Geoffrey Toone

Distinguished character actor and one time matinée idol Geoffrey Toone appeared in some of London's most famous stage productions of the 20th century. A stalwart of the Old Vic Theatre since the early 1930s, he worked with stars such as Ralph Richardson and Roger Livesey, and went on to appear in John Gielgud's magisterial 1934 production of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet (1935) with Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, and the wartime production of Lady Windemere's Fan (1945) designed by Cecil Beaton. Toone's striking looks as a young actor made him a favourite with pre-war audiences. One critic who commented on Toone's "sculpted features" said the actor "could have stepped out of a Sargent painting." In his later career, Toone's powerful stage presence and keen intelligence saw him emerge as a leading character actor, and he became one of television's busiest performers. He was often cast as an aristocrat or military type in series such as The Avengers (1961) and Jeeves and Wooster (1990) and became something of a household name when he played the vengeful Nazi Von Gelb in the cult ITV children's spy series Freewheelers (1968). Toone had a prolific film career, which included such roles as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I (1956), Harold Hubbard in The Entertainer (1960) and several horror films including The Terror of the Tongs (1961) and Dr. Crippen (1963). His later career was mainly spent working in television both in Britain and in America. He retired to Denville Hall, the actor's rest home in Northwood, Middlesex where he died on June 1, 2005, at 94. For many years he had shared a house with the actor Frank Middlemass.