Born in
Canterbury, Kent, England, he joined the
Royal Navy at 17 and served for over twenty years. He performed in an extensive amount of theatre, both classics and modern plays, in the West End of London and on Broadway. Gwillim also featured in over fifty films and television series, usually war films or historical epics. Some of his most notable roles include playing a warship captain in
Sink the Bismarck! (1960), the archbishop Hubert Walter in
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), the obnoxious club secretary in
Lawrence of Arabia (1962), King Aeëtes in
Jason and the Argonauts (1963), an
RAF officer in the
James Bond film
Thunderball (1965), the Lord Chief Justice in
A Man for All Seasons (1966), General
Harold Alexander in
Patton (1970),
Poseidon in
Clash of the Titans (1981), and
Van Helsing in
The Monster Squad (1987). He also had a recurring role on the TV series
Danger Man,
The Saint, and
The Troubleshooters. He also appeared in
The Avengers (1967) in the episode "The Hidden Tiger" as Sir David Harper. He took part in a number of recordings for
Caedmon Shakespeare Records. ==Personal life==