David Tomlinson

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David Tomlinson
Born	David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson May 7, 1917(1917-05-07) Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England
Died	June 24, 2000 (aged 83) Westminster, London, England
Spouse(s)	Audrey Freeman
Awards won Academy Awards Nominated best actor in a supporting role 1968

David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson (May 7, 1917 – June 24, 2000) was an English film actor. He is primarily remembered for his role as George Banks in the movie Mary Poppins.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Film career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External links 7 Further reading

[edit] Early life

Born in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on May 7, 1917,^[1] Tomlinson attended the Tonbridge School, but left to join the Grenadier Guards. His introduction to the working world came as a clerk for London's Shell House. His stage career grew from amateur stage productions to his 1940 film debut in Quiet Wedding. His career was interrupted when he entered WWII service as a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF. His flying days continued after the war and he crashed a Tiger Moth plane near his backyard much to the chagrin of his neighbours. His father Clarence, a prominent London lawyer, defended him at his subsequent trial (for flying too low).

[edit] Film career

As George Banks, head of the Banks family in the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins, David Tomlinson was known to generations of children for his role in one of the most popular family films of all time. Although Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke's characters are often seen as the breath of fresh air brushing through the Banks' home, Mr. Banks' role, and indeed Tomlinson's performance, is also noteworthy. Mr. Banks is a senior figure in a bank who takes his job very seriously and has little time for or patience with his children. Following a riot at the bank precipitated by the actions of his young son his character is forced to relinquish his job in a moving scene in which his bowler hat and umbrella are symbolically destroyed. By the end of the film, however, Mr. Banks is finally made a partner of the bank in a touching performance from Tomlinson, and Mary Poppins decides that her services are no longer required as Mr. Banks has learned to engage with his children on their level.

Mary Poppins brought Tomlinson continued work with Disney, appearing in The Love Bug (1969) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Throughout the rest of Tomlinson's film career, he never steered far from comedies.

As a testament to Tomlinson's decency and popularity with other entertainers, when Peter Sellers was recuperating in a London hospital following a heart attack he apparently said: "I only want to see David."

[edit] Personal life

Tomlinson was married for 57 years to actress Audrey Freeman and the two had four sons, David Jr., William, Henry and James. He died peacefully in his sleep at the King Edward the VII Hospital, Westminster at 0400 on June 24, 2000^[2][3] after suffering a series of strokes. He was 83 years old.

His interment was located at Home Grounds at Stratford Saye in Berkshire.

[edit] Filmography

Other notable films include:

• Pimpernel Smith (1941)
• The Way to the Stars (1945)
• The Wooden Horse (1950)
• All for Mary (1955)
• Carry On Admiral (1957) [note: not a Carry On film]
• Tom Jones (1963)
• Mary Poppins (1964)
• The Love Bug (1968)
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
• Bons baisers de Hong Kong (From Hong Kong with Love) (1975)
• Wombling Free (1977)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• David Tomlinson at the Internet Movie Database
• David Tomlinson at Find A Grave
• Mary Poppins Star Dies - BBC News obituary from 2000

[edit] Further reading

• Luckier Than Most, Tomlinson's autobiography, published in 1990.

Persondata
NAME	Tomlinson, David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Tomlinson, David Cecil MacAlister
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Actor
DATE OF BIRTH	1917-05-01
PLACE OF BIRTH	Henley, Oxfordshire, England
DATE OF DEATH	2000-06-24
PLACE OF DEATH	Westminster, London, England