Anthony Steel (actor)
| Anthony Steel | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Anthony Maitland Steel 21 May 1920 London, England, UK |
| Died | 21 March 2001 (aged 80) Northwood, Middlesex, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1948–1998 |
| Spouse(s) | Juanita Forbes (1949–1954) Anita Ekberg (1956–1959) Johanna Melcher (1964–2001) |
| Partner(s) |
Patricia Roc (one son) Ann Hanson (one daughter) |
Patricia Roc (one son)
Anthony Maitland Steel (21 May 1920 – 21 March 2001) was an English actor and singer best known for his appearances in British war films of the 1950s such as The Wooden Horse (1950), and his marriage to Anita Ekberg. He was described as "a glorious throwback to the Golden Age of Empire... the perfect imperial actor, born out of his time, blue-eyed, square-jawed, clean-cut." As another writer put it, "whenever a chunky dependable hero was required to portray grace under pressure in wartime or the concerns of a game warden in a remote corner of the empire, Steel was sure to be called upon."
Anthony Steel was born in Chelsea, the son of an Indian army officer, Edward (1897-1965), who later became an actor himself. Steel was educated at Alexander House Prep School, Broadstairs, Kent before attending the University of Cambridge.
When the Second World War broke out he enlisted in the Grenadier Guards and became an officer. He was badly wounded on patrol in the Middle East, and again in the Far East. He trained as a parachutist, and made nine operational jumps. He finished the war with the rank of major.
On demobilisation, Steel decided to become an actor. For a time he worked with a pick and shovel at Clapham Junction for £6 a week. He began to get some parts on stage, including appearing opposite Margaret Lockwood in Roses for Her Pillow. He was dating a niece of J. Arthur Rank who introduced Steel to her uncle at a party. Rank subsequently signed the actor to a long-term contract with his company.
Steel was trained at Rank's "charm school" and given a slow buildup with small parts in several films, starting with Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948). He also appeared in Quartet (1948), The Blue Lamp (1949), Trottie True (1949), Christopher Columbus (1949), and The Chiltern Hundreds (1949). He tested unsuccessfully for a part in Walt Disney's Treasure Island (1950).
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