Harry Stewart Fleetwood Andrews (November 10, 1911 – March 6, 1989) was a prolific English character actor on stage and screen.
With his square jaw, imposing presence, and gravelly voice, Andrews was often cast as military officers (most notably as Sergeant Major Wilson in Sidney Lumet's The Hill ) or other tough, stern authority figures. Younger audiences may remember his voice as that of General Woundwort in the 1978 animated film of Watership Down.
Andrews was primarily a stage actor in the 1930s and 1940s, during which time he met and worked closely with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier. He began to appear frequently in films by the 1950s, and at the time of his death in 1989, he had over 80 film credits to his name. Andrews appeared in several films with Richard Burton and many films with the equally prolific Michael Hordern.
In keeping with the military characters he often portrayed, Andrews served as an artillery officer (attaining the rank of Major) with the British Army during World War II, taking part in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. On the other hand, despite his own military background and the types of characters he played, politically Andrews was a pacifist and both colleagues and those who've interviewed him described him as quiet and rather mild-mannered in life.
During the last 30 years of his life, Harry Andrews shared his Seaford home with fellow actor Basil Hoskins, who had appeared with Andrews in Ice Cold in Alex and was buried next to him after his own death.
Selected filmography:
- Alexander the Great (1956)
- Helen of Troy
- Moby-Dick
- Saint Joan (1957 film)
- Ice Cold in Alex
- The Hill
- The Agony and the Ecstasy
- Barabbas
- Sands of the Kalahari
- The Seagull (1968 film)
- Play Dirty
- The Night of the Generals
- The Charge of the Light Brigade
- Wuthering Heights (1970 film)
- Nicholas and Alexandra
- Man of La Mancha
- The Ruling Class
- Theatre of Blood
- The Internecine Project
- Edward the Seventh
- Equus (1977 film)
- The Prince and the Pauper (1977 film)
- The Medusa Touch
- Watership Down
- Death on the Nile (1978)
- The Big Sleep (1978 film)
- Superman: The Movie
- Hawk the Slayer
