantial part in films such as ''[[Nine Men]]'' (1943), ''[[The October Man]]'' (1947) and ''[[Hunted (film)|Hunted]]'' (1952). In 1947, Piper played in ''[[Hue and Cry (film)|Hue and Cry]]'', the film which became known as the first in the canon of classic Ealing comedies; he later also appeared in ''[[Passport to Pimlico]]'' (1949) and ''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]'' (1951).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cmYMXECN-jkC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=frederick+piper+actor&source=bl&ots=08YZONCyXG&sig=1i70Hyknz5W2MG97S20jum2JyPc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vaCcVIHxMNPqaPf8gpgO&ved=0CCUQ6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=frederick%20piper%20actor&f=false|title=Ealing Studios|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://forgottenactors.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/frederick-piper.html|title=Forgotten Actors|author=Ian T|publisher=}}</ref>


Later minor roles for Hitchcock were ''[[Sabotage (1936 film)|Sabotage]]'' (1936 – as the doomed bus conductor), ''[[Young and Innocent]]'' (1937) and ''[[Jamaica Inn (film)|Jamaica Inn]]'' (1939 – as [[Charles Laughton]]'s agent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alfred-hitchcock-films.net/Jamaica-Inn-1938-1939.htm|title=Jamaica Inn|author=Per-Erik Skramstad}}</ref>
⚫
From the early 1960s film work began to dry up, but Piper continued to find work in television, a medium on which he had first appeared as early as 1938 in a production of [[J. B. Priestley]]'s play ''Laburnum Grove'' for the fledgling BBC. His TV credits during the 1960s included popular series such as ''[[Danger Man]]'', ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' and cult favourite ''[[The Prisoner]]''. Piper's last credit however was in a film, a minor role in the 1971 production ''[[Burke & Hare (1971 film)|Burke & Hare]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=29649|title=Frederick Piper|publisher=}}</ref>


⚫
Piper's services were always in demand, and he is said to have once joked that he had cornered the market in unnamed police officers and barmen. From the late 1930s he became associated with [[Ealing Studios]], appearing in dozens of their productions, from cheaply shot programmers through to the company's most prestigious films such as ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' (1942). Most of Piper's roles were fleeting and his name rarely appeared in promotional material, but there was an occasional more substantial part in films such as ''[[Nine Men (film)|Nine Men]]'' (1943), ''[[The October Man]]'' (1947) and ''[[Hunted (1952 film)|Hunted]]'' (1952). Other films include ''[[Hue and Cry (film)|Hue and Cry]]'', ''[[Passport to Pimlico]]'' (1949) and ''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]'' (1951).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cmYMXECN-jkC&q=frederick+piper+actor&pg=PA37|title=Ealing Studios|isbn=9780520215542|last1=Barr|first1=Charles|date=1998-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://forgottenactors.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/frederick-piper.html|title=Forgotten Actors|author=Ian T|date=2013-04-24}}</ref>
Piper died in London on 22 September 1979, one day short of his 77th birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=45221826|title=Frederick Piper (1902 - 1979) - Find A Grave Memorial|publisher=}}</ref>

⚫
From the early 1960s film work began to dry up, but Piper continued to find work in television, a medium in which he had first appeared as early as 1938 in a production of [[J. B. Priestley]]'s play ''Laburnum Grove'' for the fledgling BBC. His TV credits during the 1960s included popular series such as ''[[Danger Man]]'', ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' and cult favourite ''[[The Prisoner]]''. Piper's last credit however was in a film, a minor role in the 1971 production ''[[Burke & Hare (1971 film)|Burke & Hare]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=29649|title=Frederick Piper}}</ref>

==Personal life==

Piper lived in [[Windsor, Berkshire]] from the 1940s<ref>'Obituary: Frederick Piper', ''The Stage and Television Today'', 18 October 1979, p.32.</ref> and was married to the theatre director Joan Riley; their son, Mark Piper, also became a theatre director.<ref>'Obituaries: Joan Riley', ''The Stage and Television Today'', 20 June 1991, p.38.</ref> Frederick Piper died on 22 September 1979, one day short of his 77th birthday.


