Denholm Elliott was born on 31 May 1922.

He was more what we consider a serious British actor. Had he lived longer, he certainly would have starred in Hot Fuzz and the Harry Potter films. Today, people remember him best for the Merchant-Ivory film A Room with a View. In it, he plays the sweet and liberal Mr Emerson. But I know him best for the brilliant comedy A Private Function. In it, he plays the vicious and snobby Dr Swaby.

But Denholm Elliott is widely known for many American films like Trading Places where he was the very proper and helpful butler Coleman. And, of course, he was the museum curator Marcus Brody in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

This would be enough to mention him today. But I’m most interested in him because of two Amicus films and another with Hammer. These were: The House That Dripped Blood, The Vault of Horror, and To the Devil a Daughter. The first two are anthology films. In the first, he plays a horror writer who thinks his psychopathic strangler character has come to life. In the second, he plays a dishonest art dealer who gets his due.

To the Devil a Daughter was the last Hammer horror film. It is along the lines of The Devil Rides Out. I’m not that fond of these films, but they’re fine. Elliott plays a father trying to save his daughter from a Satanic cult.

The House That Dripped Blood is by far my favorite of these three films. And I most like Denholm Elliott when he plays a nice guy — as good as he is at playing a terrible guy! So let’s watch it now to celebrate Elliott’s birthday!

Other 31 May Anniversaries

Filmmakers

• Clint Eastwood (1930-): Actor everyone knows. We especially like A Fistful of Dollars and High Plains Drifter.
• Jim Hutton (1934-1979): Star of the Ellery Queen TV show.
• Gregory Harrison (1950-): Star of the short-lived Logan’s Run TV series. He was also the star of Don Coscarelli’s first film, Jim, the World’s Greatest.
• Jonathan Tucker (1982-): Actor known for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Ruins, and more.
• Colin Farrell (1976-): Actor known for Seven Psychopaths, some superhero films, and lots more.

Films

• The Black Raven (1943): Old dark house murders.
• Horrors of the Black Museum (1959): A journalist has crimes committed to make his stories more interesting.
• The Evil of Frankenstein (1964): One of the essential Hammer Frankenstein films.
• Invaders From Space (1965): Superhero saves Earth from space invasion.
• Fletch (1985): Investigative journalist chases down drug trafficking conspiracy.
• The Arrival (1996): A scientist contacts space aliens but they have a secret.
• DragonHeart (1996): A dragon and dragon-slayer team up.
• TheCampusHouse.com (2002): College students document their lives online in a murder house.
• DeVour (2005): Young people play a game that gets out of hand.
• Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter’s Cove (2005): Pirate ghost is unleashed.
• American Mary (2013): A young medical student is forced to do illegal surgeries, and the authorities are after her.
• Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear (2013): Anthology horror.

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Denholm Elliott via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.