Michael Creighton Balfour (11 February 1918 – 24 October 1997) was an English actor, working mainly in British films and TV, following his TV debut in the BBC's The Marvellous History of St Bernard, in 1938. He was a recognisable face, often in small character parts and supporting roles, in nearly two hundred films and TV shows, from the 1940s to the 1990s, often playing comical heavies or otherwise shady characters notable for their "loud" clothes, sometimes convincingly cast as an American. He worked for a roll call of film directors, including Tony Richardson, Pete Walker, Billy Wilder, Lewis Gilbert, Roman Polanski, Leslie Norman, Tim Burton, John Frankenheimer, François Truffaut, John Gilling, Stanley Donen, Ken Annakin, Cavalcanti, Lance Comfort, Terence Young, Gerald Thomas, Pasolini, John Paddy Carstairs, Terence Fisher, Val Guest, Frank Launder, John Huston, Basil Dearden and Howard Hawks. Balfour had parts in many popular TV shows of the era including Educated Evans, Mess Mates, Danger Man, The Avengers, Hancock's Half Hour, Dixon of Dock Green, Rogue's Gallery, Z-Cars, The Onedin Line, and the detective drama The Vise, playing Saber's assistant Barney O'Keefe. Balfour was also known as the passenger in a Jaguar XK120 car driven by actor Bonar Colleano when it crashed, killing Colleano. Balfour's injuries required him to have 98 stitches, but he was released from hospital in time to attend Colleano's funeral. As his screen career began to slow down in the late 1970s, Michael Balfour went on tour with European circuses, as a clown. He founded Circus Hazzard, and created his own clown character. His son later became a circus manager. As well as performing, Balfour was a dedicated painter and sculptor, and in later years turned increasingly to sculpture and the arts, even running his own gallery for a while. For his subjects, he frequently drew on his own family career as a circus clown
96 movies · 29 shows
Revenge of Billy the Kid
1992·4.9
The Krays
1990·6.0
Batman
1989·7.2
Casanova
1987·4.1
The Holcroft Covenant
1985·5.5
The Prisoner of Zenda
1979·5.7
Resting Rough
1979·7.0
Candleshoe
1977·6.9
The Stick Up
1977·5.6
Joseph Andrews
1977·5.2
The Copter Kids
1976·10.0
The Canterbury Tales
1972·6.1
All Coppers Are...
1972·7.1
Macbeth
1971·7.1
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
1970·6.8
Man of Violence
1970·5.5
The Adventurers
1970·4.7
The Oblong Box
1969·5.8
Hoverbug
1969·9.0
Press for Time
1966·5.9
Fahrenheit 451
1966·7.1
Kaleidoscope
1966·5.3
Strangler's Web
1965·7.7
Five Have a Mystery to Solve
1964·7.0
The Rescue Squad
1963·6.0
A Stitch in Time
1963·7.4
Echo of Diana
1963·5.8
The Fast Lady
1962·5.8
Design for Loving
1962·6.7
She Always Gets Their Man
1962·6.0
Pit of Darkness
1961·6.2
The Ship That Couldn't Stop
1961·0.0
The Monster of Highgate Ponds
1961·6.7
Too Hot to Handle
1960·4.7
Surprise Package
1960·6.6
Carry On Constable
1960·6.3
Sink the Bismarck!
1960·6.8
The Flesh and the Fiends
1960·6.6
Look Back in Anger
1959·6.7
Fiend Without a Face
1958·6.1
The Big Money
1958·7.0
The Steel Bayonet
1958·5.7
Man from Tangier
1957·5.1
Light Fingers
1957·9.0
Quatermass 2
1957·6.4
Breakaway
1956·5.5
The Secret of the Forest
1956·10.0
Secret Venture
1955·6.5
The Reluctant Bride
1955·6.3
Barbados Quest
1955·5.1
One Good Turn
1955·6.2
The Delavine Affair
1955·5.5
It's a Great Day
1955·6.4
Devil's Point
1954·7.0
Delayed Action
1954·5.8
Meet Mr. Callaghan
1954·6.5
Scarlet Web
1954·5.7
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
1954·7.3
The Diamond Wizard
1954·5.9
River Beat
1954·6.3
Impulse
1954·4.6
Small Town Story
1953·5.9
3 Steps to the Gallows
1953·6.7
Black 13
1953·7.0
Albert R.N.
1953·7.3
Love in Pawn
1953·7.2
Three's Company
1953·9.0
Park Plaza 605
1953·4.7
The Red Beret
1953·6.7
Recoil
1953·5.8
Johnny on the Run
1953·8.3
Genevieve
1953·6.7
The Steel Key
1953·6.5
Hot Ice
1953·7.0
Top Secret
1952·8.0
Moulin Rouge
1952·6.6
Venetian Bird
1952·6.2
13 East Street
1952·6.0
A Case For P.C. 49
1951·7.0
The Quiet Woman
1951·6.2
Her Favourite Husband
1950·6.0
Prelude to Fame
1950·6.8
Help Yourself
1950·0.0
Scrapbook for 1933
1950·6.0
I Was a Male War Bride
1949·7.0
Helter Skelter
1949·6.4
Obsession
1949·6.8
Don't Ever Leave Me
1949·7.7
Melody Club
1949·7.3
Stop Press Girl
1949·5.9
William Comes to Town
1948·9.0
The Small Voice
1948·6.4
Woman Hater
1948·7.7
Sleeping Car to Trieste
1948·6.8
No Orchids for Miss Blandish
1948·6.1
Just William's Luck
1947·7.8