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
{{div col|cols=3}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* 1933: ''[[The Good Companions (1933 film)|The Good Companions]]''
*1933: ''[[The Good Companions (1933 film)|The Good Companions]]'' - Ted Ogelthorpe
* 1934: ''[[Red Ensign (film)|Red Ensign]]''
*1934: ''[[Red Ensign (film)|Red Ensign]]'' - Mr. McWilliams (uncredited)
* 1934: ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]''
*1934: ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' - Policeman with Rifle (uncredited)
* 1935: ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]''
*1935: ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]'' - The Milkman (uncredited)
* 1935: ''[[The Guv'nor (film)|The Guv'nor]]''
*1935: ''[[The Guv'nor (film)|The Guv'nor]]'' - Gendarme (uncredited)
* 1936: ''[[Fame (1936 film)|Fame]]''
*1936: ''[[Fame (1936 film)|Fame]]'' - Press Representative
* 1936: ''[[Everything Is Thunder]]''
*1936: ''[[Everything Is Thunder]]'' - Policeman Denker
* 1936: ''[[Crown v. Stevens]]''
*1936: ''[[Crown v. Stevens]]'' - Arthur Stevens
* 1936: ''[[Where There's a Will (1936 film)|Where There's a Will]]''
*1936: ''[[Where There's a Will (1936 film)|Where There's a Will]]'' - Joe, Detective Taking Fingerprints (uncredited)
* 1936: ''[[Sabotage (1936 film)|Sabotage]]''
*1936: ''[[Sabotage (1936 film)|Sabotage]]'' - Bus Conductor (uncredited)
* 1936: ''[[Jack of All Trades (film)|Jack of All Trades]]''
*1936: ''[[Jack of All Trades (1936 film)|Jack of All Trades]]'' - Jimmy (Employment Clerk) (uncredited)
* 1937: ''[[Feather Your Nest]]''
*1937: ''[[Feather Your Nest]]'' - Mr. Green - The Recording Engineer (uncredited)
* 1937: ''[[Non-Stop New York]]''
*1937: ''[[Farewell Again]]'' - Minor Role (uncredited)
* 1937: ''[[Oh, Mr Porter!]]''
*1937: ''[[Non-Stop New York]]'' - Barman (uncredited)
* 1937: ''[[Young and Innocent]]''
*1937: ''[[Oh, Mr Porter!]]'' - Mr. Leadbetter - Railway Official (uncredited)
*1937: ''[[Young and Innocent]]'' - Minor Role (uncredited)
* 1938: ''[[Climbing High]]''
* 1938: ''[[They Drive by Night (1938 film)|They Drive by Night]]''
*1938: ''[[Climbing High]]'' - Official in Asylum Car (uncredited)
* 1939: ''[[Jamaica Inn (film)|Jamaica Inn]]''
*1938: ''[[They Drive by Night (1938 film)|They Drive by Night]]'' - Bartender (uncredited)
* 1939: ''[[The Four Just Men (1939 film)|The Four Just Men]]''
*1939: ''[[Jamaica Inn (film)|Jamaica Inn]]'' - Davis - Sir Humphrey's Agent
*1939: ''[[The Four Just Men (1939 film)|The Four Just Men]]'' - Pickpocket (uncredited)
* 1940: ''[[The Big Blockade]]''
* 1941: ''[[East of Piccadilly]]''
*1941: ''[[East of Piccadilly]]'' - Ginger Harris
* 1941: ''[[49th Parallel (film)|49th Parallel]]''
*1941: ''[[49th Parallel (film)|49th Parallel]]'' - David
* 1942: ''[[In Which We Serve]]''
*1942: ''[[The Big Blockade]]'' - Malta official (uncredited)
* 1943: ''[[Nine Men (film)|Nine Men]]''
*1942: ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' - Edgecombe
* 1943: ''[[The Bells Go Down]]''
*1943: ''[[Nine Men (film)|Nine Men]]'' - Banger Hill
* 1943: ''[[San Demetrio London]]''
