Richard Vernon

Richard Vernon (7 March, 1925 – 4 December, 1997) was a British actor. He was educated at Reading School and Leighton Park School. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic roles. In 1960, Vernon appeared in an adaptation of A. J. Cronin's novel, The Citadel. An early leading role was as wartime agent-turned-criminologist Edwin Oldenshaw in the TV series The Man in Room 17 (1965-66) and its sequel The Fell... more

Richard Vernon (7 March, 1925 – 4 December, 1997) was a British actor. He was educated at Reading School and Leighton Park School. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic roles. In 1960, Vernon appeared in an adaptation of A. J. Cronin's novel, The Citadel. An early leading role was as wartime agent-turned-criminologist Edwin Oldenshaw in the TV series The Man in Room 17 (1965-66) and its sequel The Fellows (1967). He also played a small role as Colonel Smithers opposite Sean Connery in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger around a dinner table when they are discussing how Auric Goldfinger transports his gold overseas. He is remembered for his parts as the unnamed 'city gent' reluctantly sharing a train compartment with the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night, the planetary designer Slartibartfast (designer of fjords) in the BBC radio and TV series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as Sir James Greenley ("C") in The Sandbaggers, as Lord... less