Derren Nesbitt facts for kids

Derren Nesbitt (born Derren Michael Horwitz; June 19, 1935) is a British actor. He started his film career in the late 1950s. He also appeared in many British television series during the 1960s and 1970s. He is perhaps best known for his role as Major von Hapen in the 1968 film Where Eagles Dare.

Derren Nesbitt's Acting Career

Early TV Roles

Derren Nesbitt began acting on television in the 1950s. He played many different characters in shows like The Adventures of Sir Lancelot. He also appeared in The Adventures of William Tell. Sometimes, he was known as Derry Nesbitt early in his career.

Famous TV Appearances

In the 1960s and 1970s, Nesbitt often played villain roles. He appeared in popular TV series such as Danger Man and The Saint. He also had roles in Doctor Who, The Prisoner, and The Persuaders!. In 1969, he took on the role of DCI Jordan in the police drama Special Branch.

Notable Film Roles

Nesbitt has also acted in several films. He played a suspicious Gestapo officer in Where Eagles Dare (1968). He wanted to make his character in this film very realistic. He even asked to meet a former member of the Gestapo to understand the role better. During filming, he was hurt when a special effect for his character's death exploded. He quickly recovered from the injury. He also had main roles in early 1960s films like The Man in the Back Seat and Strongroom. In 2018, Nesbitt played a leading role in the British independent film Tucked.

Writer and Producer

Derren Nesbitt also worked behind the scenes in movies. He wrote, produced, and directed a 1975 British comedy film called The Amorous Milkman. This movie was based on a novel he wrote in 1973 with the same name.

Personal Life

Derren Nesbitt has been married four times and has five children. He is Jewish. He married his first wife, actress Anne Aubrey, in 1961. They had a daughter the following year.

Later, he married an Australian beauty queen. For a while, he lived in Australia. There, he taught theater studies at a school in Lismore, New South Wales. By 2014, he was living in Worthing, West Sussex, England, with his fourth wife, Miranda.

Selected Filmography

Movies

• 1958: The Silent Enemy - Officer in charge of security patrol boat
• 1958: A Night to Remember - Stoker
• 1961: The Man in the Back Seat - Tony
• 1961: Victim - Sandy Youth
• 1962: Strongroom - Griff
• 1963: The Informers - Bertie Hoyle
• 1966: The Blue Max - Fabian
• 1968: Nobody Runs Forever - Pallain
• 1968: Where Eagles Dare - Major von Hapen
• 1972: Burke & Hare - Burke
• 1975: The Amorous Milkman - Replacement Milkman (also Writer, Director, Producer)
• 2018: Tucked - Jackie
• 2020: The Haunting of Margam Castle - Hugh Morgan

Television Shows

• 1956-1957: The Adventures of Sir Lancelot - Sir Tristam, various roles (14 episodes)
• 1958-1959: The Adventures of William Tell - Captain Frederick, various roles (8 episodes)
• 1960-1961: Danger Man - Hans Vogeler, Hugo Morelli (2 episodes)
• 1963: The Saint - Netchideff
• 1964: Doctor Who - Tegana (7 episodes)
• 1965: Gideon's Way - John Benson
• 1967: Man in a Suitcase - Lucas Guardino
• 1967: The Prisoner - New Number Two
• 1969-1970: Special Branch - Detective Chief Inspector Jordan (27 episodes)
• 1971: UFO - Colonel Craig Collins
• 1971: The Persuaders! - Groski
• 1979: Return of the Saint - Inspector Lebec (2 episodes)
• 1990: Bergerac - Dennis Swain
• 2004: The Courtroom - Judge Arnold Francis (11 episodes)
• 2025: The Prisoner of Portmeirion : Our Lives - Himself