London-born David Farrar dropped out of school at 14 and became a
writer for the Morning Advertiser newspaper; but it wasn't long before
he decided to change careers and become an actor. He started out on the
stage in 1932, and five years later made his film debut. Appearing at
first in low-budget thrillers, such as
Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror (1938),he
worked his way up to more prestigious projects, such as Ealing's
Went the Day Well? (1942).
Farrar hit his stride in a series of films for renowned directors
Michael Powell and
Emeric Pressburger, most notably the
classic Die schwarze Narzisse (1947).
Farrar's brooding good looks and deep, rich baritone won him legions of
female fans in the US and Europe, and soon Hollywood came a-calling. He
journeyed to Universal as a contract player, but the studio put him in
a succession of second-tier action pictures and costume dramas as a
villain. He returned to England somewhat embittered by his Hollywood
experiences and determined to do better in his own country's film
industry, but he couldn't regain the momentum he had before he left for
Hollywood. After a small role as King Xerxes of Persia in the
Greek-shot
Der Löwe von Sparta (1962), he left
film acting and turned to television. When his wife died in 1976 he
retired from acting altogether, and with his daughter Barbara moved to
the Natal coast in South Africa, where he passed away in 1995 at age
87.
