Conrad Phillips facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Conrad Phillips
Born	Conrad Philip Havord (1925-04-13)13 April 1925 Lambeth, London, England
Died	13 January 2016(2016-01-13) (aged 90) Chippenham, Wiltshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1946–1991
Spouse(s)	Jean Moir (1949–1966; divorced) Jennie Slatter (1968–2016; his death)
Children	3

Conrad Philip Havord (born April 13, 1925 – died January 13, 2016) was an English actor. He was known professionally as Conrad Phillips. He became famous for playing William Tell in the adventure TV series The Adventures of William Tell from 1958 to 1959.

About Conrad Phillips

Early Life and Navy Days

Conrad Philip Havord was born in London. His father, Horace Havord, was a journalist and wrote detective stories. Conrad went to St John's Bowyer School in South London. After school, he worked for an insurance company.

When he was 17, Conrad changed his birth date on his ration book. This allowed him to join the Royal Navy early. He served for three years during World War II. He saw action in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the North Sea. He even survived when a landing craft he was on hit a mine.

While in the Navy, his shipmates made fun of his name, Conrad. So, he called himself Bill. He didn't start using the name Conrad Phillips until he became an actor. His father had used the name for some of his thrillers. He suggested Conrad use it as his stage name. Later, Conrad wrote in his book Aiming True that he wished he hadn't changed it.

Becoming an Actor

Conrad Phillips studied acting at RADA. After that, he performed in many plays. He also acted in London's famous West End.

He is most famous for playing William Tell in the popular ITV television series. The Adventures of William Tell had 39 episodes. It ran from 1958 to 1959. During the filming of the last episode, he broke his ankle. He had to be in a wheelchair for the rest of the filming. Even the fighting scenes were done with him in the wheelchair!

Later, in 1987, he played Tell's mentor, Stefan, in another TV series called Crossbow. Conrad Phillips had severe back pain. He also had two knee replacements and a hip replacement. These health issues led him to stop acting. He retired in 1991.

Later Life

Conrad met his second wife, Jennie, in April 1968. In 1972, they started fixing up a Scottish hill farm. It was called Skeoch. They later moved to Chippenham, Wiltshire. Conrad Phillips wrote his autobiography, Aiming True, which was published in 2013. He passed away on January 13, 2016.

TV Shows

Conrad Phillips appeared in many television shows. Here are some of them:

• The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1956) – Latour
• The Invisible Man (1961) – Captain Finch
• Richard the Lionheart (1962) – Guy
• The Avengers (1966) – Mellors
• Callan (1967) – Wilson
• The Prisoner (1967) – The General
• UFO (1971) – Skipper
• Fawlty Towers (1975) – Mr Lloyd
• Cribb (1980) – Dr. Prothero
• The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1985) – Sir Eustace Brackenstall
• Hannay (1989) – Dirk Huysman
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• The New Adventures of Charlie Chan
• The Newcomers – Robert Malcolm (a regular character)
• Sutherland's Law
• Howards' Way
• Never the Twain
• The Gaffer
• Sorry!
• Emmerdale Farm – Dr Christopher Meadows (a regular character from 1981 to 1986)
• Mini-series: Into the Labyrinth
• Mini-series: The Master of Ballantrae

Movies

Conrad Phillips also acted in many films. Here are some of his movie roles: