John Alexander Fraser (18 March 1931 – 7 November 2020) was a Scottish actor and author. He is best known for his performances in the films The Dam Busters (1955), The Good Companions (1957), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), El Cid (1961), Repulsion (1965) and Isadora (1968).
Fraser received a BAFTA nomination for Best British Actor for his performance as Lord Alfred Douglas in The Trials of Oscar Wilde.
Career One of his earliest roles was as Inigo Jollifant in the second film version of J.B. Priestley's The Good Companions (1957). Later, Fraser had leading roles in films such as El Cid, Tunes of Glory, The Trials of Oscar Wilde (playing Lord Alfred Douglas), Roman Polanski's Repulsion, Isadora and Schizo. He made appearances on television series including Danger Man (1964), Casting the Runes (1968), Randall and Hopkirk (1969), Columbo (1972), Doctor Who (1981), and The Bill (1995).
He released several singles in the late 1950s.
In 2004, he published his autobiography, Close Up, in which he wrote frankly about his gay life and friendships. In the book, Fraser wrote that actor Laurence Harvey was gay and that his long-term lover was his manager James Woolf.The Guardian "Sexy self-image that revved up Dirk Bogarde", 2 October 2004 Of Dirk Bogarde, Fraser wrote, "Dirk's life with [Anthony] Forwood had been so respectable, their love for each other so profound and so enduring, it would have been a glorious day for the pursuit of understanding and the promotion of tolerance if he had screwed up the courage ... to make one dignified allusion to his true nature. Self-love is no substitute for self-respect."
Personal life and death Fraser was gay. He later said that he had refused to "live a lie", and believed that his sexuality had affected his career in an era when male homosexuality remained criminalised in Britain.
Fraser's long-term partner was Rodney Pienaar, an artist whom he met while working in South Africa in the 1970s. The couple later settled in Tuscany, but returned to live in London in 2010.
Fraser died from oesophageal cancer on 6 November 2020 at the age of 89, and was survived by his partner of 42 years.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 1961 British Academy Film Awards Best British Actor The Trials of Oscar Wilde Nominated
Selected filmography YearTitleRoleAwards / Notes1953The Good BeginningJohnny Lipson1953Valley of SongCliff Lloyd1953The Desert RatsArtillery Man1953TitanicSteward1954The Face That Launched a Thousand ShipsDrago1955Touch and GoRichard Kenyon1955The Dam BustersFlight Lieutenant John Hopgood DFC1957The Good CompanionsInigo Jollifant1958The Wind Cannot ReadPeter Munroe1960The Trials of Oscar WildeLord Alfred DouglasBAFTA nomination1960Tunes of GloryCorporal Piper Ian Fraser1961El CidPrince Alfonso1961Fury at Smugglers' BayChristopher Trevenyan1962Waltz of the ToreadorsLt. Finch1963 TamahineRichard Poole1965A Study in TerrorLord Carfax1965RepulsionColin1965Operation CrossbowFlight Lieutenant Kenny1966Doctor in CloverMiles Grimsdyke.1968IsadoraRoger1975The DollPeter Matty 3 episodes1976SchizoLeonard Hawthorne1978 Wilde Alliance Colonel Stone Episode: The Private Army of Colonel Stone1980Lady KillersJohn ChurchEpisode: Not for the Nervous1981Lady KillersHawley Harvey CrippenEpisode: Miss Elmore1981Doctor Who: LogopolisThe Monitor1982Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor HouseUncle Gideon 6 episodes1996Truth or DareGordon Hillan
Selected recordings 1957 - Bye Bye Love / Why Don't They Understand 1958 - Presenting John Fraser (EP) with Tony Osborne, the Beryl Stott Group, the Kim Drake Orchestra 1958 - Trolley Stop / Bye Bye Love with the Beryl Stott Group 1959 - Bye Bye Baby Goodbye 1960 - Jaula Dorada / Adios Adios Muchacha / Adios Amor / Por Que No Comprenden
Footnotes
Bibliography of works
External links
The Guardian obituary