Actor Richard Todd died 3 December 2009 of cancer. Born Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd on 11 June 1919 in Dublin, Ireland, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for The Hasty Heart (1949, it also starred Ronald Reagan), and won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for the same role. He was Ian Fleming’s first choice to play James Bond in the film series’ premiere Dr. No (1962), but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts (and thus giving Sean Connery the role).
He was one of the first British paratroopers into Normandy on D-day, and then one of the first to meet the glider force commanded by Major John Howard at Pegasus Bridge. Later, Todd played Howard in The Longest Day (1962).
His genre roles included: Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000), House of the Long Shadows (1983), the four-part Doctor Who story “Kinda” (1982), Asylum (1972), Dorian Gray (1970), Blood Bath (1966), and The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952).
Todd was married and divorced twice. He had one daughter and three sons, two of whom committed suicide.
Much longer obituaries are available at The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, and The Los Angeles Times.