Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom (19 December 1924 – 1 January 2009) was an Italian-based British actor and film director.
Purdom was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, and educated by the Jesuits at St Ignatius' College and by the Benedictines at Downside School. He began his acting career in 1945 on the stage, appearing in productions which included Romeo and Juliet and Molière's The Imaginary Invalid.
In 1951-52, he appeared in sm...
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Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom (19 December 1924 – 1 January 2009) was an Italian-based British actor and film director.
Purdom was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, and educated by the Jesuits at St Ignatius' College and by the Benedictines at Downside School. He began his acting career in 1945 on the stage, appearing in productions which included Romeo and Juliet and Molière's The Imaginary Invalid.
In 1951-52, he appeared in small roles with the Laurence Olivier/Vivien Leigh company on Broadway in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra when his good looks brought him to the attention of Hollywood. His appearance in small roles in Titanic and Julius Caesar led to his being cast in the leading role opposite Ann Blyth in the MGM musical The Student Prince in 1954, a part originally intended for Mario Lanza who had a disagreement with the director Curtis Bernhardt over the way a song was to be sung. Purdom lip-synched to Lanza's singing voice...
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