*1943: ''[[The Bells Go Down]]'' - Police Sergeant (uncredited)
*1943: ''[[San Demetrio London]]'' - Boatswain W.E. Fletcher
* 1944: ''[[It Happened One Sunday]]''
* 1944: ''[[Fiddlers Three (1944 film)|Fiddlers Three]]''
*1944: ''[[It Happened One Sunday]]'' - (uncredited)
* 1944: ''[[Champagne Charlie (1944 film)|Champagne Charlie]]''
*1944: ''[[Champagne Charlie (1944 film)|Champagne Charlie]]'' - Learoyd
*1944: ''[[Fiddlers Three (1944 film)|Fiddlers Three]]'' - Auctioneer
⚫
* 1945: ''[[Johnny Frenchman]]''
* 1945: ''[[Pink String and Sealing Wax]]''
*1944: ''[[The Return of the Vikings]]'' - Sgt. Fred Johnson
⚫
*1945: ''[[Johnny Frenchman]]'' - Zacky Penrose
* 1947: ''[[Hue and Cry (film)|Hue and Cry]]''
* 1947: ''[[The Loves of Joanna Godden]]''
*1945: ''[[Pink String and Sealing Wax]]'' - Dr. Pepper
* 1947: ''[[Master of Bankdam]]''
*1947: ''[[Hue and Cry (film)|Hue and Cry]]'' - Mr. Kirby
* 1947: ''[[The October Man]]''
*1947: ''[[The Loves of Joanna Godden]]'' - Isaac Turk
* 1947: ''[[It Always Rains on Sunday]]''
*1947: ''[[The October Man]]'' - Det. Insp. Godby
* 1948: ''[[Escape (1948 film)|Escape]]''
*1947: ''[[Master of Bankdam]]'' - Ben Pickersgill
* 1948: ''[[Look Before You Love]]''
*1947: ''[[It Always Rains on Sunday]]'' - Det. Sergt. Leech
* 1948: ''[[To the Public Danger]]''
*1948: ''[[Escape (1948 film)|Escape]]'' - Brownie - convict
* 1948: ''[[My Brother's Keeper (1948 film)|My Brother's Keeper]]''
*1948: ''[[Penny and the Pownall Case]]'' - Policeman
* 1949: ''[[The History of Mr. Polly (film)|The History of Mr. Polly]]''
*1948: ''[[My Brother's Keeper (film)|My Brother's Keeper]]'' - Camp Caretaker
* 1949: ''[[Vote for Huggett]]''
*1948: ''[[To the Public Danger]]'' (Short) - Labourer
*1948: ''Fly Away Peter'' - Mr. Hapgood
* 1949: ''[[Passport to Pimlico]]''
*1948: ''[[Look Before You Love]]'' - Miller
* 1949: ''[[It's Not Cricket (1949 film)|It's Not Cricket]]''
*1949: ''[[The History of Mr. Polly (film)|The History of Mr. Polly]]'' - Mr. Wintershed (uncredited)
* 1949: ''[[Don't Ever Leave Me]]''
* 1950: ''[[The Blue Lamp]]
*1949: ''[[Vote for Huggett]]'' - Mr. Bentley
* 1951: ''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]''
*1949: ''[[Passport to Pimlico]]'' - Garland
* 1952: ''[[Home at Seven (film)|Home at Seven]]
*1949: ''[[It's Not Cricket (1949 film)|It's Not Cricket]]'' - Yokel
* 1952: ''[[Hunted (film)|Hunted]]''
*1949: ''[[Don't Ever Leave Me]]'' - Max Marshall
* 1952: ''[[Brandy for the Parson]]''
*1950: ''[[The Blue Lamp]]'' - Alf Lewis
*1951: ''[[The Lavender Hill Mob]]'' - Cafe Owner (uncredited)
⚫
* 1952: ''[[Escape Route (film)|Escape Route]]''
* 1953: ''[[Cosh Boy]]''
*1952: ''[[Hunted (1952 film)|Hunted]]'' - Mr. Sykes
*1952: ''[[Home at Seven (film)|Home at Seven]]'' - Mr. Petherbridge
* 1954: ''[[Conflict of Wings]]''
* 1954: ''[[The Rainbow Jacket]]''
*1952: ''[[Brandy for the Parson]]'' - Customs Inspector
⚫
*1952: ''[[Escape Route (film)|Escape Route]]'' - Inspector Reid
⚫
* 1954: ''[[Lease of Life]]''
*1953: ''[[Cosh Boy]]'' - Mr. Easter (uncredited)
⚫
* 1955: ''[[Doctor at Sea (film)|Doctor at Sea]]''
*1953: ''[[Deadly Nightshade (film)|Deadly Nightshade]]'' - Mr. Pritchard
