Anthony Dawson

Who was Anthony Dawson?

Anthony Dawson was a Scottish-born actor, best known for his supporting roles in British films.

Born in Edinburgh, he made his film debut in 1943's They Met in the Dark, going on to appear in such classic British films as The Way to the Stars, The Queen of Spades, and The Wooden Horse, before relocating to America in the early 1950s.

It was while there that he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, playing C. A. Swann/Captain Lesgate. In the film, he is blackmailed by Tony Wendice into murdering his wife Margot. In his unpublished memoirs, Rambling Recollections, Dawson reminisced about getting the part:

... I had never met Hitchcock before, and yet he was about to do me the most fantastic good turn I could imagine. In that wonderful fat man's Cockney voice, he said, slowly, drooping every word separately, as though he had all day: 'Tony, I just called to let you know that I want you for this picture, so you're quite safe to make yourself a nice deal.' What could I say? I mumbled my thanks and put the phone down, feeling rather dazed, electrified, stunned; all of these. The full impact of this call from Hitch was very soon to come home to me.