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Laurence Naismith

Laurence Naismith

Actor · Died June 5, 1992, aged 83 · Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, UK

Laurence Naismith (14 December 1908 – 5 June 1992) was an English actor. Naismith appeared in films such as Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Richard III (1955), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Carrington VC (1954) and as Captain Edward Smith of the RMS Titanic in A Night to Remember (1958). He appeared on Broadway in the musical Here's Love in 1963 and played the non-singing role of Merlin in the 1967 film version of the musical Camelot. In 1965 he guest-starred as barber Gilly Bright in episode 25, "The Threat" of 12 O-Clock High (TV series). He was Judge Fulton in the TV series The Persuaders! (1971), with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore. He also starred in a children's ghost film The Amazing Mr Blunden (1972). He portrayed Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph in the BBC production Fall of Eagles (1974). Naismith played the Prince of Verona in the BBC Television Shakespeare version of Romeo & Juliet. Outside of acting he was the landlord of the Rowbarge pub at Woolhampton, Berkshire and a keen cricket fan. Naismith married, in 1939, Vera Bocca of Horden, County Durham. Description above from the Wikipedia article Laurence Naismith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 14, 1908
Died
June 5, 1992 (aged 83)
From
Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
54 on MovieCove · 117 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 17% in 30 days

What are Laurence Naismith's films like?

Across their 27 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Adventure9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
29%
Morality
28%
Self
13%
Survival
12%
Power
12%
Society
5%
Romantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 17 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 14 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 15 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 18 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 9 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 22 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

9 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 9 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 9
Threshold guardian
2 of 9
Mentor
2 of 9
Shadow
1 of 9
Herald
1 of 9
Show the 9 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Romantic
6
Thrilling
8
Hopeful
8
Melancholic
7
Other
29

How their films linger

Bittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy14
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Laurence Naismith's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 54 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Laurence Naismith's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

117 credits, 54 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • I Remember Nelson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 4 episodes · as Rev. Edmund Nelson

  • The Masqueraders(1980)

    as Judge Fulton

  • Romeo and Juliet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Prince Escalus

  • The BBC Television Shakespeare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · as Prince Escalus

  • Return of the Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · as General Platt

  • The Last Appointment! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Judge Fulton

  • The Switch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Judge Fulton

  • London Conspiracy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Judge Fulton (archive footage)

  • Fall of Eagles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 3 episodes · as Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary

  • Mission: Monte Carlo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    as Judge Fulton (archive footage)

  • Oh, Father! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 7 episodes · as Father Harris

  • The Persuaders! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Judge Fulton

  • The Amazing Mr. Blunden(1972)

    as Mr. Frederick Percival Blunden

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Protectors(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Prof. Alexander Schelpin

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Young Winston(1972)

    as Lord Salisbury

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Diamonds Are Forever(1971)

    as Sir Donald Munger

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Persuaders!(1971)

    Show 11 episodes · as Judge Fulton

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Quest for Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Sir Henry Lanstein

  • Scrooge(1970)

    as Mr. Fezziwig

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The File on Devlin(1969)

    as Lord Pomeroy

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Run a Crooked Mile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Lord Dunnsfield

  • The Bushbaby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Prof. 'Cranky' Crankshaw

  • The Valley of Gwangi(1969)

    as Professor Bromley

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Eye of the Cat(1969)

    as Dr. Mills

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Lancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Name of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Reddington

  • The Admirable Crichton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Lord Loam

  • Fitzwilly(1967)

    as Mr. Cotty (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Camelot(1967)

    as Merlyn

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Mannix(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Anton

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Scorpio Letters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Burr

  • The Long Duel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as McDougal

  • Deadlier Than the Male(1967)

    as Sir John Bledlow

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Invaders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Cyrus Stone · as Professor Lindstrom

  • Gypsy Girl(1966)

    as Edwin Dacres

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Profiles in Courage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as George Mason · as John Adams

  • 12 O'Clock High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Gilly Bright

  • The Three Lives of Thomasina(1963)

    as Reverend Angus Paddie

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Gordon Knight · as Inspector Rason

  • The Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Andrew Emmett McAllister · as John Mallory · as Major Fielding

  • Jason and the Argonauts(1963)

    as Argos

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Cleopatra(1963)

    as Arachesilaus (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • We Joined the Navy(1962)

    as Admiral Blake

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • I Thank a Fool(1962)

    as O'Grady

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The 300 Spartans(1962)

    as First Delegate

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Valiant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Admiral

