Esmond Knight
| Esmond Knight | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Esmond Penington Knight 4 May 1906 East Sheen, Surrey, England, UK |
| Died | 23 February 1987 (aged 80) London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor, dialogue coach |
| Years active | 1928–1987 |
| Spouse(s) |
Nora Swinburne (1946–1987) Frances Clare (1929–1946) |
| Website | http://www.esmondknight.org.uk/ |
Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half blind. He had been badly injured in 1941 whilst on active service on board HMS Prince of Wales when she fought the Bismarck at the Battle of the Denmark Strait, and remained totally blind for two years, though he later regained some sight in his right eye.
He was an accomplished actor with a career spanning over half a century. He established himself in the 1920s on stage. In John Gielgud's famous 1930 production of Hamlet he played Rosencrantz. He also appeared in films. In Romany Love (1931) he played "a swaggering gypsy who never stopped singing." For The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Knight and his uncle trained the falcons used in the hunting scenes. In Alfred Hitchcock's Waltzes from Vienna (1934), he played the lead role as Johann Strauss. Following this, he landed a number of roles in Hollywood films. He travelled to Germany to star in Schwarze Rosen (1937), a film about a Finnish anti-communist. The film was shot in three versions, in English, German and French.Julius Streicher visited the set during filming. Thereafter Knight appeared in various film and theatre productions in Britain.
After war was declared, Knight continued to act, appearing in Powell and Pressburger's film Contraband (1940). He sought a naval commission, but after the defeat of Dunkirk he became involved in training Local Defence Volunteers. In late 1940 he was accepted for naval training. In 1941 Knight was asked to play the lead role of fanatical Nazi Lieutenant Hirth in another Powell and Pressburger propaganda film 49th Parallel (1941), but Eric Portman took the role as Knight was required for military training. He did appear in This England (also 1941), another propaganda film. After training, Knight was appointed as Gunnery Officer, at the rank of Lieutenant on the battleship HMS Prince of Wales. In 1941 the ship received orders to pursue the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. In the ensuing battle Knight witnessed the sinking of HMS Hood, whereupon the Bismarck attacked HMS Prince of Wales. A shell from Bismarck passed through the bridge of Prince of Wales and either did not explode or exploded outside the ship, but fragments from the damaged bridge structure hit Knight in the face, blinding him. Knight totally lost one eye, and the other was badly damaged.
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