Cecil Parker, born Cecil Schwabe, (3 September 1897 — 20 April 1971), was a British actor known for his distinctively husky voice.
His interest in acting came when he was discharged from military service after World War I, where he had been a Sergeant. He first acted on stage in 1922, taking his mother Kate's surname as his Stage Name. By 1925, he was appearing in the West End and soon after moved to film appearances.
Starting off in supporting roles, Parker started to get top-billed roles in films including Captain Boycott, The Weaker Sex, The Amazing Mr. Beecham, Tony Draws a Horse, and I Believe in You. Sadly for Parker, he was less likely to keep being cast in these roles once he started gaining weight and his hair began to thin.
He often worked with Alec Guinness in films including The Man in the White Suit, The Detective, and The Ladykillers (1955). In his later years, Parker appeared in more comedy films, including The Court Jester, Indiscreet, The Night We Dropped a Clanger, The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's, The Amorous Prawn, The Iron Maiden, Heavens Above!, and Carry On Jack.
He died at the age of 73.
Works on TV Tropes he appeared in:
Films- The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936) — Dr. Gratton
- The Lady Vanishes (1938) — Mr. Todhunter
- The Citadel (1938) — Charles Every
- Ships with Wings (1941) — German Air Martial
- Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) — Britannus
- Under Capricorn (1949) — Governor
- The Man in the White Suit (1951) — Alan Birnley
- The Ladykillers (1955) — Claude Courtney
- The Court Jester (1956) — King Roderick I
- A Tale of Two Cities (1958) — Jarvis Lorry
- Under Ten Flags (1960) — Il Collonnello Howard
- Swiss Family Robinson (1960) — Captain Moreland
- The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960) — Professor Canford
- Heavens Above! (1963) — Archdeacon Aspinall
- Carry On Jack (1964) — First Sea Lord
- A Study in Terror (1965) — Prime Minister
- Circus of Fear (1966) — Sir John
- Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) — Sir John
- I Spy, episode "The War Lord" (1967) — Sir Guy Faulkner
- The Saint, episode "A Double in Diamonds" (1967) — Lord Gillingham
- The Avengers, episode "The £50,000 Breakfast" (1967) — Glover
