Derren Nesbitt

Rather intriguing British actor who first appeared on UK cinema & TV screens in the late 1950s, and quickly found steady work as a rather unpleasant or untrustworthy individual.

His cold, yet cunning features had him appearing in guest roles on many UK TV series including The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956) and William Tell (1958), and the 1960s then proved to be his busiest period of work!Nesbitt put in strong, intelligent performances in the WW1 aviation spectacle The Blue Max (1966), as a cold war agent pursuing Frank Sinatra in The Naked Runner (1967) and probably his best remembered role, as Major Von Hapen, an Ice Cold SS officer nearly foiling Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton plans in Where Eagles Dare (1968)The talented Nesbitt also wrote, directed and starred in the fairly tepid The Amorous Milkman (1975) and was kept busy through most of the 1970s in further espionage / action films.

During the 1960s, he worked opposite some major Hollywood names. Amongst them were Clint Eastwood, Frank Sinatra and George Peppard.

He all but disappeared from the acting scene by the late 1970s and had difficulty finding work.

He was scheduled for the lead in Villain (1971) which was due to be a B picture but Elizabeth Taylor was in London filming and Richard Burton wanted a film so it was given to him and made into an A feature.

Unfortunately, demand for his talents waned heavily in the 1980s and early 1990s with appearances in only a handful of films.