Sydney Desmond Tester (17 February 1919 – 31 December 2002) was an English film and television actor, host and executive. He was born in London, England, and started his career as a child actor; among his most notable roles, was that of the ill-fated boy Stevie in the Alfred Hitchcock film Sabotage (1936).
Desmond Tester | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sydney Desmond Tester 17 February 1919 London, England |
| Died | 31 December 2002 (aged 83) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse(s) | Evelyn Redfern Stuart (5 children) Valerie Jones (partner) |
Early life
editTester made his first stage appearance at the age of 11, in The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1930, receiving positive reviews from London; he also appeared as Emil in Emil and the Detectives. From 1934 he became better known as a child actor in film in his native Britain. Tester's characters were often doomed to untimely deaths in such early films as Carol Reed's Midshipman Easy (1935), Tudor Rose (1936), The Stars Look Down (1939) and Sabotage. He was a musical prodigy in Robert Stevenson's Non-Stop New York (1937) and a drummer boy in The Drum (1938).
Emigration to Australia and post-war career
editAfter the Second World War, he moved to Australia and embarked in careers in radio, theatre, and television. As television broadcasting began in Australia, Tester soon found work hosting the localized version of panel game show What's My Line? and in a variety of children's programmes including Cabbage Quiz and Kaper Kops with Reg Gorman and Rod Hull. He spent fifteen years at Channel Nine, taking charge of children's programming, and became more involved behind the scenes in production and publicity. He later moved to Reg Grundy Productions, eventually leaving the industry entirely due to a dislike of the overall management culture.
Tester was the compere of "Desmond and the Channel 9-Pins," an Australian children’s television series which aired from 1957 to 1962 on Sydney station TCN-9. He introduced the Bee Gees for their first TV appearance in 1960. By 1961, Tester retired from appearing on-screen on the series, but continued to write, produce and direct the show.
In 1974 he revived his stage acting career on the advice of Hayes Gordon and appeared in numerous productions including productions by playwrights Arthur Miller and John Ewing. He also had occasional minor roles in various films, such as Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974) and The Wild Duck (1983).
Personal life
editOn 10 November 1939 Tester was registered as a conscientious objector, conditional upon performing farm work,[1] which he did on a pig farm, saying he liked it. He also said, "We know from history that war does not rid the world of fear. War breeds war and greater fear".[2]
He married Evelyn Stuart and had five children – Jolyon (deceased), Dermot, Giles, Toby and Simon and five grandchildren – Sally, Daisy, Sam, Georgia, and Max.
The last 29 years of his life he resided in Lindfield on Sydney's North Shore with his partner Valerie Jones.
Desmond Tester died on 31 December 2002, in Sydney, New South Wales, at the age of 83.
Selected filmography
edit- The Night Club Queen (1934) - Messenger Boy In Nightclub (uncredited)
- Midshipman Easy (1935) - Gossett
- Late Extra (1935) - Copy Boy (uncredited)
- Tudor Rose (1936) - Edward VI
- The Beloved Vagabond (1936) - Asticot
- Sabotage (1936) - Stevie
- Non-Stop New York (1937) - Arnold James
- The Drum (1938) - Bill Holder
- The Stars Look Down (1940) - Hughie Fenwick
- An Englishman's Home (1940) - Billy Brown
- The Turners of Prospect Road (1947) - Nicky
- Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974) - Marcel Escargot
- Save the Lady (1982) - Captain Playfair
Bibliography
edit- John Holmstrom, The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 91.