Eric Portman (1903-1969) b. Halifax, England.

Yorkshire-born Eric Portman was educated at Rishworth School, Halifax. He was on stage from 1923, mostly in Shaw and Shakespearean roles. He commenced his British film career in Maria Marten (1933). Portman soon became a common face in the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger; portraying a determined Nazi U-Boat commander in 49th Parallel (1941), a heroic RAF officer stranded in Holland in One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) and the ‘Glue Man’ in A Canterbury Tale (1944). He was familiar in British was films of the period, including Squadron Leader X (1941), Anthony Asquith’s We Dive at Dawn (1943), Gilliat and Launder’s Millions Like Us (1943) and The Colditz Story (1955). Later, his versatility and ominous manner was put to use in thrillers like The Mark of Cain (1947), Dear Murderer (1947), Daybreak (1947) and Corridor of Mirrors (1948). Portman’s final film was Bryan Forbes’ Deadfall (1967).