Anthony steel biography

Anthony Maitland Steel (21 May 1920 – 21 March 2001) was an English actor and singer best known for his appearances in British war films of the 1950s such as The Wooden Horse (1950), and his marriage to Anita Ekberg. He was described as "a glorious throwback to the Golden Age of Empire... the perfect imperial actor, born out of his time, blue-eyed, square-jawed, clean-cut." As another writer put it, "whenever a chunky dependable hero was required to portray grace under pressure in wartime or the concerns of a game warden in a remote corner of the empire, Steel was sure to be called upon."

Biography[]

Early life[]

Anthony Steel was born in Chelsea, the son of an Indian army officer, Edward (1897-1965), who later became an actor himself. Steel spent most of his early childhood in India (in Lahore) and was educated at Alexander House Prep School, Broadstairs, Kent until he was fourteen. He continued his studies at home with a tutor before attending Trinity College, Cambridge.

War service[]

Steel had only completed a year at Cambridge when the Second World War broke out. He enlisted in the Grenadier Guards aged 18 and was evacuated from Dunkirk in May 1940. He received a commission and served in the Middle East where he was badly injured on patrol. He trained as a parachutist, and made nine operational jumps. He finished the war with the rank of major.

Acting[]

On demobilisation Steel decided to become an actor. For a time he worked with a pick and shovel at Clapham Junction for £6 a week.^[7&

English actor and singer (1920–2001)

Anthony Maitland Steel (21 May 1920 – 21 March 2001) was an English actor and singer who appeared in British war films of the 1950s such as The Wooden Horse (1950) and Where No Vultures Fly (1951). He was also known for his tumultuous marriage to Anita Ekberg.

He was described as "a glorious throwback to the Golden Age of Empire... the perfect imperial actor, born out of his time, blue-eyed, square-jawed, clean-cut." As another writer put it, "whenever a chunky dependable hero was required to portray grace under pressure in wartime or the concerns of a game warden in a remote corner of the empire, Steel was sure to be called upon." Another said "Never as popular as Stewart Granger or as versatile as Kenneth More, he enjoyed a brief period of fashionability embodying the kind of idealised, true-blue Englishman who probably rowed for his university, played cricket on the village green and exuded calm under pressure as he bravely fought for king and country."

Early life and career

Anthony Steel was born in Chelsea, the son of an Indian army officer, Edward (1897–1965), who later became an actor and Kathleen Yate Lee (d. 1962).

Steel spent most of his early childhood in India (in Lahore) and was edu

Anthony Maitland Steel (21 May 1920 – 21 March 2001) was an English actor and singer best known for his appearances in British war films of the 1950s such as The Wooden Horse (1950), and his marriage to Anita Ekberg. He was described as "a glorious throwback to the Golden Age of Empire... the perfect Imperial actor, born out of his time, blue-eyed, square-jawed, clean-cut." As another writer put it, "whenever a chunky dependable hero was required to portray grace under pressure in wartime or the concerns of a game warden in a remote corner of the empire, Steel was sure to be called upon."

Spouse(s)

Juanita Forbes (1949–1954)
Anita Ekberg (1956–1959)
Johanna Melcher (1964–2001

Partner(s)

Patricia Roc (one son)
Ann Hanson (one daughter)

Biography

Early life

Anthony Steel was born in Chelsea, the son of an Indian army officer, and educated at Alexander House Prep School, Broadstairs, Kent before attending the University of Cambridge. When World War II broke out he enlisted in the Grenadier Guards and became an officer. He was badly wounded on patrol in the Middle East, and again in the Far East. He trained as a parachutist, and made nine operational jumps.

On demobilisation, Steel decided to become an actor and got some parts on stage, including appearing opposite Margaret Lockwood in Roses for Her Pillow. He was dating a niece of J. Arthur Rank who introduced Steel to her uncle at a party. Rank subsequently signed the actor to a long-term contract with his company. Steel was trained at Rank's "charm school" and given a slow buildup with small parts in several films, starting with Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948). He also appeared in Quartet (1948), The Blue Lamp (1949), Trottie True (1949), Christopher Columbus (1949), and The Chiltern Hundreds (1949).

Stardom

Steel's first big break was being cast as one of three British POWs who escape from a camp in The Wooden Horse (1950). This film, based on a true story, wa

British historian

Anthony Bedford SteelOBE (24 February 1900 – 3 October 1973) was a British historian, specialising in medieval England. He was a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and principal of Cardiff University from 1949 to 1966. Among his publications were a monograph on the reign of Richard II, as well as a biography of the 19th-century writer Robert Smith Surtees, titled Jorrick's England. He also translated Albert Sorel's L'Europe et la Revolution Francaise into English (as Europe and the French Revolution).

Publications

• Jorrocks's England: On the Works of Robert Smith Surtees (London: Methuen & Co., 1932).
• Richard II (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1941).
• The Custom of the Room; or, Early Wine-Books of Christ's College, Cambridge (Cambridge: W. Heffer & Sons 1951).
• The Receipt of the Exchequer, 1377–1485 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1954).

References