{{Short description|English actor (1922–2009)}} {{about||the Scottish footballer|Gordon Boyd (footballer)|the Scottish rugby union player|Gordon Boyd (rugby union)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Gordon Boyd | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Gordon William Needham | birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|12|26|df=y}} | birth_place = Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|10|8|1922|12|26|df=y}} | death_place = Wahroonga, Sydney, Australia | other_names = | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|television presenter|singer}} | years_active = | spouse = Joan Welldon (1950–74), Kate Boyd. | partner = | website = }} '''Gordon William Needham''' (26 December 1922 – 8 October 2009)<ref>[http://notices.smh.com.au/death/60882/notice.aspx Death Notice: Gordon William Boyd] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016023637/http://notices.smh.com.au/death/60882/notice.aspx |date=16 October 2009 }}, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 12 October 2009.</ref> credited as '''Gordon Boyd''', was an English actor of film, television and musical theatre as well as a television host, and singer who hosted several television programmes in Australia during the 1960s. He worked in both his native Britain, and then in Australia after emigrating in 1964.
==Early life and military service== Boyd was born '''Gordon William Needham''' at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England. He attended Faversham Grammar School, and studied a year of medicine with the intention of becoming a medical missionary for the Methodist Church, but instead took up acting after joining the Royal Air Force in 1941, where he studied drama, performed and participated in radio broadcasts. After flight training in the United States, Boyd was posted to Ceylon, where he flew PBY Catalina flying boats and served with several Australian military personnel.<ref name="sheil">Sheil, Pat: [http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/debonair-showman-made-hearts-flutter-20091022-hbel.html Debonair showman made hearts flutter], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 23 October 2009.</ref>
==Acting career== After the end of World War II, Boyd landed a role in the operetta ''Song of Norway'', which ran for two years in London's West End. In 1953, he had a role in the West End production of ''Guys and Dolls'', and in 1959 he played an Australian character in the poorly received play ''Kookaburra'' at the Prince's Theatre. In 1955, Boyd made his film debut in a minor role in ''Richard III'', Laurence Olivier's adaptation of the Shakespeare play.<ref name="sheil" /> Boyd also appeared in numerous British films and TV programs, including Hammer Films' ''The Revenge of Frankenstein'', the medieval adventure series ''Ivanhoe'', an episode of ''The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre'' (playing an Australian) and an early episode of ''The Avengers''.
==Australian television== Boyd and his family—dancer Joan Welldon, and their two children—moved to Australia in 1963, where Boyd was to star in the musical ''Wildcat''. When the production ended, Boyd remained in Australia where he went into television, hosting several variety and entertainment programmes in the mid-1960s including ''The Gordon Boyd Show'' (1964) on the ABC, and ''Showcase'' (a talent show on Channel 0-10, 1965–69), ''The Marriage Game'' (a dating game show, 1966–72), and ''Gordon and the Girls'' (a 1967 variety show) on Channel 10.<ref name="sheil" />
In later years, Boyd made several acting appearances on Australian drama series including ''A Country Practice'' in 1981 and 1984, and ''All Saints'' in 2002 and 2003.<ref name="sheil" />
==Selected filmography== * ''Marry Me'' (1949) – (Jack Knighton) * ''Partners in Crime'' (1961) *''Siege of the Saxons'' (1963) – Captain (uncredited)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0101775}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Gordon}} Category:1922 births Category:2009 deaths Category:English male film actors Category:English male musical theatre actors Category:English male stage actors Category:English male television actors Category:English expatriates in Australia Category:English television personalities Category:English television presenters Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Category:People from the Isle of Sheppey Category:People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham Category:Musicians from Kent Category:Male actors from Kent Category:20th-century English singers Category:20th-century English male singers