⚫
* 1956: ''[[The Man in the Road]]''
* 1957: ''[[The Birthday Present]]''
*1954: ''[[Devil on Horseback]]'' - Miner
* 1957: ''[[The Passionate Stranger]]''
*1954: ''[[Conflict of Wings]]'' - Joe Bates
* 1957: ''[[Suspended Alibi]]
*1954: ''[[The Rainbow Jacket]]'' - Lukey
⚫
*1954: ''[[Lease of Life]]'' - The Jeweller
* 1957: ''[[Doctor at Large (film)|Doctor at Large]]''
* 1957: ''[[Second Fiddle (1957 film)|Second Fiddle]]''
*1955: ''[[Doctor at Sea (film)|Doctor at Sea]]'' - Sandyman
*1955: ''[[Value for Money]]'' - Broadbent Snr. in photograph (uncredited)
⚫
* 1957: ''[[Barnacle Bill (1957 film)|Barnacle Bill]]''
⚫
*1956: ''[[The Man in the Road]]'' - Medwood Inspector Hayman
⚫
* 1958: ''[[Dunkirk (1958 film)|Dunkirk]]''
* 1959: ''[[Violent Moment]]''
*1957: ''[[The Passionate Stranger]]'' - Mr. Poldy
* 1959: ''[[A Touch of Larceny]]''
*1957: ''[[Suspended Alibi]]'' - Mr. Beamster
⚫
*1957: ''[[Doctor at Large (film)|Doctor at Large]]'' - Ernest (uncredited)
⚫
* 1960: ''[[The Day They Robbed the Bank of England]]''
⚫
*1957: ''[[Second Fiddle (1957 film)|Second Fiddle]]'' - Potter
* 1960: ''[[Dead Lucky]]''
*1957: ''[[The Birthday Present]]'' - Careers Officer
⚫
* 1960: ''Evidence in Concrete''
* 1961: ''[[Return of a Stranger (1961 film)|Return of a Stranger]]''
*1957: ''[[Barnacle Bill (1957 film)|Barnacle Bill]]'' - Barman
⚫
*1958: ''[[Dunkirk (1958 film)|Dunkirk]]'' - Small Boat Owner (uncredited)
⚫
* 1961: ''[[Very Important Person (film)|Very Important Person]]''
*1959: ''[[Violent Moment]]'' - Jenkins
⚫
* 1961: ''The Monster of Highgate Ponds''
*1960: ''[[A Touch of Larceny]]'' - Hall Porter (uncredited)
* 1961: ''[[What a Carve Up! (film)|What a Carve Up!]]''
⚫
*1960: ''Evidence in Concrete'' - Hall Porter (uncredited)
* 1961: ''[[The Frightened City]]''
⚫
*1960: ''[[The Day They Robbed the Bank of England]]'' - Policeman (uncredited)
⚫
* 1962: ''The Piper's Tune''
* 1962: ''[[Only Two Can Play]]''
*1960: ''[[Dead Lucky]]'' - Harvey Walters
⚫
*1961: ''[[Very Important Person (film)|Very Important Person]]'' - 2nd Scientist in Corridor
⚫
* 1964: ''[[Becket (1964 film)|Becket]]''
⚫
*1961: ''The Monster of Highgate Ponds'' - Sam
⚫
* 1964: ''[[One Way Pendulum (film)|One Way Pendulum]]''
* 1965: ''[[Catacombs (1965 film)|Catacombs]]''
*1961: ''[[The Frightened City]]'' - Ogle
* 1965: ''[[He Who Rides a Tiger]]''
*1961: ''[[What a Carve Up! (film)|What a Carve Up!]]'' - Hearse Driver
* 1971: ''[[Burke & Hare (1971 film)|Burke & Hare]]''
*1961: ''[[Return of a Stranger (1961 film)|Return of a Stranger]]'' - Fred
*1962: ''[[Only Two Can Play]]'' - Mr. Davies
*1962: ''[[Reach for Glory]]'' - Policeman
⚫
*1962: ''The Piper's Tune'' - Gonzales
*1963: ''[[Ricochet (1963 film)|Ricochet]]'' - Siddall
⚫
*1964: ''[[Becket (1964 film)|Becket]]'' - Monk (uncredited)
⚫
*1965: ''[[One Way Pendulum (film)|One Way Pendulum]]'' - Usher / Office Clerk
*1965: ''[[Catacombs (1965 film)|Catacombs]]'' - Inspector Murcott
*1965: ''[[He Who Rides a Tiger]]'' - Mr. Steed
*1971: ''[[Burke & Hare (1971 film)|Burke & Hare]]'' - Lodger (final film role)
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}

