[2] Born in Stoke, Plymouth,[3] Fitzgerald was a former stockbroker before he began his theatrical training at RADA.

[5] Fitzgerald made his professional stage bow in 1922 and his first film appearance in 1930.

[6] Fitzgerald appeared in films from the 1930s, often in 'official' roles (policemen, doctors, lawyers).

Defiant (1962) he played the admiral who listens to – and then disregards – Captain Crawford's complaints about maritime cruelty.

His second marriage was to Angela Kirk in 1938, and they had three sons (Jonathan, Timothy, and Charles) and one daughter (Julia).