Richard Beale
Overview
- Occupation Actor
- Birth date 13 May 1920
- Birth place Hackney, London, England
- Died 27 March 2017 (Somerset, England)
- Character German Radio Operator II
Biography
Richard Henry Beale (13 May 1920 – 27 March 2017) was a British actor whose work on stage, television, and film spanned many decades, beginning in the 1950s. He grew up in Hackney, London, the son of Henry and Constance Beale, and served as a Royal Navy lieutenant during the Second World War. Before committing to the profession, he spent a decade in his father’s printing firm, then moved into acting, soon appearing in notable postwar productions.
Among his early screen credits were The Battle of the River Plate (1956), A Night to Remember (1958), and Sink the Bismarck! (1960). He married Anne, with whom he later divorced, and they had two children. Beale died on 27 March 2017 at the age of 96.
Selected films
- Doctor Who (TV-series) - 1963
- Caves of Steel, The - 1964
- Where Eagles Dare - 1969
- Clouds of Witness (TV-series) - 1972
- Madame Bovary (TV-series) - 1975
- Four Feathers, The (TV) - 1977
- Silver Blaze (TV) - 1977
- Blake's 7 (TV-series) - 1978
- Horseman Riding By, A (TV-series) - 1978
- Love in a Cold Climate (TV-series) - 1980
- Bergerac (TV-series) - 1981
- Patter of Roses, A (TV) - 1983
- Camille (TV) - 1984
- One by One (TV-series) - 1984
- Return to Treasure Island (TV-series) - 1985
- East Enders (TV-series) - 1985
- Lovejoy (TV-series) - 1986
- Handful of Dust, A - 1988
- Poirot (TV-series) - 1989
- Bit of a Do, A (TV-series) - 1989
- Treasure Island (TV) - 1990
- Hedd Wyn - 1992
- Touch of Frost, A (TV-series) - 1992
- Peak Practice (TV-series) - 1993
- Family Money (TV-series) - 1997
- Food of Love - 1997
- Sins, The (TV-series) - 2000
- Aka Albert Walker - 2002
What a website! I could have dropped these lines anywhere but I’ve chosen here for a very specific reason: In the moments preceeding the scene where Lt.Schaeffer enters the radio room where sits Richard Beale, there is (as all you WED fans will remember) the most wonderful, if somewhat distorted, strains of mass strings playing a teutonic tune I have yet to name – the gentle melody in perfect juxtaposition with the tension of our allies trying to sneak undetected through the corridors of the Schloss Adler. The music in this movie and the skill in where and when it is used is a major contributor as to why Where Eagle’s Dare is among my three favourite movies of all time (The Guns of Navarone & Das Boot being the others). Whether it is Ron Goodwin, or Dimitri Tiomkin, or Klaus Doldinger, music in so many ways makes the movies. However, I think it is the overall carefully woven artistry of WED that makes it so great. If anyone would like to e-mail me to discuss WED, please feel free. I would welcome the conversation.
teutonyx@yahoo.com
I agree with you about the music. My – very slight – connection with WED is that Richard Beale lives near me in Somerset: I used to be a delivery boy to his house many years ago.