Wilfrid Hyde-White

Famous Actor. Films, Theatre and Television. Wilfrid Hyde-White Born May 12, 1903 in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England, UK Died May 6, 1991 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA (congestive heart failure) Birth Name Wilfrid Hyde White Height 5' 10" (1.78 m) British character actor of wry charm, equally at home in amused or strait-laced characters. A native of Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire, he attended Marlborough College and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. His stage debut came in 1922, and by 1925 he was a busy London actor. He married actress Blanche Glynne (real name: Blanche Hope Aitken) and in 1932 toured South Africa in plays. Alleged to have been spotted by George Cukor during a performance in Aldritch, Hyde-White (with or without Cukor's help) made his film debut in 1934. He often appeared under the name Hyde White in these early films. He continued to act upon the stage, playing opposite Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in "Caesar and Cleopatra" and "Antony and Cleopatra" in 1951. With scores of films to his credit, he will always be remembered for one, My Fair Lady (1964), in which he played Colonel Pickering. Active into his ninth decade, Hyde-White died six days before his 88th birthday. He was survived by his second wife, Ethel, and three children. Spouse (2) Ethel Korenman (Drew) (21 July 1957 - 6 May 1991) ( his death) ( 2 children) Blanche Hope Aitken (Glynne) (17 December 1927 - ?) ( divorced) ( 1 child) Trivia (8) Father of actor Alex Hyde-White and Juliet Hyde-White. Father-in-law of Shelly Bovert Hyde-White. Ex-father-in-law of Karen Dotrice. Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic): in 1957, for "The Reluctant Debutante," and in 1973, for "The Jockey Club Stakes." Upon his death, his remains were interred at Water Cemetery in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England. His first wife was a decade his senior. His second wife, however, was thirty years his junior. In the conservative 1950s, the age difference raised eyebrows at the time of his wedding in England, but he later remarked that, as soon as his wife entered her thirties, everyone forgot about it. He appeared six times on the medical drama Ben Casey (1961) in the 1960s, playing a variety of characters. He told an interviewer that the main reason he appeared on the show so often was that one of the perquisites for guest artistes was a full medical check-up at the Mayo Clinic, free of charge. Living in the USA, Hyde-White accepted the role in Carry on Nurse (1959) without reading the script as it was a free ticket home just in time for him to attend the Grand National. However, his agent threatened to sue Carry on Nurse (1959) producer Peter Rogers, claiming that someone else's bottom had been used in the Daffodil gag sequence, but the actor and his agent withdrew the claim when it was pointed out that no one's bottom was used and that it was all done by suggestion. Turned down the role of Col Pickering in My Fair Lady (1964) 5 times before accepting it. Hyde-White and his elder sister, Ethel, were the children of William Edward White, canon of Gloucester Cathedral, and his wife, Ethel Adelaide (née Drought). Their uncle was actor J. Fisher White. Personal Quotes (3) I learned two things at drama school: first, that I couldn't act; second, that it didn't matter. I've owned twelve horses, seven Rolls-Royces, and I've had mistresses in Paris, London and New York - and it never made me happy. I've never regretted my decision to become an actor. Lots of things have gone wrong and lots have gone well. Now it's almost over and I'll settle for what I have.