Francis Matthews (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Francis Matthews
Matthews as Doctor Hans Kleve in The Revenge of Frankenstein
Born	(1927-09-02)2 September 1927 York, England
Died	14 June 2014(2014-06-14) (aged 86) London, England
Education	St Michael's Jesuit College, Leeds
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1951–2012
Spouse(s)	Angela Browne ​ ​ (m. 1963; died 2001)​
Children	3
Relatives	Paul Shelley (brother) Maura Matthews (sister)

Francis Matthews (born September 2, 1927 – died June 14, 2014) was an English actor. He was well-known for playing the detective Paul Temple in a BBC TV show. He also voiced the main character, Captain Scarlet, in the popular series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Francis Matthews was born in York, England, on September 2, 1927. His parents were Henry and Kathleen Matthews. His dad worked at the Rowntree's chocolate factory, which made chocolates. Francis loved acting from a young age because his parents often took him to the theatre.

He went to St George's RC Primary School and then St Michael's Jesuit College in Leeds. After school, Francis started working as a stagehand at the Theatre Royal in Leeds. This meant he helped behind the scenes with plays.

He made his first acting appearance in a play called The Corn Is Green in 1945. After that, he served in the Royal Navy for his national service. When he left the military, he went back to acting on stage. In 1956, he performed in London's famous West End theatre for the first time.

Acting Career Highlights

Film and TV Roles

In the 1950s and 1960s, Francis Matthews acted in several films for Hammer Studios. He played the Baron's helper in The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958). He also starred as the heroes in Dracula: Prince of Darkness and Rasputin the Mad Monk, both released in 1966.

From 1969 to 1971, he became very popular playing the amateur detective Paul Temple. This was in a BBC TV series called Paul Temple.

Comedy and Voice Acting

Francis Matthews also worked with the famous comedy duo Morecambe and Wise. He starred with them in the films The Intelligence Men (1965) and That Riviera Touch (1966). This led to a close friendship with Eric Morecambe. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he appeared in many TV comedy shows. One of these was Eric & Ernie's Christmas Show in 1977.

In 1967, Francis Matthews gave his voice to the character of Captain Scarlet. He did this for Gerry Anderson's TV series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He made Captain Scarlet sound a bit like the actor Cary Grant.

Publicity shot of Matthews

In the late 1970s, he was the narrator and host for Follow Me!. This was a BBC educational show that helped foreign viewers learn English quickly.

In 1986, Francis Matthews and his wife, Angela Browne, acted together in a BBC show. It was based on the book Brat Farrar. In 2000, they performed in two plays by Ray Cooney. They did these plays on a cruise ship called MS Marco Polo while it was sailing to the Antarctic. The plays were Run For Your Wife and Funny Money.

Family Life

Francis Matthews was married to actress Angela Browne. They got married in 1963 and stayed together until she passed away in 2001. They had three sons. Two of their sons, Damien Matthews and Paul Rattigan, became actors. Their third son, Dominic, is an artist and musician. Francis's younger brother, Paul Shelley, is also an actor. He also had a sister named Maura.

Later Years and Passing

Francis Matthews passed away on June 14, 2014, at the age of 86. He had been ill for a short time. He was survived by his three sons, seven grandchildren, and his two siblings.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Francis Matthews para niños