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Edward Underdown, a London-born stage and film actor, was educated at Eton College and began his theatre career in 1932 with "Words and Music." A former jockey and steeplechase rider, he quickly advanced in films, debuting in The Warren Case (1934) and taking on supporting roles. Tall, officious, and handsome, he gained prominence in post-war films with leading and supporting roles in The October Man (1947), Her Panelled Door (1950), The Dark Man (1951), Murder Will Out (1952), The Shadow Man (1953), and John Huston's cult overseas hit Beat the Devil (1953), where he played the prim, dull husband to Jennifer Jones. Much of his work consisted of secondary "B" level films, often portraying dour, stuffy characters. In the 1960s, he gradually moved to smaller parts in horror and action dramas, eventually appearing in bit roles. Throughout his career, he portrayed a range of characters from British aristocrats to archaeologists but never achieved international stardom.
His career might have taken a different turn had luck favored him. Writer Ian Fleming reportedly considered Underdown, then handsome but relatively unknown, as his first choice for James "007" Bond. However, producer Albert R. Broccoli never seriously considered him. Sean Connery ultimately rose to fame in the role, while Underdown took a minor part in one of the popular Bond films, Thunderball (1965). Edward Underdown passed away in England on December 15, 1989, at the age of 81.
