Eric Portman

Biography / Gallery

Eric Portman

Eric Portman was born in Chester Road, Akroydon, Halifax, the third of four children...

Acting Style

He was best known for his portrayal of strong, sensitive men – often with a psychotic tendency – and his firm, commanding voice made him ideal for his rôles in war movies. He was rarely the ladies' man or the lover.

Early Life

After leaving Rishworth School, Eric went to work for a short time in the Halifax shop of his father – Matthew Portman. He was a member of the Halifax Opera Society.

Eric was a friend of Wilfred Pickles and Wilfred's brother, Arthur.

Theatre Beginnings

In 192?, the actor-manager Henry Baynton came to play at the Theatre Royal in Halifax. Eric joined the company.

On 14th February, 1928, he played Romeo at the re-opening of the Old Vic in London.

He had great success in the theatre in London and New York, and, from 1935, he appeared in many films, as shown in the Chronology. His only Hollywood appearance was a minor rôle in The Prince and the Pauper.

Career Highlights

In 1942, he was voted one of the top 10 money-making stars in the British film industry.

In 1945, he won the Ellen Terry Award for Best Actor.

Personal Life

He was a quiet, retiring man – possibly because of his homosexuality, in an era which was much less open than today and when this was a criminal offence.

A life-long bachelor, Eric died of a heart ailment at his cottage in St Veep, Cornwall on 7th December 1969.

Notable Films

Portman was a common face in the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger; portraying a determined Nazi U-Boat commander in 49th Parallel (1941), a heroic RAF officer stranded in Holland in One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) and the 'Glue Man' in the almost mystical A Canterbury Tale (1944). Other titles included: Squadron Leader X (1941), Anthony Asquith's We Dive at Dawn (1943), Gilliat and Launder's Millions Like Us (1943) and The Colditz Story (1955), The Mark of Cain (1947), Dear Murderer (1947), Daybreak (1947), Corridor of Mirrors (1948) & Bryan Forbes' Deadfall (1967).

Links

• 49th Parallel
• A Canterbury Tale
• A Canterbury Tale: In Search of Photographs
• My YouTube Video: Canterbury, River Stour Boat Trip - May 2014 (14:21)
• My YouTube Video: Canterbury Riverbank, River Stour Trip - May 2014 (00:17)
• My YouTube Video: Christopher Marlowe's Head, Canterbury, Kent - May 2014 (00:20)
• Child in the House
• Corridor of Mirrors
• Millions Like Us
• Uncensored
• Colditz Story
• We Dive at Dawn
• Corridor of Mirrors
• Other Galleries
• Eric Portman signed memorabilia @ eBay UK (direct link)