Patrick Holt

Known for ActingBorn 1912-01-31Died 1993-10-12Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Born Patrick George Parsons, Patrick spent part of his childhood in India with his uncle. Patrick was sent to Christ's Hospital, a famous charity school in England, where he formed a close friendship with a boy in the same boarding house, the future film star, Michael Wilding. Some thought Holt was the better actor. He started his career in repertory theatres, and in 1939, landed a lead on the London stage. WWII broke out, and he joined the army, cutting his venture into stage time. He saw service in Burma, Singapore and India, often on secret missions behind enemy lines. By the end of the war, Patrick had rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the war, Patrick joined the J. Arthur Rank charm school and established himself as a leading actor of the 1950s second features ('B-films'). Quinlan has called him 'the Dennis Price of B-films..By evolving into a character actor, he continued his career into old age, working on stage and television as well as in the cinema, and was still listed in the Spotlight casting directory at the time of his death. His first wife was the actress Sonia Holm. In 1955, he married Sandra Dorne, with whom he had occasionally costarred. The marriage was happy, and Patrick's said to have never recovered from her death on Christmas Day, 1992. - IMDb mini biography by: Rex Sweeny (adjusted, T Behr) He said that he became an actor because he wanted to be in films. He started in Rep at Hull, where he spent two years before moving to Croydon Rep, which was close to London for agents and talent scouts to drop in. Through this, he got his first film part in 'The Return of the Frog' (1938) playing a cadet in a police college listening to a talk by a police inspector (Gordon Harker). Not only was he paid £5 for two days work and given a couple of lines, but Harker, recognizing his talent, spoke to his agent who asked Patrick to call and see him and offered him the part of Lord Talmadge in the film 'Sword of Honour'. He had always suffered from asthma and partly because of that and partly because he was in a hit West End play, he was thought to be good for public morale.He had his call up for war service deferred twice, but on the third time, while attending a medical wheezing with asthma, he was passed A.1. Training on Salisbury Plain and living in tents and away from the anxiety of wondering where his next part and wage would come from, he had little or no further problems with asthma. When he was at school he had done an officer training course, so it wasn't long before he was made a lance bombardier. By the end of the war he was a Lt Colonel. After being demobbed, he spoke to Leslie Howard's sister who was head of casting at Rank and she sent him to see the director Brian Desmond Hurst who was filming 'Hungry Hill'. With only having his uniform and an ill-fitting demob suit, Patrick turned up for the interview. Brian said, that as the film was nearly finished, he could only offer him the small part of batman, expecting him to turn it down, but he took it, making it his first credited film part and launching his film career. - IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5Read more

Movies & web series

Shabby Tiger

Afternoon of a Nymph

Murder Reported

Operation Murder

Fly Away Peter

Dangerous Comment

Sword of Honour

Flashpoint Africa

The Eagle of the Ninth

Diamonds on Wheels

Survivors

The Golden Link

Mark Saber

Come Back Peter

The Master of Bankdam

The Avengers

The Further Adventures of the Musketeers

Colonel March of Scotland Yard

The Saint

Poldark

Guns at Batasi

Serena

Flight from Singapore

The Wild Geese

There's Always a Thursday

Circumstantial Evidence

My Sister and I

I Was Monty's Double

The Dark Avenger

The Men of Sherwood Forest

Warship

Fortune Is a Woman

Ivanhoe

Thunderball

Cromwell

Father, Dear Father

When The Bough Breaks

The Frightened City

Further Up the Creek

The Gelignite Gang

Dentist on the Job

The Girl in the Picture

The Magic Box

Ivanhoe

Young Winston

Playing Away

Girl in the Headlines

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth