Ernest Clark

Ernest Clark (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor whose career spanned nearly six decades, encompassing stage, television, and film. Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a master builder and attended St Marylebone Grammar School, where he developed an early fascination with performance. After leaving school he worked as a reporter for a local Croydon newspaper, but the lure of the footlights proved irresistible and he accepted a position with a local repertory company, making his debut at the Festival Theatre in Cambridge in 1937. His budding career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, during which he served six years in the army and was awarded the Military Cross for bravery, a distinction that added a layer of gravitas to his later portrayals of authority figures. After the war, Clark returned to the stage, appearing in both West End productions and on Broadway, notably in Witness for the Prosecution at Henry Miller’s Theatre in 1955. He transitioned to film with memorable roles such as Air Vice‑Marshal Ralph Cochrane in The Dam Busters (1955), and built a prolific screen résumé that included parts in A Touch of Larceny, Sink the Bismarck!, and Gandhi (1982).