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- Send your correspondence to: Charles Legge, Replies to Readers, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY; or email him at charles.legge@SANTIJAYA.co.uk
QUESTION: Numerous movies from the 1950s and 1960s included Percy Herbert. Can you tell me how many films he appeared in and what happened to him afterward?
Percy Herbert (1920-1992), born in London, was an accomplished actor known for appearing in more than 70 movies. He frequently portrayed roles such as soldiers, rugged men, or individuals from the working class.
His tough appearance suited him perfectly for those kinds of roles, making him a dependable figure in movies about wars and period pieces.
Prior to his acting career, Herbert served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. World War II and spent four years at the Changi Prisoner of War camp, from which he was compelled to labor on the Burma Railway. He was liberated by American troops and ultimately returned London .
He started his acting journey in theater with the Old Vic Company directed by John Gielgud. In terms of film, he appeared in "The Cockleshell Heroes" (1955) and "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957). This latter movie was inspired by the POW camp where he had served time.
He also served as a consultant for the movie. Herbert appeared in various war films like Tobruk (1967). His acting range spanned multiple genres; he starred in fantasies like One Million Years B.C., historical dramas including Mutiny On The Bounty, and comedies where he featured in two Carry On films.
He made appearances on television in "Worzel Gummidge," "General Hospital," and "Dixon of Dock Green." In 1947, he married Amy Lindsay, with whom he had two children. He passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 72.
Clive Gill, Wimborne, Dorset
QUESTION: Why is a deception considered a type of falsehood?
The term 'canard,' which refers to a false, disparaging, or baseless rumor in English, originates from the French word with the same spelling but denotes a duck. This usage is consistent in both languages.
The 19th-century Frenchlexicographer Emile Littre traced the usage to an old expression, ‘vendre un canard a moitie’, meaning ‘to half-sell a duck’ (i.e. to not sell it at all).
Randle Cotgrave, in A Dictionarie Of The French And English Tongues, from 1611, defines the French expression ‘vendeur de canards a moitie’ as ‘a cousener, guller, cogger; foister, lyer’.
S. E. Smith from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
What are some of the strangest and most intense marathon competitions held around the globe?
Following the previous response, perhaps one of the most unusual races has to be the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Runners circle a lone block in New York City repeatedly over a period lasting as long as 52 days to finish this grueling event.
Diane Higgs, Street, Somerset
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