---
name: "Edward Underdown"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/edward-underdown"
fi1m_id: "edward-underdown"
imdb_id: "nm0880956"
tmdb_id: 89208
wikidata_id: "Q1293936"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "3 December 1908"
died: "15 December 1989"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-25T06:41:03.480542+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Edward Underdown

## Identity

Edward Underdown

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/edward-underdown
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** edward-underdown
- **IMDb ID:** nm0880956
- **TMDB ID:** 89208
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1293936
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Underdown, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1293936, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0880956/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/89208

Actor. Born 3 December 1908 in London, England, UK. Died 15 December 1989.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 3 December 1908, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 15 December 1989
- **Active:** 1953–1965
- **Also known as:** Teddy Underdown, Charles Edward Underdown
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 72 (1), 1960s 66 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Underdown, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1293936, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0880956/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/89208

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Beat the Devil*](https://film.one/film/beat-the-devil.md) (72)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Edward Underdown was an English actor and former jockey. Born Charles Edward Underdown in London on 3 December 1908, he was educated at Eton College and began his stage career in 1932 with Noël Coward's *Words and Music*. He made his film debut in *The Warren Case* (1934) and appeared in supporting roles throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Underdown played Harry Chelm in John Huston's *Beat the Devil* (1953). His other film credits include *The Rainbow Jacket* (1954), *Dr. Terror's House of Horrors* (1965), *Thunderball* (1965) as an Air Vice Marshal, *Khartoum* (1966) as Colonel William Hicks, and *Dad's Army* (1968). He also appeared in television series such as *The Avengers*, *The Saint* and *Doctor Who*. Underdown died in Hampshire on 15 December 1989.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Thunderball* (1965), Fi1m 66, as Air Vice Marshall — [page](https://film.one/film/thunderball.md)
- *Beat the Devil* (1953), Fi1m 72, as Harry Chelm — [page](https://film.one/film/beat-the-devil.md)

## Complete filmography (61)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Doctor Who: Meglos* (1980), as Zastor
- *Tarka the Otter* (1979), as Hibbert
- *The Price of Coal, Part 1: Meet the People* (1977), as Sir Gordon Horrocks
- *The Duchess of Duke Street* (1976), series, as Adjutant-General
- *Days of Hope* (1975), series, as John Pritchard
- *Survivors* (1975), series, as Frank
- *The Abdication* (1974), as Christina's Father
- *Colditz* (1972), series, as Col. Mansell
- *Running Scared* (1972), as Mr. Betancourt
- *The Regiment* (1972), series, Actor
- *Upstairs, Downstairs* (1971), series, as General Nesfield — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/upstairs-downstairs.md)
- *The Last Valley* (1971), as Gnarled Peasant
- *Sound an Alarm* (1971), as Duty Controller
- *Doomwatch* (1970), series, as Chairman of Tribunal
- *Hadleigh* (1969), series, as Mr. Fawcett
- *The Main Chance* (1969), series, as Judge
- *The Hand of Night* (1968), as Gunther
- *Dad's Army* (1968), series, as Major General Sir Charles Holland — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/dads-army.md)
- *The Great Pony Raid* (1968), as Snowy
- *Man in a Suitcase* (1967), series, Actor
- *Graf Yoster gibt sich die Ehre* (1967), series, as Pollux O'Donnell
- *Triple Cross* (1966), as Air Marshall
- *Khartoum* (1966), as Colonel William Hicks
- *Thunderball* (1965), as Air Vice Marshall — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/thunderball.md)
- *Dr. Terror's House of Horrors* (1965), as Tod (segment 1 "Werewolf")
- *Traitor's Gate* (1964), as Inspector Adams
- *Man in the Middle* (1964), Actor
- *Doctor Who* (1963), series, as Zastor — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who.md)
- *Espionage* (1963), series, as Colonel Shabar
- *Dr. Crippen* (1963), as The Governor
- *The Saint* (1962), series, as Jack Laurie
- *Locker Sixty-Nine* (1962), as Bennett Sanders
- *The Day the Earth Caught Fire* (1961), as Dick Sanderson (uncredited)
- *Information Received* (1961), as Drake
- *The Third Alibi* (1961), as Dr. Peter Murdoch
- *The Avengers* (1961), series, as Rupert — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-avengers-1961.md)
- *Danger Man* (1960), series, as Capt. Morgan
- *No Hiding Place* (1959), series, Actor
- *One Step Beyond* (1959), series, as Mr. Hayes
- *The Two-Headed Spy* (1958), as Kaltenbrunner
- *The Camp on Blood Island* (1958), as Major Dawes
- *The Rainbow Jacket* (1954), as Geoffrey Tyler
- *Beat the Devil* (1953), as Harry Chelm — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/beat-the-devil.md)
- *Street of Shadows* (1953), as Det. Insp. Johnstone
- *Recoil* (1953), as Michael Conway
- *The Promise* (1952), as Stephen Harker
- *The Voice of Merrill* (1952), as Hugh Allen
- *The Woman's Angle* (1952), as Robert Mansell
- *The Dark Man* (1951), as Detective Inspector Viner
- *The Woman with No Name* (1950), as Lake Winter
- *They Were Not Divided* (1950), as Philip
- *Man on the Run* (1949), as Slim Elfey
- *Brass Monkey* (1948), as Max Taylor
- *The Woman in the Hall* (1947), as Neil Inglefield
- *The October Man* (1947), as Passport Official
- *Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It* (1941), Actor
- *Lucky to Me* (1939), as Malden's friend
- *Inspector Hornleigh* (1939), as Peter Dench
- *Wings of the Morning* (1937), as Don Diego
- *Annie, Leave the Room!* (1935), as John Brandon
- *The Warren Case* (1934), as Hugh Waddon

## Gallery

- ![Edward Underdown](https://film.one/media/person/1028682/gallery-ccaf88f25d2a.jpg) Edward Underdown — film screenshot (United Artists), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Edward_Underdown_in_Beat_the_Devil.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Edward Underdown](https://film.one/media/person/1028682/gallery-fefaf0a64c6a.jpg) Edward Underdown — Image via TMDB
- ![Edward Underdown](https://film.one/media/person/1028682/gallery-f43cdc2bec6e.jpg) Edward Underdown — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/edward-underdown