Walter Fitzgerald

Walter Fitzgerald Bond (18 May 1896 – 20 December 1976) was an English character actor born in Stoke, Plymouth, who built a career spanning stage, film, and television across several decades. Before entering the theater, he worked as a stockbroker. He subsequently trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and served in the British Army during World War I, during which time he was attached to the Worcestershire Regiment, the Devonshire Regiment, and the Somerset Light Infantry.

Fitzgerald made his professional stage debut in 1922. Early in his theatrical career he toured with Sir John Martin-Harvey and Sir Seymour Hicks, and from 1928 to 1929 he served as understudy to Sir Gerald du Maurier. His first film appearance came in 1930, the same year he appeared in the stage production Debonair by Frank Vosper. Subsequent stage work in Britain included Black Coffee by Agatha Christie (1931), Someone at the Door by Campbell Christie (1935), Poison Pen by Richard Llewellyn (1938), Death on the Table by Michael Pertwee (1938), The Duke in Darkness by Patrick Hamilton (1942), and The Green Bay Tree by Mordaunt Shairp (1950).

His Broadway career extended from 1933 to 1955 and included the play Evensong, the drama The Living Room, and Tiger at the Gates. Fitzgerald was originally associated with Keyham, England, in connection with his Broadway work.

On screen, Fitzgerald appeared frequently in authoritative supporting roles such as policemen, doctors, and lawyers. Among his most recognized film performances were Simon Fury in Blanche Fury (1948), Dr. Fenton in The Fallen Idol (1948), and Squire Trelawney in Treasure Island (1950). In H.M.S. Defiant (1962), he portrayed the admiral who hears and dismisses Captain Crawford's complaints regarding maritime cruelty. He also appeared on British television during the 1950s and 1960s before retiring from the profession.

Fitzgerald married Rosalie Constance Grey in 1924, and they had one son, Michael Lewis Fitzgerald-Bond. His second marriage, to Angela Kirk in 1938, produced three sons — Jonathan, Timothy, and Charles — and one daughter, Julia.