Background
He was born Alexander Mervyn Archdale in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
He was born Alexander Mervyn Archdale in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
He spent the latter part of his life and career in Australia. In 1934 he was in a Broadway production of The Wind and the Rain at the Ritz Theatre, New New York In 1937 he acted in Jeffrey Dell"s play Night Alone at the Embassy Theatre in London, England with Richard Bird, Julian Somers, and Anna Konstam in the cast.
In the same year he acted in J. B. Priestley"s play Time and the Conways at the Duchess Theatre in London, with Jean Forbes-Robertson, Raymond Huntley, Barbara Everest, Mervyn Johns, Helen Horsey, Eileen Erskine, Wilfred Babbage, Molly Rankin, Rosemary Scott, and Irene Hentschel in the cast.
He appeared in British films of the 1930s and 1940s, for instance Lucky Days and House of Darkness (with a young and as yet undiscovered Laurence Harvey) before going on to appear in television series such as Ivanhoe, Number Hiding Place and Emergency Ward 10. Later in his career he was a regular on Australian television performing in Hunter, Skippy and Division 4.
His last credited appearance was in Runaway Island which was set in 1830s Sydney. He died on 13 May 1986 at the age of 80 in Sydney.
