Biography
Francis de Wolff was an English character actor. Born Francis-Marie Arist de Wolff on 7 January 1913 in Essex, he was the son of a Russian-born nobleman and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He made his film debut in Flame in the Heather (1935) and appeared in numerous films over four decades.
De Wolff was frequently cast as villains or foreigners. His credits include Treasure Island (1950), Scrooge (1951) as the Spirit of Christmas Present, Ivanhoe (1952), Moby Dick (1956), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), From Russia with Love (1963) as Vavra, and The Three Musketeers (1973). He also featured in several Hammer horror films and television productions such as Doctor Who and the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977). He died on 18 April 1984 in Sussex.
