Howard Marion-Crawford, the grandson of writer F. Marion Crawford, was an English character actor, best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in the 1954 television adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.
Background
Howard Marion-Crawford was the son of an officer of the Irish Guards killed during the First World War. During the Second World War he enlisted in the Irish Guards, his father"s old regiment, but soon suffered a major injury to one of his legs that caused him to be invalided out of the service.
Education
After attending Clifton College Crawford attended RADA and began a career in radio.
Career
In 1948, Marion-Crawford had played Holmes in a radio adaptation of "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", making him one of the few actors to portray both Holmes and Watson. He is also known for his portrayal of Doctor Petrie in a series of low budget Fu Manchu films in the 1960s, and playing Paul Temple in the British Broadcasting Corporation Radio serialisations. His first film appearance was in.
After he recovered, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force, where he became a navigator, and rose to the rank of sergeant.
He resumed his acting career in both film in The Rake"s Progress (1945) and was a regular broadcaster in British Broadcasting Corporation Radio Drama including playing the fictional detective Paul Temple in several series by Francis Durbridge. Among his film appearances are the character of Cranford in and a British medical officer in.
One of his last roles was as another military officer, Sir George Brown, in Tony Richardson"son He often played "blusterers", "old duffers" and upper class military types, appearing as guest performer in television programmes like The Avengers, and three roles opposite Patrick McGoohan in the television series Danger Manitoba: the 1964 episodes "Number Marks for Servility" and "Yesterday"s Enemies" and the 1965 episode "English Lady Takes Lodgers".