---
name: "Trevor Howard"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/trevor-howard"
fi1m_id: "trevor-howard"
imdb_id: "nm0002145"
tmdb_id: 12726
wikidata_id: "Q343037"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "29 September 1913"
died: "7 January 1988"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-07T10:33:53.103769+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."
---

# Trevor Howard

## Identity

Trevor Howard

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/trevor-howard
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** trevor-howard
- **IMDb ID:** nm0002145
- **TMDB ID:** 12726
- **Wikidata ID:** Q343037
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Howard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q343037, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002145/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12726

Actor. Born 29 September 1913 in Cliftonville, Kent, England, UK. Died 7 January 1988.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 29 September 1913, Cliftonville, Kent, England, UK
- **Died:** 7 January 1988
- **Active:** 1945–1982
- **Also known as:** Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 7 acting, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Celia Johnson](https://film.one/person/celia-johnson.md)
- **BAFTA Film Awards:** 1 BAFTA (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 91 (2), 1950s 63 (1), 1960s 60 (2), 1980s 68 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 79 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 3 of 6 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Adventure 2, Comedy 2, History 2, Romance 2, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 16 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $142m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Howard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q343037, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002145/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12726

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Third Man*](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md) (92), [*Gandhi*](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md) (73)
- **HBO Max:** [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md) (90)
- **Tubi:** [*Mutiny on the Bounty*](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty-1962.md) (56)

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

## Fi1m on Trevor Howard

> Trevor Howard made ordinary decency convincing and authority difficult to brush aside. We value him most in *Brief Encounter* and *The Third Man*; later casting as officers and autocrats sometimes narrowed what was asked of him.

*Brief Encounter* (1945) asks us to believe that Trevor Howard’s Dr Alec Harvey could pass unnoticed until one person begins to find him indispensable. Howard makes that plausible by playing the attraction without conspicuous charm or romantic swagger. We were moved by how much these two ordinary people came to matter to each other, because Howard makes Alec someone we might otherwise overlook. His breakthrough under David Lean established a leading man whose appeal did not depend on seeming exceptional.

The limitation is how much less we know of Alec than of Celia Johnson’s Laura. Coward’s writing gives Johnson the fuller account of an inner life, while Howard sometimes has to make simple decency last longer than it should. A little more uncertainty from him would have made their meetings richer. Cyril Raymond’s Fred Jesson, Laura’s decent, unexciting husband, also prevents us from treating the marriage as something she ought simply to escape. That keeps the romance honest, even when Alec remains less fully known.

In Carol Reed’s *The Third Man* (1949), Howard’s Major Calloway is firm where Joseph Cotten is uncertain. He matters because he does not simply confirm the leading man’s importance. Alongside Alida Valli’s Anna Schmidt, he helps make the mystery feel inhabited by people with concerns of their own. Reed gives that firmness a clearer dramatic use than Alec’s decency has in Lean’s romance. It is easy to see why authority became such a regular part of Howard’s work, though the later casting could become restrictive.

From the 1960s, supporting and character parts took more of his time, often as military men or other figures accustomed to obedience. Walter Morel in *Sons and Lovers* (1960) offered a working-class role; Captain William Bligh in *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1962), opposite Marlon Brando, fits the more familiar pattern of the autocrat. The rasping voice and increasingly craggy face suited such casting, but another autocrat was not always an interesting use of him. Start with *Brief Encounter* and *The Third Man*; give him both evenings before deciding that he was simply good at giving orders.

## Biography

Trevor Howard, born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after education at Clifton College and began his career on the London stage in the 1930s, with his professional debut in the play *Revolt in a Reformatory* (1934).

Howard rose to prominence with his performance as Dr Alec Harvey opposite Celia Johnson in David Lean's *Brief Encounter* (1945). He followed this with the role of Major Calloway in Carol Reed's *The Third Man* (1949). Among his other notable film appearances were *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1962), *Gandhi* (1982) and the *Superman* films (1978 and 1980). He received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor for *The Key* (1958).

