Derek Bond

Derek William Douglas Bond, MC (26 January 1920 – 15 October 2006) was a British actor. He was President of the trade union Equity, 1984 – 1986.

Life and career
Bond was born on 26 January 1920 in Glasgow, Scotland. He attended Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hampstead, London. He was commissioned in July 1940 and saw active service with the Grenadier Guards in the North African Campaign during the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Military Cross in February 1943. He spent the last few months of the war in Stalag VII-A, a Bavarian POW camp.

He enjoyed a varied film, stage and television career, which began in 1938 with experience with the Finchley Amateur Dramatic Society. His conventional good looks secured him a number of dramatic and light comedy roles. He made a lasting impression in the title role of the Ealing Studios production of Nicholas Nickleby (1947).

As well as acting, he wrote a number of scripts; a stage play Akin to Death written in 1954, which he took on tour in 1955. His first drama for television was Unscheduled Stop, produced for ITV's Armchair Theatre in 1968 and directed by Toby Robertson.

He was president of the Actors' Union Equity for a tempestuous period during the 1980s. Because of his intention to perform in South Africa (the country's apartheid system was the cause of a UN-backed cultural boycott), a motion urging Bond to resign was proposed, but rejected, in July 1984. He resigned when a ban on members working in South Africa became union policy after his return to the UK.

Derek Bond was married three times. He died on 15 October 2006, in London, and is survived by his third wife Annie, a son, a daughter and a stepson.

Selected filmography

 * The Captive Heart (1946) – Lieut.Harley
 * Nicholas Nickleby (1947) – Nicholas Nickleby (title role)
 * The Loves of Joanna Godden (1947) – Martin Trevor
 * Uncle Silas (1947) – Lord Richard Ilbury
 * Broken Journey (1948) – Richard Faber
 * The Weaker Sex (1948) – Lt. Comdr. Nigel Winan
 * Scott of the Antarctic (1948) – Captain L.E.G. Oates
 * Marry Me! (1949) – Andrew Scott
 * Christopher Columbus (1949) – Diego de Arana
 * Poet's Pub (1949) – Saturday Keith
 * Tony Draws a Horse (1950) – Tim Shields
 * The Quiet Woman (1951) – Duncan McLeod
 * Distant Trumpet (1952) – David Anthony
 * Love's a Luxury (1952) – Robert Bentley
 * The Hour of 13 (1952) – Sir Christopher Lenhurst
 * Trouble in Store (1953) – Gerald
 * Stranger from Venus (1954) – Arthur Walker
 * Svengali (1954) – The Laird
 * Tale of Three Women (1954) – Max (segment "Wedding Gift' story)
 * Three Cornered Fate (1955) – Robert Parker
 * High Terrace (1956) – John Mansfield
 * Rogue's Yarn (1957) – John Marsden
 * Gideon's Day (1958) – Sgt. Kirby
 * Stormy Crossing (1958) – Paul Seymour
 * The Hand (1960) – Roberts / Roger Crawshaw
 * Saturday Night Out (1964) – Paul
 * Wonderful Life (1964) – Douglas Leslie
 * Secrets of a Windmill Girl (1966) – Inspector Thomas
 * Press for Time (1966) – Maj. R. E. Bartlett
 * When Eight Bells Toll (1971) – Lord Charnley
 * Intimate Reflections (1974) – Bank Manager
 * Hijack (1974) – Power Boat Owner
 * Visions (1998) – Shooter (final film role)

Selected television appearances

 * Picture Parade (co-presenter)
 * Cooperama (with Tommy Cooper, 1966)
 * Callan (1969)