Acting

David Healy

101 titles44 movies · 57 series

A rotund, jovial New Yorker, David Healy obligingly played every manner of stereotypical American in British films and on television for more than thirty years. The son of an Australian father and an American mother, he spent much of his youth in Texas. Studying at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he majored in drama and befriended another young acting hopeful, named Larry Hagman. David first arrived in England as a member of the U.S. Air Force and soon wound up, along with Hagman, in the cast of a touring show written by John Briley. This later grew into The Airbase (1965), a 25-minute BBC sitcom (with David as Staff Sergeant Tillman Miller), which took a humorous look at British-American cultural differences at an RAF base. Considering his job prospects to be rather more lucrative in Britain -- in keeping with the 'bigger fish, smaller pond' theory - David soon found himself in almost continuous demand for any part which required an affable or imperious American. His long gallery of characters included diplomats, businessmen, bureaucrats, spooks, military brass, and so on. There were rare occasions, when he acted against type and played 'Britishers' -- a notable point in case being a likeable Dr. Watson, opposite charismatic Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes, in The Sign of Four (1983). His comedic side was showcased in guest appearances with Dick Emery and Kenny Everett and a with couple of turns in Jeeves and Wooster (1990). Though married and settled in Surrey, David took job offers on both sides of the Atlantic. He was glimpsed as a cleric in Patton (1970) and in Robert Aldrich's doomsday thriller Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977); well-cast as Teddy Roosevelt in Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977); and he had recurring roles in TV's favourite soapie of the day, Dallas (1978). British TV audiences saw him guesting in just about every major crime series, from The Saint (1962) and Department S (1969), to The Persuaders! (1971). Simultaneously, from 1967, David pursued a successful career as a stage actor in classical plays with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. In 1975, he re-visited his roots, playing Falstaff at a Shakespeare festival in Dallas. Ever versatile, David found another calling in musicals, appearing in "Kismet", "Call Me Madam" and "The Music Man". He received much praise for his interpretation of Runyonesque gambler Nicely-Nicely Johnson (played definitively on screen by Stubby Kaye) in "Guys and Dolls", performing show-stopping encores of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat". - IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis

Filmography

It Had to Be You

Film · 2000

Space Precinct

Series · 1994

Space Precinct

Series · 1994

Frank Stubbs Promotes

Series · 1993

The Puerto Rican Mambo (Not a Musical)

Film · 1992

Jeeves and Wooster

Series · 1990

Perfect Scoundrels

Series · 1990

Bomber Harris

Film · 1989

Three Wishes for Jamie

Film · 1987

Turnaround

Film · 1987

The Ted Kennedy Jr. Story

Film · 1986

Labyrinth

Film · 1986

Double Image

Film · 1986

Space Police

Film · 1986

Worlds Beyond

Series · 1986

Lace 2

Film · 1985

In Possession

Film · 1984

Supergirl

Film · 1984

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense

Series · 1984

The Sign of Four

Film · 1983

Filthy Rich

Series · 1982

American Playhouse

Series · 1982

Revenge of the Mysterons from Mars

Film · 1981

The Amazing Adventures Of Joe 90

Film · 1981

The Ninth Configuration

Film · 1980

Captain Scarlet vs. The Mysterons

Film · 1980

Sanford

Series · 1980

Hammer House of Horror

Series · 1980

Tales of the Unexpected

Series · 1979

Tales of the Unexpected

Series · 1979

Winterspelt 1944

Film · 1978

Blake's 7

Series · 1978

Dallas

Series · 1978

Vega$

Series · 1978

Return of the Saint

Series · 1978

Twilight's Last Gleaming

Film · 1977

Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years

Film · 1977

Scott Joplin

Film · 1977

Panache

Film · 1976

Charlie's Angels

Series · 1976

Dickens of London

Series · 1976

Second Verdict

Series · 1976

Phase IV

Film · 1974

Harry O

Series · 1974

Affairs of the Heart

Series · 1974

Father Brown

Series · 1974

The Eagle Has Landed

Film · 1973

Madame Sin

Film · 1972

Ooh...You Are Awful

Film · 1972

Embassy

Film · 1972

Endless Night

Film · 1972

The Baron: Mystery Island

Film · 1972

The Manipulators

Film · 1972

The Frighteners

Series · 1972

Diamonds Are Forever

Film · 1971

Lust for a Vampire

Film · 1971

The Persuaders!

Series · 1971

Jason King

Series · 1971

Coppers End

Series · 1971

Patton

Film · 1970

UFO

Series · 1970

The Sinners

Series · 1970

Department S

Series · 1969

Paul Temple

Series · 1969

The Secret Service

Series · 1969

Only When I Larf

Film · 1968

Assignment K

Film · 1968

Isadora

Film · 1968

Joe 90

Series · 1968

The Jazz Age

Series · 1968

The Double Man

Film · 1967

You Only Live Twice

Film · 1967