Walter Fitzgerald

Walter Fitzgerald (born Walter Fitzgerald Bond on 18 May 1896 in Stoke, Plymouth, Devon, England) was an English character actor whose career spanned nearly five decades, from the early 1920s to the late 1960s. After a brief stint as a stockbroker, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and served in the British Army during World War I, enlisting with the Worcestershire, Devonshire and Somerset Light Infantry regiments. His professional stage debut came in 1922, followed by his first screen appearance in 1930, and he quickly became a reliable presence in British cinema, frequently cast in authoritative roles such as policemen, doctors, and lawyers. He toured with noted stage veterans Sir John Martin‑Harvey and Sir Seymour Hicks, and served as understudy to Sir Gerald du Maurier in 1928‑29, honing a craft that would make him a staple of mid‑century film and television. Among his most memorable film roles are Simon Fury in Blanche Fury (1948), Dr. Fenton in The Fallen Idol (1948), and the eccentric Squire Trelawney in Treasure Island (1950), performances that displayed his ability to blend gravitas with subtle humor. In the opening of H.M.S. Defiant (1962) he portrayed Admiral Jackson, a scene that highlighted his skill at embodying commanding figures. After a prolific period on British television during the 1950s and 1960s, he retired from acting in 1969, leaving behind a legacy of over sixty screen credits. His personal life was marked by two marriages—first to Rosalie Constance Grey in 1924, with whom he had a son, Michael Lewis, and later to actress Angela Kirk in 1938, producing three more sons and a daughter, bringing his total children to five. Walter Fitzgerald passed away on 20 December 1976 in Fulham, London, remembered as a steadfast character actor whose versatility enriched British stage and screen.