Anthony Maitland Steel (21 May 1920 – 21 March 2001)[1] was an English actor and singer who appeared in British war films of the 1950s such as The Wooden Horse (1950) and Where No Vultures Fly (1951).

He was described as "a glorious throwback to the Golden Age of Empire... the perfect imperial actor, born out of his time, blue-eyed, square-jawed, clean-cut.

"[2] As another writer put it, "whenever a chunky dependable hero was required to portray grace under pressure in wartime or the concerns of a game warden in a remote corner of the empire, Steel was sure to be called upon.

"[3] Another said "Never as popular as Stewart Granger or as versatile as Kenneth More, he enjoyed a brief period of fashionability embodying the kind of idealised, true-blue Englishman who probably rowed for his university, played cricket on the village green and exuded calm under pressure as he bravely fought for king and country.

"[4] Anthony Steel was born in Chelsea, the son of an Indian army officer, Edward (1897–1965), who later became an actor and Kathleen Yate Lee (d.

[5][citation needed] Steel spent most of his early childhood in India (in Lahore) and was educated until he was 14 at Alexander House Prep School, Broadstairs, Kent.

[10][11] Steel was trained at Rank's "charm school" and given a slow buildup with small parts in several films, starting with Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948).

(1949), Quartet (1948), The Blue Lamp (1949), Trottie True (1949), Poet's Pub (1949), Don't Ever Leave Me (1949), Helter Skelter (1949), Christopher Columbus (1949), and The Chiltern Hundreds (1949).

[15] Director Jack Lee said that the actor "was fine to work with, just a physical type, a young chap who could do certain things, though he didn't have much acting to do in this.

"[8] Steel was cast as the romantic male lead in The Mudlark (1950), a Hollywood film starring Irene Dunne being shot in London.

He had a small part in the comedy Laughter in Paradise (1951) then supported another Hollywood name, Bette Davis in the thriller, Another Man's Poison (1951).

Steel's next big break was being cast as a game park warden inspired by Mervyn Cowie in Where No Vultures Fly (1951), shot mostly on location in Kenya.

This was the most popular British movie of the year and the Royal Command Performance Film for 1951, confirming Steel's status as a genuine box office draw.

[18] One profile argued that: Audiences appreciated his lack of "brood" and neurosis; he seemed fresh-faced and decent: the ideal uncomplicated boyfriend/junior lieutenant/game warden.

Rank tried Steel in a comedy, Something Money Can't Buy (1952), with Patricia Roc but the public response was not enthusiastic.

It was the sixth most popular film of 1952 in Britain, although Steel's part was a relatively minor one in support of Jack Hawkins and Claudette Colbert.

Hollywood called, in the form of Warner Bros. who cast him in support of Errol Flynn in the British-shot swashbuckler The Master of Ballantrae (1953); it was a minor success.

He broke his contract with the Rank Organisation – for whom he was meant to star in The Secret Place (1957)[20] – received bad publicity for fighting with Ekberg and attacking paparazzi, and was arrested twice for drunk driving.

He had the lead in a courtroom drama, A Question of Adultery (1958), and supported Stewart Granger in a Hollywood-financed adventure tale shot partly in India, Harry Black (1958).

"[25] John Davis, head of the Rank Organisation was known to be furious about Steel having left the company earlier after the support they had given him, and this was thought to have harmed his chances at reviving his career.

[10][26] After guest starring on an episode of Adventures in Paradise in Los Angeles, which was directed by Robert Aldrich, he went to Sweden to make 48 Hours to Live (1959).

He returned to the UK to appear in an episodes of Crane and Thirty Minute Theatre, and star in some low budget films, like The Switch (1963) and A Matter of Choice (1963).

In Germany he appeared in Winnetou: The Red Gentleman (1963; then The Queens (1966) in France, Hell Is Empty (1967) in Czechoslovakia, The Long Day of Inspector Blomfield (1968), and Anzio (1968).

[citation needed] He also guest starred on shows such as Bergerac, Robin of Sherwood and in the hard-hitting police drama The Professionals, the episode titled "The Female Factor," in which he played Sir Charles Milvern, a shadow minister who is snared in a honey trap.

[33] One writer argued "In hindsight, Steel would have been most comfortable cast as a regular character on a long running series where he played a man of authority – a silver fox doctor, for instance, or a chief inspector on a detective show.

[1] Steel was married three times, firstly to Juanita Forbes from 1949 until 1954, secondly to Anita Ekberg from 1956 until 1959 and finally to Johanna Melcher from 1964 until his death.

Steel also had an affair with actress Patricia Roc in 1952 while they were co-starring in Something Money Can't Buy, resulting in a son.