⚫
==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 122: Line 147:
*[http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/Frederick_Piper Frederick Piper page] at Alfred Hitchcock Wiki
*[http://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/Frederick_Piper Frederick Piper page] at Alfred Hitchcock Wiki


{{Authority control}}
⚫
==References==
<references/>


{{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, Frederick}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, Frederick}}

Latest revision as of 12:29, 16 March 2024

Frederick Piper
in Passport to Pimlico (1949)
Born(1902-09-23)23 September 1902
London, England
Died22 September 1979(1979-09-22) (aged 76)
London, England
EducationCentral School of Speech and Drama
OccupationActor
Years active1920s (theatre) 1933–1971 (film)

Frederick Piper (23 September 1902 – 22 September 1979) was an English actor of stage and screen who appeared in over 80 films and many television productions in a career spanning over 40 years.[1] Piper studied drama under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London.[2]

Never a leading player, Piper was usually cast in minor, sometimes uncredited, parts although he also appeared in some more substantial supporting roles. Piper never aspired to star-status, but became a recognisable face on the British screen through the sheer volume of films in which he appeared. His credits include a number of films which are considered classics of British cinema, among them five 1930s Alfred Hitchcock films; he also appeared in many Ealing Studios productions, including some of the celebrated Ealing comedies.[3]

Stage career[edit]

Born in London, England in September 1902, Piper worked as a tea merchant before starting his acting career on the stage in the 1920s, playing in London productions and also touring as far afield as Canada. He continued to appear in theatrical productions in the West End alongside his screen roles. These included appearances in the original runs of Barré Lyndon's The Man in Half Moon Street, Vernon Sylvaine's Nap Hand, N.C. Hunter's A Day by the Sea, Robert Bolt's Flowering Cherry and Home at Seven and The White Carnation by R.C. Sheriff.

Film career[edit]

His first film appearance came in the 1933 production The Good Companions.[4][5]

An unassuming man with no trappings of ambition or conceit, Piper rapidly earned a reputation as a reliable, congenial presence on set and became a first choice for directors with smaller roles to cast, accumulating screen credits at the rate of up to six a year through to the 1960s. He appeared as an extra in Hitchcock's 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much (credited as "Policeman with Rifle"), and the following year was cast again by Hitchcock in the role of the milkman in the famous scene with Robert Donat in The 39 Steps. Piper was only on screen for seconds, but the iconic nature of the scene ultimately made this probably his most famous film appearance.[6][7]

Later minor roles for Hitchcock were Sabotage (1936 – as the doomed bus conductor), Young and Innocent (1937) and Jamaica Inn (1939 – as Charles Laughton's agent).[8]

Piper's services were always in demand, and he is said to have once joked that he had cornered the market in unnamed police officers and barmen. From the late 1930s he became associated with Ealing Studios, appearing in dozens of their productions, from cheaply shot programmers through to the company's most prestigious films such as In Which We Serve (1942). Most of Piper's roles were fleeting and his name rarely appeared in promotional material, but there was an occasional more substantial part in films such as Nine Men (1943), The October Man (1947) and Hunted (1952). Other films include Hue and Cry, Passport to Pimlico (1949) and The Lavender Hill Mob (1951).[9][10]

From the early 1960s film work began to dry up, but Piper continued to find work in television, a medium in which he had first appeared as early as 1938 in a production of J. B. Priestley's play Laburnum Grove for the fledgling BBC. His TV credits during the 1960s included popular series such as Danger Man, Dixon of Dock Green and cult favourite The Prisoner. Piper's last credit however was in a film, a minor role in the 1971 production Burke & Hare.[11]

Personal life[edit]

Piper lived in Windsor, Berkshire from the 1940s[12] and was married to the theatre director Joan Riley; their son, Mark Piper, also became a theatre director.[13] Frederick Piper died on 22 September 1979, one day short of his 77th birthday.

Filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Frederick Piper". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
  2. ^ V&A, Theatre and Performance Special Collections, Elsie Fogerty Archive, THM/324
  3. ^ "Frederick Piper".
  4. ^ "Overview for Frederick Piper". Turner Classic Movies.
  5. ^ "Frederick Piper". TV Guide.
  6. ^ McGilligan, Patrick (1986). Backstory. ISBN 9780520056893.
  7. ^ Vagg, Stephen (15 March 2020). "My Top Ten Bit Parts in Films". Filmink.
  8. ^ Per-Erik Skramstad. "Jamaica Inn".
  9. ^ Barr, Charles (1 January 1998). Ealing Studios. ISBN 9780520215542.
  10. ^ Ian T (24 April 2013). "Forgotten Actors".
  11. ^ "Frederick Piper".
  12. ^ 'Obituary: Frederick Piper', The Stage and Television Today, 18 October 1979, p.32.
  13. ^ 'Obituaries: Joan Riley', The Stage and Television Today, 20 June 1991, p.38.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frederick_Piper&oldid=1214002764"