Sebastian Cabot (actor)
Sebastian Cabot | |
---|---|
North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1935–1977 |
Known for | Family Affair The Time Machine Kismet Checkmate |
Spouse |
Kathleen Rose Humphreys
(m. 1940) |
Children | 3 |
Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot (6 July 1918 – 23 August 1977) was a British actor. He is best remembered as the gentleman's gentleman, Giles French, opposite Brian Keith's character, William "Uncle Bill" Davis, in the CBS-TV sitcom Family Affair (1966–1971). He was also known for playing the Wazir in the film Kismet (1955) and Dr. Carl Hyatt in the CBS-TV series Checkmate (1960–1962).
Cabot was also a
Early life
Charles Sebastian Thomas Cabot was born on 6 July 1918 in London, England. At the age of 14, he left school to work in an automotive garage, where he served as chauffeur and valet for British actor Frank Pettingell.[1] Cabot served in the U.S. Army during World War II.[2]
Cabot became interested in theatre, and after becoming acquainted with other actors and having worked for Pettingell, he joined a repertory company. Cabot admitted that in gaining employment as an actor he lied about previous acting credits. Cabot stated later in a 1968 interview that he believed acting was a type of lying, and he had gained a smoothness in his speech while serving as Pettingell's dressing room butler.[1][3] He initially used an agency to find acting employment. Without attending any drama school, Cabot learned the hard way, having been fired on his first day in a show called On The Spot. However, finding more work, Cabot's confidence in his acting skills increased, and he was soon receiving personal calls for employment.[3]
Career
His formal acting career began with a bit part in Foreign Affaires (1935); his first screen credit was in
About this time Cabot began taking on television work. He was the host of the syndicated Jack the Ripper series,[5]: 520 and he portrayed the Count of Brisemont on The Three Musketeers[5]: 1078 and Andrew Crippen on The Beachcomber.[5]: 82
He also appeared in such series as
He was cast from 1966 to 1971 as Giles French in the
Cabot received another role as the host (Winston Essex) of
On Broadway, Cabot portrayed Buckram in Love for Love (1947).[7]
Death
On 23 August 1977, Cabot suffered a stroke at his home near
Legacy
On an episode of the Late Show with David Letterman, on 12 December 2012, comedian Billy Crystal mentioned Cabot in humorous dialogue with the host David Letterman. Letterman commented that Cabot's name had not been heard in 30 years. Directly before the commercial break Sebastian Cabot's photo was shown on national television as a tribute.[9]
Selected filmography
- Foreign Affaires (1935) in a bit role Role (uncredited)
- Love on the Dole (1941) as Man in Crowd at Betting Payout (uncredited)
- "Pimpernel" Smith (1941) in a bit role (uncredited)
- Jeannie (1941) in a bit role (uncredited)
- Old Mother Riley Detective (1943) in a bit role (uncredited)
- Old Mother Riley Overseas (1943) as Bar Steward
- The Agitator (1945) in a bit role (uncredited)
- Tehran(1946)
- Dual Alibi (1947) as Loterie Nationale Official
- They Made Me a Fugitive (1947) as Club Proprietor
- Third Time Lucky (1949) as Benny Bennett
- Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949) as Fouracada
- Old Mother Riley's New Venture (1949) as Potentate
- The Spider and the Fly (1949) as Prefect at Amiens
- The Adventures of Jane (1949) as Travelling Man
- Midnight Episode (1950) as Benno
- The Wonder Kid (1951) as Pizzo
- Laughter in Paradise (1951) as Card Player (uncredited)
- Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure (1951) as Morgan the Pirate
- Ivanhoe (1952) as Clerk of Copmanhurst
- Babes in Bagdad (1952) as Sinbad
- Alf's Baby(1953) as Osmonde
- The Captain's Paradise (1953) as Ali (Vendor)
- Always a Bride (1953) as Taxi Driver
- The Love Lottery (1954) as Suarez
- Romeo and Juliet (1954) as Capulet
- Knights of the Queen (1954) as Porthos
- Kismet (1955) as Wazir
- Sandman (1955, TV Movie) as Count, Conrad Nagel Theater
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) (Season 1 Episode 14: "A Bullet for Baldwin") as Nathaniel Baldwin / Davidson
- Westward Ho the Wagons! (1956) as Bissonette
- Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957) as Jonah
- Johnny Tremain (1957) as Jonathan Lyte
- Omar Khayyam (1957) as The Nizam
- Black Patch (1957) as Frenchy De'vere
- Terror in a Texas Town (1958) as Ed McNeil
- In Love and War (1958) as Professor D. Everett Styles (scenes deleted)
- The Angry Hills (1959) as Chesney
- Say One for Me (1959) as Monsignor Francis Stratford
- Seven Thieves (1960) as Director of Casino
- The Time Machine (1960) as Dr. Philip Hillyer
- Twice-Told Tales (1963) as Dr. Carl Heidigger
- The Sword in the Stone (1963) as Sir Ector / Narrator (voice)
- The Family Jewels (1965) as Dr. Matson
- The Jungle Book (1967) as Bagheera / Narrator (voice)
- The Spy Killer (1969, TV Movie) as Max
- Foreign Exchange (1970, TV Movie) as Max
- McCloud (1971, TV Movie) as Sidney Cantrell
- Miracle on 34th Street (1973, TV Movie) as Kris Kringle
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) as The Narrator (voice) (final film role)
References
- ^ a b "Actor Sebastian Cabot, TV's bearded butler, is dead at 59". Minneapolis Star. Associated Press. 23 August 1977. p. 11C. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ Forgotten Hollywood Heroes The Patriots Page. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ a b Thompson, Ruth (10 February 1968). "Sebastian Cabot Wants To Be Mean". Greenfield Recorder TV Preview. p. TV1.
- ^ "Sebastian_Cabot". Old Time Radio Westerns. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ May, Marvin (9 December 1973). "'Tis the Week to Be Jolly with 'Santa' Cabot". The Philadelphia Inquirer TV Week. p. 38. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "Sebastian Cabot". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Letterman, David; Crystal, Billy (12 December 2012). Late Show with David Letterman. CBS.
External links
- Sebastian Cabot at IMDb
- Sebastian Cabot at the TCM Movie Database
- Sebastian Cabot at the Internet Broadway Database
- Sebastian Cabot at Find a Grave