This page uses content from the Richard Haydn biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Richard Haydn (March 10, 1905 – April 25, 1985) was a comic actor in radio, movies, and television.

Early life and career

Born in London, England, he was known for playing eccentric characters, among whom were Edwin Carp, Claud Curdle, Richard Rancyd and Stanley Stayle. Much of his stage delivery was done in a deliberate over-nasalized and over-enunciated speech pattern, possibly best noted in his performance as the voice of the Caterpillar in the Disney animated film adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Television appearances

In the Twilight Zone episode A Thing About Machines, he portrayed a quirky, self-absorbed, technophobe who is confronted by every machine in his home.

He was a regular on the Burns and Allen radio show. In April 1, 1964, he reprised the Edwin Carp character, a poet and an expert on fish, in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show which saluted several old-time radio performers.

Movie roles

He played the role of "Maximilian Detweiler" in The Sound Of Music (1965), a generally "straight" character albeit with comic overtones.

He played the role of "Thomas Rogers" in And Then There Were None.

Richard Haydn's last movie appearance was in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein (1974).

Haydn authored one book, The Journal of Edwin Carp, in 1954.

External link

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the biographical information on this page under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.