He was married to the actress Helen Cherry from 1944 until his death in 1988.

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

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (7) — the average rests on these

- *Gandhi* (1982), Fi1m 73, as Judge Broomfield — [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *The Missionary* (1982), Fi1m 57, as Lord Henry Ames — [page](https://film.one/film/the-missionary.md)
- *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1962), Fi1m 56, as Capt. William Bligh — [page](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty-1962.md)
- *Sons and Lovers* (1960), Fi1m 64, as Walter Morel — [page](https://film.one/film/sons-and-lovers.md)
- *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956), Fi1m 63, as Denis Fallentin — [page](https://film.one/film/around-the-world-in-80-days.md)
- *The Third Man* (1949), Fi1m 92, as Major Calloway — [page](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md)
- *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90, as Dr. Alec Harvey — [page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Superman II* (1980), Fi1m 74, as Krypton Elder (archive footage) (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/superman-ii.md)

## Complete filmography (113)

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

- *The Dawning* (1988), as Grandfather
- *The Unholy* (1988), as Father Silva
- *White Mischief* (1987), as Jack Soames
- *Hand in Glove* (1987), as Vicar
- *Christmas Eve* (1986), as Maitland
- *Shaka Zulu* (1986), series, as Lord Charles Somerset
- *Foreign Body* (1986), as Dr Stirry
- *Peter the Great* (1986), series, as Sir Isaac Newton
- *Time After Time* (1986), as Brigadier Croshawe
- *Time for Murder* (1985), series, as Sir Daniel Penwarden
- *Dust* (1985), as Father
- *Memory of the Camps* (1985), as Narrator
- *God Rot Tunbridge Wells!* (1985), as Georg Friedrich Handel
- *Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight* (1984), as The King
- *The Bengal Lancers!* (1984), as Uncle George
- *George Washington* (1984), series, as Lord Fairfax
- *Gandhi* (1982), as Judge Broomfield — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *The Missionary* (1982), as Lord Henry Ames — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/the-missionary.md)
- *The Deadly Game* (1982), as Gustave Kummer
- *Inside the Third Reich* (1982), series, as Prof. Heinrich Tessenow
- *Light Years Away* (1981), as Yoshka Poliakeff
- *Ludwig* (1981), series, as Richard Wagner
- *Staying On* (1980), as Col. Tusker Smalley
- *Windwalker* (1980), as Windwalker
- *Superman II* (1980), as Krypton Elder (archive footage) (uncredited) — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/superman-ii.md)
- *Sir Henry at Rawlinson End* (1980), as Sir Henry Rawlinson
- *The Sea Wolves* (1980), as Jack Cartwright
- *The Shillingbury Blowers* (1980), as Saltie
- *Flashpoint Africa* (1980), as Program Controller
- *Meteor* (1979), as Michael Hughes
- *Hurricane* (1979), as Father Malone
- *The Spirit of Adventure: Night Flight* (1979), as Riviere
- *Superman* (1978), as 1st Elder
- *Stevie* (1978), as The Man
- *Scorpion Tales* (1978), series, as Mavor
- *Slavers* (1978), as Alec Mackenzie
- *The Last Remake of Beau Geste* (1977), as Sir Hector
- *The Adventures of Eliza Fraser* (1976), as Capt. Foster Fyans
- *Origins of the Mafia* (1976), series, as Don Consalvo Saccone
- *The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones* (1976), as Squire Western
- *Aces High* (1976), as Lieutenant Colonel Silkin
- *Albino* (1976), as Johannes
- *Hennessy* (1975), as Comdr. Rice
- *The Count of Monte-Cristo* (1975), as Abbé Faria
- *Conduct Unbecoming* (1975), as Colonel Benjamin Strang
- *Persecution* (1974), as Paul Bellamy