  • The Prince and the Pauper(1962)

    as Earl of Hertford

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Sir Francis Drake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Sir Miles Burns

  • The Defenders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Collins

  • Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog(1961)

    as Mr. Traill

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Singer Not the Song(1961)

    as Old Uncle

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The World of Suzie Wong(1960)

    as O’Neill

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Criminal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Mr. Town

  • Danger Man(1960)

    Show 1 episode · as Spooner

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Village of the Damned(1960)

    as Dr. Willers

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Trials of Oscar Wilde(1960)

    as Prince of Wales

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Angry Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Martindale

  • Sink the Bismarck!(1960)

    as First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Dudley Pound

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Third Man on the Mountain(1959)

    as Teo Zurbriggen

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Solomon and Sheba(1959)

    as Hezrai

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Third Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Ostrow · as The McCriach

  • Bonanza(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Don Q. Hought

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Tempest(1958)

    as Maj. Zurin

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Two-Headed Spy(1958)

    as Gen. Hauser

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • A Night to Remember(1958)

    as Capt. Edward John Smith

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Gideon of Scotland Yard(1958)

    as Arthur Sayer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • I Accuse! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Judge at Esterhazy Trial

  • The Naked Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Skin Trader

  • The Gypsy and the Gentleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Dr. Forrester

  • Boy on a Dolphin(1957)

    as Dr. Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Seven Days from Now(1957)

    as Captain Paul Darrow

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Robbery Under Arms(1957)

    as Ben Marston

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Tiger in the Smoke(1956)

    as Canon Avril

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Lust for Life(1956)

    as Dr. Bosman

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Weapon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Jamison

  • The Man Who Never Was(1956)

    as Adm. Cross

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Extra Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Kurt Vorn

  • Josephine and Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Porter

  • The Adventures of Robin Hood(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Sir William de Courcier

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Dam Busters(1955)

    as Farmer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Final Column (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Actor

  • Carrington V.C. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Major Panton

  • The Wonderful World of Disney (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 2 episodes · as Earl of Hertford · as Self

  • Mark Saber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Black Knight(1954)

    as Major Domo

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Man with a Million(1954)

    as Walter Craddock

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Love in Pawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Uncle Amos

  • Mogambo(1953)

    as Skipper

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Beggar's Opera(1953)

    as Matt of the Mint

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Bad Blonde(1953)

    as Boxing Booth Barker

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Rough Shoot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Blossom

  • Terror on a Train(1953)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Cosh Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Inspector Donaldson

  • The Long Memory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Hasbury

  • A Killer Walks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Dr. James

  • Vampire Over London(1952)

    as Police Sergeant at Desk (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • The Happy Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Councillor

  • Penny Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Louis the Jailkeeper (uncredited)

  • I Believe in You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Sergeant Braxton

  • His Excellency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as First Soldier

  • Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard(1952)

    as Parker

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Lord Loam · as Lord Pomeroy

  • High Treason (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Reginald Gordon-Wells

  • Chelsea Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Sergeant Matthews

  • Calling Bulldog Drummond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Hardcastle (uncredited)

  • There Is Another Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Riley

  • Hell Is Sold Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Doctor Monceau

  • Pool of London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Commissionaire (uncredited)

  • Room to Let (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Editor

  • The Happiest Days of Your Life(1950)

    as Dr. Collet

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Sunday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · as Arthur Lawton

  • The Chiltern Hundreds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Reporter (uncredited)

  • Kind Hearts and Coronets(1949)

    as Warder in Jail (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Badger's Green (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Mr Butler

  • Train of Events (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Joe Hunt

  • A Piece of Cake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Merlin Mound

  • Trouble in the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 116 titles from 1948 to 1982; peak year 1960.

Biggest box office

Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog (1961)

$721K worldwide

Highest rated

The Man Who Never Was (1956)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

The Persuaders! (1971)

Film career

19481982

Peak 1960 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting116 of 116: 116 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score67th

By decade

1940s6 · acting1950s53 · acting1960s39 · acting1970s17 · acting1980s1 · acting

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 32 roles
495964

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Laurence Naismith's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of the 47 of 48 with a score; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Midcredits score across 53 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

33 of their 53 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser33
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Vampire Over London (1952)

61st percentile spread · 66% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 25 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Laurence Naismith's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 37 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 8 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 0 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 25 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Laurence Naismith work with?

People who share at least 2 of Laurence Naismith's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Don Chaffey shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles