John Wood (Australian actor, 1909–1965)
| John Wood | |
|---|---|
| Born |
11 November 1909 Forbes, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 1 March 1965 (aged 55) Kirribilli, New South Wales, Australia |
| Years active | 1928–1950s |
John Wood (11 November 1909 – 1 March 1965) was an Australian who acted on the stage and briefly became a film star in Hollywood and Britain in the late 1930s.
Wood was born in Forbes, New South Wales and attended Sydney Church of England Grammar School. After briefly venturing into operating a banana plantation he turned to acting. He performed on stage for the J. C. Williamson Company in Australia between 1929 and 1933, earning good reviews as a "talented juvenile" and handsome young actor "with promise." In early 1934 he had established himself in London, gaining a part in Charley's Aunt on the stage soon after arrival.
He appeared in supporting roles in several British B films before being offered a key role as Flavius in the 1935 Hollywood movie The Last Days of Pompeii. He also appeared with Bette Davis in the radio play Just Suppose, a fantasy drama about an English king marrying an American woman. He returned to England in 1936. Two busy years of stage and film work followed.
His last two British films were for the Associated British Picture Corporation, made with fellow Australian actor, Mary Maguire. For reasons unknown, he returned to Australia in 1939. He claimed that in film, he had "never really had a role I liked-they have all been light juvenile parts." Despite this, he said he preferred screen work to the stage. "Somehow the screen work is not quite so monotonous" he said. Wood also commented on the attitude of British studios to an Australian accent. "There are two schools of thought about Australian actors in London. The first dislikes the Australian accent, and the second, ... is eager to employ them. At Elstree, for instance, Australians are exceedingly popular, the producers considering that they have more punch. Stanley Lupino is also a great supporter for Australians, and employs them whenever possible." War had been declared whilst he was en route back to Australia, and for a short time he returned to the stage. He also developed a reputation for recounting amusing film industry anecdotes.
While in Hollywood his engagement to Australian stage actress Mary MacGregor was announced. Wood and MacGregor had performed together in Australia on stage for J.C. Williamson. The marriage did not proceed but Wood performed again with MacGregor during 1940.
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