David Tomlinson

David Tomlinson
Tomlinson as he appeared in Mary Poppins.
Born	David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson 7 May 1917(1917-05-07) Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England
Died	24 June 2000(2000-06-24) (aged 83) Westminster, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1940–1980
Spouse	Mary Lindsay Hiddingh (September 1943–2 December 1943) Audrey Freeman (17 May 1953–24 June 2000) (four sons David Jr, William, Henry, James)

David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson (7 May 1917 – 24 June 2000) was an English film actor. He is primarily remembered for his roles as authority figure George Banks in Mary Poppins, fraudulent magician Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and as hapless antagonist Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug.

Early life

Born in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on 7 May 1917,^[1] Tomlinson attended the Tonbridge School, but left to join the Grenadier Guards. His introduction to the working world was as a clerk for London's Shell Mex House. His stage career grew from amateur stage productions to his 1940 film debut in Quiet Wedding. His career was interrupted when he entered World War II service as a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF. His flying days continued after the war and he crashed a Tiger Moth plane near his backyard much to the chagrin of his neighbours. His father Clarence, a prominent London lawyer, defended him at his subsequent trial (for flying too low).

Film career

David Tomlinson was known to generations of children for his role as George Banks, head of the Banks family, in the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins brought Tomlinson continued work with Disney, asking him to appear in The Love Bug (1968) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Throughout the rest of Tomlinson's film career, he never steered far from comedies. He retired from acting in 1979 to spend more time with his family; however, the enduring popularity of Mary Poppins ensured that he remained well-known.

As a testament to Tomlinson's decency and popularity with other entertainers, when Peter Sellers was recuperating in a London hospital following a heart attack he apparently said: "I only want to see David."

Personal life

Tomlinson was married for 47 years to actress Audrey Freeman and they had four sons, David Jr., William, Henry and James. He died peacefully in his sleep at King Edward VII Hospital, Westminster at 4:00am on 24 June 2000^[2][3] after suffering a series of strokes. He was 83 years old.

He was interred at his Estate Ground in Mursley. His epitaph reads (in part) "David Tomlinson Irresistible to Women".

Filmography

• Garrison Follies (1940)
• Name Rank and Number (1941)
• Pimpernel Smith (1941)
• Quiet Wedding (1941)
• My Wife's Family (1941)
• The Way to the Stars (1945)
• Journey Together (1946)
• I See a Dark Stranger (1946)
• School for Secrets (1946)
• Master of Bankdam (1947)
• Fame is the Spur (1947)
• Warning to Wantons (1948)
• Easy Money (1948)
• Miranda (1948)
• Broken Journey (1948)
• Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948)
• My Brother's Keeper (1948)
• Love in Waiting (1948)
• Here Come the Huggetts (1948)
• Vote for Huggett (1949)
• Marry Me (1949)
• Helter Skelter (1949)
• The Chiltern Hundreds (1949)
• Landfall (1949)
• So Long at the Fair (1950)
• The Wooden Horse (1950)
• Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951)
• Hotel Sahara (1951)
• The Magic Box (1951)
• Made in Heaven (1952)
• Castle in the Air (1952)
• Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? (1953)
• All for Mary (1955)
• Three Men in a Boat (1956)
• Carry on Admiral (1957) [note: not a Carry On film]
• Up the Creek (1958)
• Further up the Creek (1959)
• Follow That Horse! (1960)
• Tom Jones (1963)
• The Truth About Spring (1964)
• Mary Poppins (1964)
• The City Under the Sea (1965)
• The Liquidator (1965)
• The Love Bug (1968)
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
• Bons baisers de Hong Kong (From Hong Kong with Love) (1975)
• Wombling Free (1977)
• The Water Babies (1978)
• Dominique (1978)
• The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)

References

1. ^ General Register Office of England and Wales - Birth Register for June Quarter of 1917, Henley Registration District, reference 3a 1531, listed as David C. M. Tomlinson, mothers maiden name as Sinclair-Thomson
2. ^ General Register Office of England and Wales - Death Register for June 2000, Westminster Registration District, reference C49C 281, listed as David Cecil Tomlinson with a date of birth of 7 May 1917
3. ^ "Mary Poppins Star Dies". BBC News (BBC). 2000-06-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/804127.stm. 

Further reading

• Luckier Than Most, Tomlinson's autobiography, published in 1990.

External links

Biography portal

• David Tomlinson at the Internet Movie Database
• David Tomlinson at Find a Grave
• Mary Poppins Star Dies - BBC News obituary from 2000

Persondata
Name	Tomlinson, David
Alternative names	Tomlinson, David Cecil MacAlister
Short description	Actor
Date of birth	1917-05-01
Place of birth	Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England
Date of death	2000-06-24
Place of death	Westminster, London, England