Walter Forde
Walter Forde (born Thomas Seymour Woolford, 21 April 1898 – 7 January 1984) was a British actor, screenwriter and director. He died in Los Angeles, California in 1984. Forde was the son of the music hall comedian Tom Seymour.
Walter Forde
- Birth Name
- Thomas Seymour Woolford
- Born
- 21 April 1898
- Birthplace
- London, England
- Died
- 7 January 1984
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, US
- Occupation
- * Actor
- Nationality
- United Kingdom · United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Languages
- English
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Walter Forde (born Thomas Seymour Woolford, 21 April 1898 – 7 January 1984) was a British actor, screenwriter and director. He died in Los Angeles, California in 1984. Forde was the son of the music hall comedian Tom Seymour.
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Note VALÉORINE
Walter Forde (1896–1984) was an actor, director and film editor, among other activities, of British and British nationality. The actor died in Los Angeles. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q7964856 · wikipedia · Walter Forde
In this article
Biography
Biography
During the 1920s, he was a silent film comedian, acting in a series of shorts before shifting into directing feature films. Emerging as an established film director in the 1930s, he directed films for Gainsborough Pictures and Ealing Studios. Forde worked several times with Michael Balcon who wrote "when he turned to directing films his sense of timing, especially in comedy, was impeccable. He made the changeover to sound films very easily, never forgetting that movies must move and consequently not falling into the common errors of leaning on dialogue or keeping the now heavily ‘blimped’ and somewhat cumbersome cameras in fixed positions."
Key facts
Key facts
• Birth Name — Thomas Seymour Woolford • Born — 21 April 1898 • Birthplace — London, England • Died — 7 January 1984 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, US • Occupation — * Actor • Writer • Film director
Actor
Actor
• The Handy Man (1920) • Never Say Die (1920) • Fishing for Trouble (1920) • Walter's Winning Ways (1921) • Walter Finds a Father (1921) • The Economist (1921) • Walter's Trying Frolic (1922) • Walter Wins a Wager (1922) • Walter Wants Work (1922) • Walter Makes a Movie (1922) • Radio Romeo (1923) • Good Deeds (1923) • Walter's Worries (1926) • Walter's Playing Policy (1926) • Walter's Day Out (1926) • Walter the Sleuth (1926) • Walter the Prodigal (1926) • Walter Tells the Tale (1926) • Wait and See (1928) • What Next? (1928) • Would You Believe It? (1929) • You'd Be Surprised! (1930) • Lord Babs (1932) • Cheer Boys Cheer (1939)
Director
Director
• Wait and See (1928) • What Next? (1928) • The Silent House (1929) • Would You Believe It? (1929) • Red Pearls (1930) • Bed and Breakfast (1930) • Lord Richard in the Pantry (1930) • The Last Hour (1930) • You'd Be Surprised! (1930) • Third Time Lucky (1931) • The Ringer (1931) • Splinters in the Navy (1931) • The Ghost Train (1931) • Condemned to Death (1932) • Lord Babs (1932) • Jack's the Boy (1932) • Rome Express (1932) • Orders Is Orders (1933) • Jack Ahoy (1934) • Chu Chin Chow (1934) • Bulldog Jack (1935) • Forever England (1935) • King of the Damned (1935) • Land Without Music (1936) • Kicking the Moon Around (1938) • The Gaunt Stranger (1938) • Let's Be Famous (1939) • The Four Just Men (1939) • Cheer Boys Cheer (1939) • Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday (1939) • Saloon Bar (1940) • Sailors Three (1940) • Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940) • Atlantic Ferry (1941) • The Ghost Train (1941) • Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941) • Go to Blazes (1942, short) • The Peterville Diamond (1942) • Flying Fortress (1942) • It's That Man Again (1943) • Time Flies (1944) • One Exciting Night (1944) • Master of Bankdam (1947) • Cardboard Cavalier (1949)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1896
Walter Forde was born on 21 April 1896.
1984
Walter Forde died on 7 January 1984.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q7964856: Walter Forde
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Walter Forde”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Walter Forde. BFI.
- 2.BFI Screenonline: Forde, Walter (1898-1984) Biography. screenonline.org.uk.
- 3.Balcon, Michael. Michael Balcon presents . a lifetime of films. Hutchinson. 115. 1969.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Hunter, I.Q. & Porter, Laraine. British Comedy Cinema. Routledge, 2012.
References
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authority record
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Secondary witness
Further particulars
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Walter Forde is recorded with the occupation film director. Recorded as actor, screenwriter, film producer, film editor and director.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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