Sydney Tafler

Sydney Tafler
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Born	(1916-07-31)31 July 1916 London, England, UK
Died	London, England, UK
Spouse(s)	Joy Shelton (1941–1979)

Sydney Tafler (31 July 1916 – 8 November 1979) was an English actor best remembered for numerous appearances in films and on British television from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Career

His father was an antiques dealer. After two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he first appeared on stage in London's West End in 1936, with Sir Seymour Hicks in The Man in Dress Clothes. On British television he appeared alongside Sid James and Tony Hancock in the early 1960s. His other television work included Angel Pavement, The Gentle Killers, The Infernal Machine, Focus, Citizen James, Dixon of Dock Green and Hadleigh. He appeared in many films from 1947 to 1977. He most commonly played spiv characters, one notable exception being the 1956 film Reach for the Sky in which he played the prosthetics expert to Douglas Bader. There again, he appeared briefly in a drily comic role as a uniformed policeman in the 1956 film The Cockleshell Heroes. His film career ended with a role as the captain of the supertanker Liparus in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

Personal life

He was married to the English film actress Joy Shelton from 1944 until his death from cancer; they had three children – two sons Jeremy and Jonathan and a daughter Jennifer.

Selected filmography

• Cottage to Let (1941) as RAF Officer (uncredited)
• The Little Ballerina (1947) as (uncredited)
• It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) as Morry Hyams
• Uneasy Terms (1948) as Maysin
• London Belongs to Me (1948) as Nighclub Receptionist
• No Room at the Inn (1948) as Stranger
• The Monkey's Paw (1948) as The Dealer
• Passport to Pimlico (1949) as Fred Cowan
• Dance Hall (1950) as Manager
• Once a Sinner (1950) as Jimmy Smart
• Assassin for Hire (1951) as Antonio Riccardi
• Scarlet Thread (1951) as Marcon
• The Galloping Major (1951) as Mr. Leon
• The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) as Clayton
• Chelsea Story (1951) as Fletcher Gilchrist
• Hotel Sahara (1951) as Corporal Pullar
• Mystery Junction (1951) as Larry Gordon
• Blind Man's Bluff (1952) as Rick Martin
• The Secret People (1952) as Syd Burnett
• Wide Boy (1952) as Benny
• Emergency Call (1952) as Brett
• Time Gentlemen, Please! (1952) as Joseph Spink
• Venetian Bird (1952) as Boldesca
• The Floating Dutchman (1952) as Victor Skinner
• There Was a Young Lady (1953) as Johnny
• Johnny on the Run (1953) as Harry
• The Square Ring (1953) as 1st Wiseacre
• The Saint's Return (1953) as Max Lennar
• Operation Diplomat (1953) as Wade
• The Crowded Day (1954) as Alex
• The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954) as Cpl. Robb
• The Glass Cage (1955) as Rorke
• A Kid for Two Farthings (1955) as Madam Rita
• The Woman for Joe (1955) as Butch
• The Cockleshell Heroes (1955) as Policeman
• Dial 999 (1955) as Alf Cressett
• Je plaide non coupable (1956) as Camino
• The Long Arm (1956) as Stone
• Fire Maidens from Outer Space (1956) as Dr. Higgins
• Reach for the Sky (1956) as Robert Desoutter
• The Counterfeit Plan (1957) as Harry Flint
• Interpol (1957) as Curtis
• Booby Trap (1957) as Mr. Hunter
• The Surgeon's Knife (1957) as Dr. Hearne
• Carve Her Name with Pride (1958) as Potter
• The Bank Raiders (1958) as Bernie Shelton
• Too Many Crooks (1959) as Solicitor
• The Crowning Touch (1959) as Joe
• Follow a Star (1959) as Pendlebury
• Tommy the Toreador (1959) as Ramon (uncredited)
• Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as First Workman
• Bottoms Up (1960) as Sid Biggs
• Let's Get Married (1960) as Pendle
• Light Up the Sky! (1960) as Ted Green
• Make Mine Mink (1960) as Lionel Spanager
• The Bulldog Breed (1960) as Speedboat Owner
• Five Golden Hours (1961) as Alfredo
• No Kidding (1961) as Mr. Rockbottom
• Carry On Regardless (1961) as Strip Club Manager
• A Weekend with Lulu (1961) as Stationmaster
• The 7th Dawn (1964) as Tom. Chief Petty Officer
• Promise Her Anything (1965) as Panel Participant
• Alfie (1966) as Frank
• The Sandwich Man (1966) as First Fish Porter
• Runaway Railway (1966) as Mr. Jones
• Berserk! (1967) as Harrison Liston
• The Birthday Party (1968) as Nat Goldberg
• The Adventurers (1970) as Col. Gutierrez
• Danger Point (1971) as Man
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) as Liparus captain

External links

• Sydney Tafler at the Internet Movie Database
• Performances listed in Theatre Archive University of Bristol
• Sydney Tafler at Find a Grave