8:11AM, Dec 07, 2009
A hero of war movies and World War II itself, the actor Richard Todd has died at the age of 90.
Best known for his portrayal of RAF pilot Guy Gibson in 1955's The Dam Busters, Todd played a real part on D-Day as a paratrooper. His heroics set him in good stead for his role in the epic movie recreation of the landings, The Longest Day.
After the war, Dublin-born Todd came to prominence as Ronald Reagan's co-star in the 1949 adaptation of the play The Hasty Heart, earning his only Academy Award nomination in the role of dying soldier Lachlan McLachlan, a part he had played on the London stage.
Following Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950), Todd became something of a movie adventurer, starring in historical romps The Story Of Robin Hood And His Merry Men (1952), The Sword And The Rose (1953) and Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue (1954).
More costume drama followed in 1955 when Todd played Walter Raleigh to Bette Davis' Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen.
The actor was to play his most memorable role in the same year when The Dam Busters gave us not only Todd's doughty Wing Commander Gibson but one of the most rousing theme tunes ever.
Other war movies included The Yangtse Incident (1957), Danger Within (1958), The Long And The Short And The Tall (1961), The Longest Day (1962) and Operation Crossbow (1965).
Interestingly, Todd was Ian Fleming's first choice to play James Bond in Dr. No but other commitments saw the role go to Sean Connery.
Todd's last major big-screen appearance was in Michael Winner's 1978 adaptation of The Big Sleep, though he worked into his eighties with TV movies and the occasional role in small-screen fare ranging from Doctor Who to Holby City.
Todd was awarded the OBE in 1993. Married twice but last divorced in 1992, he had been suffering from cancer when he died in his sleep at his home in Grantham.
Richard Todd: 11th June 1919 - 3rd December 2009
