Eric Berry (actor)

Eric Berry
From the original Broadway production of The Boy Friend, clockwise from left: Stella Claire, Lyn Connorty, Eric Berry, Dilys Laye, and Millicent Martin (1955)
Born(1913-01-09)9 January 1913
London, England
Died2 September 1993(1993-09-02) (aged 80)
Laguna Beach, California, United States
Alma materCity of London School
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active1937–1983

Eric Berry (9 January 1913 – 2 September 1993) was a British stage and film actor.

Biography

Eric Berry was born in London on 9 January 1913 to parents Frederick William Berry and Anna Lovisa Danielson. He attended the City of London School and trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[1] Berry was briefly married to actress Constance Carpenter.[2] He died of cancer on 2 September 1993 in Laguna Beach, California.[3]

Career

Eric Berry made his first stage appearance in April 1931 in a production of Spilt Milk at what was then known as the Everyman Theatre, Hampstead. He made his West End theatre debut the following year in a production of The Cathedral at what is now the Noël Coward Theatre, then referred to as the New Theatre.[1] Berry first appeared on Broadway in September 1954 as Percival Browne in a production of The Boy Friend at the Royale Theatre,[4] a production which set a record for the longest-running Broadway production of a British musical.[1] In 1972, Pippin opened at the Imperial Theatre starring Eric Berry as Charles, a part he would perform for the show's six-year Broadway run.[1] Berry performed in a number of other productions on Broadway, including The Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1958, The Great God Brown in 1959, and Gideon in 1961.[4]

From 1937 through 1983, Eric Berry also appeared in films and on television. Films in which Berry appeared include The Red Shoes in 1948, Miss Robin Hood in 1952, Escape by Night in 1953 and the 1961 adaptation of The Light that Failed. Teleplays in which Berry appeared include Sunday Night Theatre in 1950 and 1951, Play of the Week in 1960, and Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre in 1963.[5] He appeared in an episode of The Asphalt Jungle in 1961.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1937 The Edge of the World Robbie Manson
1938 Richard of Bordeaux Robert de Vere TV film
1940 Contraband Mr. Abo
1941 49th Parallel Nazi Radio Announcer Uncredited
1946 Exercise Bowler Bill Laver TV film
1948 The Red Shoes Dimitri
1949 The Passionate Pilgrim Dr. William Howard Russell TV film
Dear Mr. Prohack Tailor's Assistant Uncredited
Edgar Allan Poe Centenary Narrator TV film
1952 Miss Robin Hood Lord Otterbourne
1953 The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan Rutland Barrington

The Intruder

First Detective
Operation Diplomat Colonel Williams
Escape by Night Con Blair
1954 Double Exposure Mike Gerraty
The Diamond Hunziger
1955 The Constant Husband Counsel for the Prosecution
1961 The Light That Failed Torpenhow TV film
1963 Invincible Mr. Disraeli Sir Robert Peel TV film
1966 Lamp At Midnight Father Riccardi TV film
Barefoot in Athens Meletos TV film
1973 Blade The Bishop

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1950 BBC Sunday Night Theatre Alan Conway Episode: "Time and the Conways"
1951 M. Aemilius Lepidus Episode: "Julius Caesar"
1952 Charles II Episode: "The Portugal Lady"
The Inch Man Godfrey Lloyd Episode: "Cloak and Dagger"
Kraft Television Theatre Episode: "A Christmas Carol"
1953 BBC Sunday Night Theatre Arnholm Episode: "The Lady from the Sea"
1957 The Kaiser Aluminium Hour Episode: "Passion for Revenge"
1958 Adventures of the Sea Hawk Drayson 1 episode
1959 The Play of the Week Aegeus Episode: "Medea"
DuPont Show of the Month Episode: "Billy Budd"
1960 Sergeant Bibot Episode: "The Scarlet Pimpernel"
The United States Steel Hour Constable Sutpen Episode: "The Case of the Missing Wife"
The Play of the Week Sir John Falstaff Episode: "Henry IV"
Omnibus Episode: "He Shall Have Power"
1961 Vanity Fair Sir Pitt Crawley Mini-series
The Asphalt Jungle Colonel Welding Episode: "The Burglary Ring"
1963 Theatre of Stars Captain William Howard Episode: "The Fifth Passenger"
1964 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Alfred Ghist Episode: "The Vulcan Affair"
1977 The Andros Targets Ambassador Kaiwi Episode: "The Smut Peddler"
1983 Sadat Rashad Mini-series

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Ian Herbert, ed. (1981). "Berry, Eric". Who's Who in the Theatre. Vol. 1. Gale Research Company. pp. 65–66. ISSN 0083-9833.
  2. ^ Daniels, Lee A. (1 January 1993). "Constance Carpenter, 87, Actress In 'The King and I' on Broadway". New York Times.
  3. ^ Willis, John, ed. (1996). "Obituaries". John Willis Theatre World 1993-1994 Season Volume 50. Applause Theatre Book Publishers. p. 238. ISBN 1-55783-235-8. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b Eric Berry at the Internet Broadway Database
  5. ^ Eric Berry at IMDb