- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAnthony Douglas Gillon Dawson
- Nickname
- Tony Dawson
- Height6′ 1½″ (1.87 m)
- Long-faced, emaciated-looking character actor with a thin mustache and
an impeccable English accent, Anthony Dawson was typecast in a variety
of villainous roles in the 1950s and 1960s.
He was born Anthony Douglas Gillon Dawson in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Ida Violet (Kittel) and Eric Francis Dawson. His father was Scottish and his mother was of German and English descent. Dawson made his greatest impact in the
Alfred Hitchcock classic
Dial M for Murder (1954). He
was excellent as Lesgate, seedy ex-Cambridge classmate of would-be wife
murderer Wendice (Ray Milland). In the scene
where Wendice blackmails him to commit the killing ("There were times I
felt you belonged to me"), he is nervous and visibly torn between fear
and avarice. Dawson gave similarly sinister performances in the
thriller Midnight Lace (1960),
where he menaced hapless Doris Day,
and the Terence Fisher-directed Hammer
horror
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
as Count Siniestro. In a film by Terence Young, the James Bond
classic Dr. No (1962), Dawson played the
geologist Prof. R.J.Dent, a henchman of the title character who
attempts to assassinate the hero, then finds out to his cost what
Bond's "license to kill" really means.
Dawson was also the first screen incarnation of Bond villain Ernst
Stavro Blofeld (in
From Russia with Love (1963)
and Thunderball (1965)), though the
viewer only sees his hands stroking a white cat and hears the voice of
Austrian actor Eric Pohlmann. A highly
capable, immediately recognizable actor, Dawson deserved better roles
than came his way after the mid-1960s. He eventually ended up playing
small parts in minor Italian films and European co-productions, but
should not be confused with the Italian horror director
Antonio Margheriti who sometimes used
the pseudonym 'Anthomy M. Dawson'.
An interesting footnote to Dawson's career are his unpublished memoirs,
"Rambling Recollections", in which he vividly recalls meeting Hitchcock
after first arriving in Hollywood. This took place at a dinner party
given by the director at Perino's Restaurant in Los Angeles. Also
present were
'Dial M' co-stars Grace Kelly
and English actor John Williams.
Dawson later escorted Kelly to her residence at Chateau Marmont, an
apartment bloc on Sunset Strip. Dawson then intimated that an affair
took place, which, however lasted just until Ray Milland arrived on the
scene.- IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis
- SpouseCarol L Filby(July 1956 - ?)
- Often appeared in films directed by Terence Young
- Plays Villains
- He played two different Bond villains: Professor R.J. Dent in Dr. No (1962) and Ernst Stavro Blofeld in From Russia with Love (1963) and Thunderball (1965).
- He made five films with Desmond Llewelyn: They Were Not Divided (1950), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), From Russia with Love (1963), The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) and Thunderball (1965). Terence Young directed all of them except for The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), which was directed by Terence Fisher.
- Not to be confused with the Italian B-movie director Antonio Margheriti, aka Anthony M. Dawson.
- As Blofeld in From Russia With Love he was seen from the waist down nursing the white cat but the voice was that of Eric Pholmann.
- Lived and worked in Italy for several years.
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