DON GORDON

Written by Michael Darvell
 

(13 November 1926 - 24 April 2017)

Don Gordon

The American character actor Don Gordon, who has died aged 90, appears never to have been out of work between 1951 and 1993. Appearing in countless long-running television series as well as guest shots on other TV shows plus a number of major films, he was never, however, a particular star, just a face that was always there. His career began with uncredited appearances in Twelve O’Clock High, Halls of Montezuma, Let’s Go Navy!, Force of Arms and It’s a Big Country. He then graduated to TV in Space Patrol, and was in the original television production of Paddy Chayefsky’s Marty with Rod Steiger. Other TV series included 77 Sunset Strip, Wanted: Dead or Alive (with his pal Steve McQueen), The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, Peyton Place and Remington Steele. Often appearing as a man frantically agonising over some kind of trouble, Don Gordon graced the likes of Cry Tough, The Lollipop Cover (top billed in a film he also co-wrote), Bullitt, The Gamblers (based on Gogol), WUSA, Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie and Out of the Blue, Fuzz, Papillon, The Towering Inferno, Lethal Weapon, Blake Edwards’ Skin Deep and The Exorcist III (aka Legion). He retired in 1993 after an episode of Diagnosis Murder. Don Gordon was married to the actresses Helen Westcott, Nita Talbot and Bek Nelson. His fourth wife, Denise Farr, daughter of the actress Felicia Farr, Jack Lemmon’s widow, survives him, as does his daughter from his marriage to Bek Nelson.

MICHAEL DARVELL

 
Michael Darvell

Michael Darvell trained as a librarian at Watford and in Surrey before joining Ealing Libraries where he became Music Librarian for the borough. He edited Masthead, the magazine of the University of North London School of Librarianship, The Surrealist, the staff magazine of Surrey County Library, and contributed to the Assistant Librarian and London Librarian professional journals. A freelance film reviewer since 1970, he has written for Film, Films Illustrated, Film Review, Movie Maker and Radio Times, as well as editing Montage, the London film societies magazine, for ten years. A change of career saw him joining What’s On in London as Features Editor and he eventually stepped into the shoes of the late F. Maurice Speed (founding father of Film Review annual) as the magazine’s Editor. From 2007 to 2015, he was co-editor of the Film Review annual with Mansel Stimpson. As well as writing about films, Michael has reviewed theatre for The Stage newspaper, and has written about music theatre and cabaret for the Classical Source and Musical Theatre Review websites. He is also a former restaurant critic for the ViewLondon website. Michael has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 2005.

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