- *11 Harrowhouse* (1974), as Clyde Massey
- *Craze* (1974), as Supt. Bellamy
- *Who?* (1974), as Colonel Azarin
- *The Catholics* (1973), as The Abbot
- *A Doll's House* (1973), as Dr. Rank
- *Ludwig* (1973), as Richard Wagner
- *The Offence* (1973), as Lieutenant Cartwright, Detective Superintendant
- *Pope Joan* (1972), as Pope Leo
- *Mary, Queen of Scots* (1971), as William Cecil
- *Kidnapped* (1971), as Lord Advocate
- *Catch Me a Spy* (1971), as Trevor Dawson
- *The Night Visitor* (1971), as Inspector
- *Ryan's Daughter* (1970), as Father Collins
- *Twinky* (1970), as Twinky's Grandfather
- *Battle of Britain* (1969), as Air Vice Marshal Keith Park
- *ITV Saturday Night Theatre* (1969), series, as The Abbot
- *The Charge of the Light Brigade* (1968), as Lord Cardigan
- *Pretty Polly* (1967), as Robert Hook
- *The Long Duel* (1967), as Freddie Young
- *Triple Cross* (1966), as Freddie Young (Distinguished Civilian)
- *The Poppy Is Also a Flower* (1966), as Sam Lincoln
- *The Liquidator* (1965), as Mostyn
- *Eagle in a Cage* (1965), as Napoleon
- *Morituri* (1965), as Colonel Statter
- *Von Ryan's Express* (1965), as Major Eric Fincham
- *Operation Crossbow* (1965), as Professor Lindemann
- *Father Goose* (1964), as Commander Frank Houghton
- *Man in the Middle* (1964), as Major Kensington
- *The Invincible Mr. Disraeli* (1963), as Benjamin Disraeli
- *Hedda Gabler* (1962), as Ejlert Lövborg
- *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1962), as Capt. William Bligh — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty-1962.md)
- *The Lion* (1962), as John Bullit
- *Sons and Lovers* (1960), as Walter Morel — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/sons-and-lovers.md)
- *Playhouse 90: The Hiding Place* (1960), as Robert Wilson
- *Moment of Danger* (1960), as John Bain
- *The Roots of Heaven* (1958), as Morel
- *Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse* (1958), series, as Dr. Derek Lester
- *The Key* (1958), as Capt. Chris Ford
- *Manuela* (1957), as James Prothero
- *Interpol* (1957), as Frank McNally
- *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956), as Denis Fallentin — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/around-the-world-in-80-days.md)
- *Run for the Sun* (1956), as Browne
- *The Cockleshell Heroes* (1955), as Captain Thompson
- *The 20th Century Fox Hour* (1955), series, as Doug Elliott
- *Lovers' Net* (1955), as Inspector Lewis
- *The Stranger's Hand* (1954), as Major Roger Court
- *The Heart of the Matter* (1953), as Harry Scobie
- *Gift Horse* (1952), as Lt. Cmdr Hugh Alginon Fraser
- *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Benjamin Disraeli, Napoleon
- *Outcast of the Islands* (1951), as Peter Willems
- *Lady Godiva Rides Again* (1951), as Guest at Theater Accepting Program (uncredited)
- *The Clouded Yellow* (1950), as Maj. David Somers
- *Odette* (1950), as Captain Peter Churchill
- *Golden Salamander* (1950), as David Redfern
- *Sunday Night Theatre* (1950), series, as Kellis
- *The Third Man* (1949), as Major Calloway — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-third-man.md)
- *The Passionate Friends* (1949), as Prof. Steven Stratton
- *Studio One* (1948), series, as Vittorio
- *So Well Remembered* (1947), as Dr. Richard Whiteside
- *They Made Me a Fugitive* (1947), as George Clement 'Clem' Morgan
- *Green for Danger* (1946), as Dr. Barnes
- *I See a Dark Stranger* (1946), as Lt. David Bayne
- *Brief Encounter* (1945), as Dr. Alec Harvey — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md)
- *The Way to the Stars* (1945), as Squadron Leader Carter
- *The Way Ahead* (1944), as Officer on Ship (uncredited)
- *The Aircraft Rocket, Part 4: Tactics, Section 2: Coastal* (1944), as Briefing Officer
- *Squaring the Circle* (1941), Actor

