1. Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding was an English stage, television, and film actor.
30 Facts About Michael Wilding
1. 2.
Michael Wilding is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, Under Capricorn and Stage Fright ; and he guest starred on Hitchcock's TV show in 1963.
3.
Michael Wilding was married four times, including to Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he had two sons.
4.
Michael Wilding went to Europe when he was 20 and supported himself in Europe by doing sketches.
5.
Michael Wilding wanted to get into designing sets for films and approached a London film studio in 1933 looking for work.
6.
Michael Wilding appeared as an extra in British films such as Bitter Sweet, Heads We Go, and Channel Crossing.
7.
Michael Wilding caught the acting bug and decided to make it a career.
8.
Michael Wilding reportedly appeared in an Austrian film called Pastorale.
9.
Michael Wilding made his stage debut in The Ringer in 1934 for the Watford Repertory Company and made his London stage debut in Chase the Ace the following year.
10.
Michael Wilding could be spotted in the films Late Extra, When Knights Were Bold, and Wedding Group.
11.
Michael Wilding was in two musicals on stage, Spread It Abroad and Home and Beauty.
12.
Michael Wilding had bigger film parts in There Ain't No Justice, Convoy, and Tilly of Bloomsbury.
13.
Michael Wilding had a good role in Sailors Three, and Sailors Don't Care.
14.
Michael Wilding had a leading role in Spring Meeting but was back to support parts in The Farmer's Wife.
15.
Michael Wilding's films grew more prestigious: Kipps, Cottage to Let, Ships with Wings, The Big Blockade, In Which We Serve, Secret Mission, and Undercover.
16.
Michael Wilding played in Quiet Weekend on stage for a year.
17.
Michael Wilding finally became a film name with Dear Octopus.
18.
Thirteen years later, in 1963, Michael Wilding starred in an Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode titled "Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans".
19.
Michael Wilding put Anouk Aimee under personal contract and announced plans to make a movie together but none resulted.
20.
MGM made an offer for Michael Wilding to appear opposite Greer Garson in The Law and the Lady ; the film was not a success.
21.
Michael Wilding returned to Britain for The Lady with a Lamp, a biopic of Florence Nightingale with Neagle and Wilcox.
22.
In May 1952, Michael Wilding signed a long-term contract with MGM.
23.
Michael Wilding turned down a role in MGM's Latin Lovers, and the studio put him under suspension.
24.
In Hollywood, Michael Wilding supported Joan Crawford in MGM's Torch Song.
25.
Michael Wilding journeyed with Taylor to Africa to appear in Zarak for Warwick Films, after which his marriage to Taylor ended.
26.
Michael Wilding began appearing regularly on US television, including the title role in the 1957 episode "The Trial of Colonel Blood" of NBC's anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show.
27.
Michael Wilding had some roles in Danger Within, a POW movie; The World of Suzie Wong ; The Naked Edge ; The Best of Enemies ; and A Girl Named Tamiko.
28.
Michael Wilding was married four times: to Kay Young ; Elizabeth Taylor ; Susan Nell ; and Margaret Leighton.
29.
Michael Wilding died on 8 July 1979 in Chichester, West Sussex, as a result of head injuries from a fall down a flight of stairs during an epileptic seizure.
30.
Michael Wilding's remains were cremated and the ashes were scattered.