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David Healy

David Healy

A rotund, jovial New Yorker, David Healy obligingly played every manner of stereotypical American in British films and on television for more than thirty years. The son of an Australian father and an American mother, he spent much of his youth in Texas. Studying at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he majored in drama and befriended another young acting hopeful, named Larry Hagman. David first arrived in England as a member of the U.S. Air Force and soon wound up, along with Hagman, in the cast of a touring show written by John Briley. This later grew into The Airbase (1965), a 25-minute BBC sitcom (with David as Staff Sergeant Tillman Miller), which took a humorous look at British-American cultural differences at an RAF base.

Considering his job prospects to be rather more lucrative in Britain -- in keeping with the 'bigger fish, smaller pond' theory - David soon found himself in almost continuous demand for any part which required an affable or imperious American. His long gallery of characters included diplomats, businessmen, bureaucrats, spooks, military brass, and so on. There were rare occasions, when he acted against type and played 'Britishers' -- a notable point in case being a likeable Dr. Watson, opposite charismatic Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes, in The Sign of Four (1983). His comedic side was showcased in guest appearances with Dick Emery and Kenny Everett and a with couple of turns in Jeeves and Wooster (1990).

Though married and settled in Surrey, David took job offers on both sides of the Atlantic. He was glimpsed as a cleric in Patton (1970) and in Robert Aldrich's doomsday thriller Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977); well-cast as Teddy Roosevelt in Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977); and he had recurring roles in TV's favourite soapie of the day, Dallas (1978). British TV audiences saw him guesting in just about every major crime series, from The Saint (1962) and Department S (1969), to The Persuaders! (1971). Simultaneously, from 1967, David pursued a successful career as a stage actor in classical plays with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. In 1975, he re-visited his roots, playing Falstaff at a Shakespeare festival in Dallas. Ever versatile, David found another calling in musicals, appearing in "Kismet", "Call Me Madam" and "The Music Man". He received much praise for his interpretation of Runyonesque gambler Nicely-Nicely Johnson (played definitively on screen by Stubby Kaye) in "Guys and Dolls", performing show-stopping encores of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat".

- IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis

American Horror Story

2011

as Doctor

Merlin and the War of the Dragons

2008

as Toothy Dave

It Had to Be You

2000

as David Allen

Mullitt

2000

as Stone Cold Junkie

Frank Stubbs Promotes

1993

as Jacob

Jeeves and Wooster

1990

as Waterbury

Perfect Scoundrels

1990

as John Bedlow

Bomber Harris

1989

as Lt. Gen. Ira Eaker USAAF

Three Wishes for Jamie

1987

as Father Kerry

Turnaround

1987

The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story

1986

as Dr. George Hyatt

Labyrinth

1986

as Right Door Knocker (voice)

Double Image

1986

as Newscaster

Lace 2

1985

as Mayor (as David Healey)

In Possession

1984

as Jack Mervyn

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense

1984

as Jack Mervyn

Supergirl

1984

as Mr. Danvers

The Sign of Four

1983

as Dr. John Watson

Filthy Rich

1982

Hammer House of Horror

1980

as Peter

Sanford

1980

as Juror

The Ninth Configuration

1980

as 1st General

Tales of the Unexpected

1979

as Jack Harrison

Tales of the Unexpected

1979

as Auctioneer

Lillie

1978

Vega$

1978

Return of the Saint

1978

as Hansen

Dallas

1978

as Senator Harbin

Winterspelt 1944

1978

as Pfc Foster

Blake's 7

1978

Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years

1977

as Theodore Roosevelt

Scott Joplin

1977

as Sam Bundler

Twilight's Last Gleaming

1977

as Maj. Winters

Charlie's Angels

1976

as Cavendish

Panache

1976

as Donat

Father Brown

1974

Harry O

1974

Phase IV

1974

as Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

The Eagle Has Landed

1973

as Houston

Ooh... You Are Awful

1972

as Tourist

Endless Night

1972

as Jason

Embassy

1972

as Phelan

Madame Sin

1972

as Braden

Diamonds Are Forever

1971

as Vandenburg Launch Director (uncredited)

The Persuaders!

1971

as Colonel Adler

Jason King

1971

Lust for a Vampire

1971

as Raymond Pelley

UFO

1970

as Joe Franklin

Patton

1970

as Clergyman

Paul Temple

1969

The Secret Service

1969

Department S

1969

as Ramos

Joe 90

1968

Isadora

1968

as Chicago Theatre Manager

The Jazz Age

1968

Only When I Larf

1968

as Jones

Assignment K

1968

as David

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

1967

The Double Man

1967

as Halstead

BBC Play of the Month

1965

as Radio Announcer

Be My Guest

1965

as Hilton Bass

The Finest Hours

1964

as Newsreel Commentator

Kiss Me, Kate

1964

The Sentimental Agent

1963

The Saint

1962

as Hal Ward