## Gallery

- ![Trevor Howard](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-7a652249e247.jpg) Trevor Howard — Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Trevor_Howard_Allan_Warren.jpg/1280px-Trevor_Howard_Allan_Warren.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Boyd Theater (1965)](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-47c059d17f53.jpg) Boyd Theater (1965) — Self Scanned, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/1965_-_Boyd_Theater_-_28_Jul_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Apollo Cinerama, Zürich: Première von "Porgy and Bess": von links.: Lys Assia, Moses LaMarr, Eunice Gayson, Anton Eric Scotoni, Sophia Loren, Van Johnson, Alice (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-0eb7badb2355.jpg) Apollo Cinerama, Zürich: Première von "Porgy and Bess": von links.: Lys Assia, Moses LaMarr, Eunice Gayson, Anton Eric Scotoni, Sophia Loren, Van Johnson, Alice (1960) — Bildcode:
Com_L09-0086-0002-0014
Fotograf:
Gerber, Hans
Titel:
Première von "Porgy and Bess" im Kino Apollo
Beschreibung:
V.l.: Lys Assia, Moses LaMarr, Eunice Gayson, Anton Eric Scotoni, Sophia Loren, Van Johnson, Alice Scott, Richard Widmark, Trevor Howard
Datierung:
27.4.1960
Bildnachweis:

ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Gerber, Hans / Com_L09-0086-0002-0014 / CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Apollo_Cinerama_Com_L09-0086-0002-0014.jpg/1280px-Apollo_Cinerama_Com_L09-0086-0002-0014.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![2x3 arrays of bronze stars; they were intended to be used on Leicester Square for British Film Year Trevor Howard, Lauren Bacall, Sir Alec Guiness [sic] Vanessa (2014)](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-3d846fafd78c.jpg) 2x3 arrays of bronze stars; they were intended to be used on Leicester Square for British Film Year Trevor Howard, Lauren Bacall, Sir Alec Guiness [sic] Vanessa (2014) — Edwardx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Cinema_Museum%2C_London_object_06.JPG/1280px-Cinema_Museum%2C_London_object_06.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Trevor Howard](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-8450f36b8fae.jpg) Trevor Howard — Image via TMDB
- ![Trevor Howard](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-e9501b8e9b2e.jpg) Trevor Howard — Image via TMDB
- ![Trevor Howard](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-5a00a84280ec.jpg) Trevor Howard — Image via TMDB
- ![Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Charles Laughton, and Clark Gable costumes from "Mutiny on the Bounty" at the Debbie Reynolds Auction Breaks Up Historic Hollywood (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-e60e5321847e.jpg) Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Charles Laughton, and Clark Gable costumes from "Mutiny on the Bounty" at the Debbie Reynolds Auction Breaks Up Historic Hollywood (2011) — Doug Kline from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Debbie_Reynolds_Auction_-_Marlon_Brando%2C_Trevor_Howard%2C_Charles_Laughton%2C_and_Clark_Gable_costumes_from_%22Mutiny_on_the_Bounty%22.jpg/1280px-Debbie_Reynolds_Auction_-_Marlon_Brando%2C_Trevor_Howard%2C_Charles_Laughton%2C_and_Clark_Gable_costumes_from_%22Mutiny_on_the_Bounty%22.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Poster for 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty](https://film.one/media/person/49/gallery-8b9b72cc1f82.jpg) Poster for 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty — Reynold Brown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Poster_for_Mutiny_on_the_Bounty.jpg/1280px-Poster_for_Mutiny_on_the_Bounty.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1961: Best Actor (nominated), for *Sons and Lovers*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 1959: Best Actor in a Leading Role (won), for *The Key*

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 1963: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *Hallmark Hall of Fame*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/trevor-howard