Nigel Green

Nigel McGown Green was born on 15 October 1924 in Pretoria, South Africa, and died on 15 May 1972 at the age of 47. His father, Henry Hamilton Green, DSc, was a pioneering animal health biochemist who served as professor of biochemistry and sub-director of the Veterinary Research Laboratories at Onderstepoort in Pretoria, and later worked as a researcher at New Haw in Surrey after directing the Scottish Dairy Research Institute. Green's mother was Katherine Laura, née McGown, daughter of printer John McGown. His elder brother, Kenneth Gillies Green (1918–1990), was a physician who advised companies including Imperial Chemical Industries and co-founded the Association of Medical Advisers in the Pharmaceutical Industry in 1959, an organization now known as the British Association for Pharmaceutical Physicians. Green was raised in London, where he attended King's College School, Wimbledon and the University of London before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. During the Second World War, he served as an Observer in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.

Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Green possessed a commanding physical presence that shaped much of his professional career across stage, screen, and television. His early theatrical work included a production of The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus at London's New Theatre in October 1948, where he played multiple roles in John Burrell's Old Vic company revival. At the Stratford Memorial Theatre in 1950, he appeared in several productions: as Sir Thomas Lovell in Henry VIII, directed by Tyrone Guthrie; as Abhorson in Peter Brook's Measure for Measure, which also toured Germany; as Decius Brutus in Julius Caesar, directed by Anthony Quayle; and as Edmund in King Lear, which starred and was co-directed by John Gielgud. His subsequent West End credits included Come Live With Me at the Vaudeville Theatre in June 1951, directed by Roy Rich; Heloise at the Duke of York's Theatre in November 1951, directed by Michael Powell; Vernon Sylvaine's As Long as They're Happy opposite Jack Buchanan at the Garrick Theatre in July 1953, directed by Roy Rich; Félicien Marceau's The Egg at the Saville Theatre in October 1957, directed by Charles Frank; and Agatha Christie's Go Back for Murder at the Duchess Theatre in March 1960, directed by Hubert Gregg.

Green appeared on Broadway in 1952 in Mr. Pickwick. His film career began with roles in Reach for the Sky (1956) and several 1960 productions including The Criminal, The League of Gentlemen, Beat Girl, and Sword of Sherwood Forest, in which his imposing physique led to his being cast as Little John. He played Hercules in Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and co-starred as Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne in Zulu (1964). In 1965 he took a leading role as Inspector Sir Denis Nayland Smith in The Face of Fu Manchu and a supporting role as Major Dalby in The Ipcress File. His military roles extended further to parts in Khartoum (1966), Tobruk (1967), Fräulein Doktor (1969), and Play Dirty (1969). Additional film credits include Carl Petersen in Deadlier Than the Male (1967), McCune in The Pink Jungle (1967), Count Contini in the Matt Helm film The Wrecking Crew (1968), and a role in John Huston's The Kremlin Letter (1969). Green also appeared in a number of horror films, among them Corridors of Blood (1958), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), The Skull (1965), Let's Kill Uncle (1966), and Countess Dracula (1971). His penultimate screen role was as McKyle, a mental patient who believes himself to be God, in The Ruling Class (1972). His television appearances included The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Adventures of William Tell, Danger Man, The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes, Jason King, The Protectors, and The Persuaders!, among others.

Green was married twice. His first wife was actress Patricia Marmont. His second wife was actress Pamela Gordon, with whom he had one daughter; the two were separated at the time of his death. Green died following an overdose of sleeping pills in 1972. Whether his death was intentional remains unknown. Peter O'Toole, in his audio commentary for The Ruling Class, stated his belief that Green was deeply depressed and that the death was a suicide, while Green's family considered it accidental.