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Michael Goodliffe

Michael Goodliffe

Actor · Died March 20, 1976, aged 61 · Bebington, Cheshire, England

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Lawrence Michael Andrew Goodliffe (1 October 1914 – 20 March 1976) was an English actor best known for playing suave roles such as doctors, lawyers and army officers. He was also sometimes cast in working class parts. Goodliffe was born in Bebington, Cheshire (now Merseyside), the son of a vicar, and educated at St Edmund's School, Canterbury, and Keble College, Oxford. He started his career in repertory theatre in Liverpool before moving on to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon. He joined the British Army at the beginning of World War II, and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in February 1940. He was wounded in the leg and captured at the Battle of Dunkirk. Goodliffe was incorrectly listed as killed in action, and even had his obituary published in a newspaper. He was to spend the rest of the war a prisoner in Germany. Whilst in captivity he produced and acted in (and in some cases wrote) many plays and sketches to entertain fellow prisoners. These included two productions of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, one in Tittmoning and the other in Eichstätt, in which he played the title role. He also produced the first staging of Noel Coward's Post Mortem at Eichstätt. A full photographic record of these productions exists. After the war he resumed his professional acting career. As well as appearing in the theatre he worked in film and television. He appeared in The Wooden Horse in 1950 and in other POW films. His best known film was A Night to Remember (1958) in which he played Thomas Andrews, builder of the RMS Titanic. His best known television series was Sam (1973–75) in which he played an unemployed Yorkshire miner. He also appeared with John Thaw and James Bolam in the 1967 television series Inheritance. Suffering from depression, Goodliffe had a breakdown in 1976 during the period that he was rehearsing for a revival of Equus. He committed suicide a few days later by leaping from a hospital fire escape, whilst a patient at the Atkinson Morley Hospital in Wimbledon, London. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Goodliffe,  licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 1, 1914
Died
March 20, 1976 (aged 61)
From
Bebington, Cheshire, England
Works as
Actor
Titles
44 on MovieCove · 99 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 48% in 30 days

What are Michael Goodliffe's films like?

Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
36%
Survival
18%
Bonds
10%
Power
10%
Self
9%
Ideas
9%
Society
8%
Duty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeWar5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 24 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 16

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 6 · Intense 14

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 12 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 17 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
23
Dread
8
Melancholic
12
Thrilling
3
Warm
3
Other
14

How their films linger

Thought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Michael Goodliffe's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 24 of their 44 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Goodliffe's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

99 credits, 44 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • James Bond: The First 21 Years(1983)

    as Bill Tanner (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • To the Devil a Daughter(1976)

    as George de Grass

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • In Sickness and in Health (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Dr David Muray

  • The Man with the Golden Gun(1974)

    as Chief of Staff Bill Tanner (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Armchair Cinema (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. David Murray

  • Sam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 39 episodes · as Jack Barraclough

  • Don't Be Like Brenda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Narrator (uncredited)

  • Hitler: The Last Ten Days(1973)

    as General Weidling

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Protectors(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as De Santos

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Henry VIII and His Six Wives(1972)

    as Thomas More

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Late Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Maxwell

  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory(1971)

    as Mr. Teevee (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Pere Goriot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 4 episodes · as Pere Goriot

  • Hine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 13 episodes · Actor

  • Still Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as David

  • The Company Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Mr. Lansing

  • Macbeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Duncan

  • Cromwell(1970)

    as Solicitor General

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Fifth Day of Peace(1970)

    as Snow

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • My Partner the Ghost(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Arthur de Crecy

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • W. Somerset Maugham (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Lord Mountdrago

  • Judge Dee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 6 episodes · as Judge Dee

  • The Fixer(1968)

    as Ostrovsky

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Inheritance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 10 episodes · as Mr. Oldroyd

  • Man in a Suitcase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Jokers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Lt. Col. Paling

  • Callan(1967)

    Show 5 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Night of the Generals(1967)

    as Hauser

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Connoisseur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Rev. Adrian Tenterden

  • The Idiot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as General Epanchin

  • The Power Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Geoffrey Packard

  • BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Duncan

  • Thirty-Minute Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Sir Michael Decuman · as The Minister

  • Knock on Any Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Husband

  • Von Ryan's Express(1965)

    as Capt. Stein

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Man with Two Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Jeff Driscoll

  • The Gorgon(1964)

    as Professor Jules Heitz

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Wednesday Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Douglas · as Rev. Adrian Tenterden

  • The 7th Dawn(1964)

    as Trumphey

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Theatre 625 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr Bergman · as Götz von Berlichingen · as Petrovykh

  • Woman of Straw(1964)

    as Solicitor

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • 633 Squadron(1964)

    as Squadron Leader Frank Adams

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Winston Affair(1964)

    as Colonel Shaw

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • A Stitch in Time(1963)

    as Doctor on Children's Ward (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • 80,000 Suspects (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Clifford Preston

  • The £20,000 Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Sir Harold Trevitt

  • The Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Quintus

  • Zero One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Man of the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Galworth

  • Jigsaw(1962)

    as Clyde Burchard

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Number Six (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Det. Supt. Hallett

  • The Day the Earth Caught Fire(1961)

    as Jacko Jackson the Night Editor

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • No Love for Johnnie(1961)

    as Dr. West

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Avengers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Maigret(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • The Trials of Oscar Wilde(1960)

    as Charles Gill

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Conspiracy of Hearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Father Desmaines

  • Peeping Tom(1960)

    as Don Jarvis

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Battle of the Sexes(1960)

    as Detective

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Testament of Orpheus(1960)

    as Narrateur anglais (voix) (non crédité)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Sink the Bismarck!(1960)

    as Captain Banister

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Somerset Maugham Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · as Lansbury

  • Ticket to Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Actor

  • Interpol Calling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Wolf Barstrom

  • The White Trap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Inspector Walters

  • The 39 Steps(1959)

    as Brown

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Edgar Wallace Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Det. Supt. Hallett · as Sir Harold Trevitt

  • Further Up the Creek(1958)

    as Lt. Commander Blakeney

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Three Crooked Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Shop Customer

  • A Night to Remember(1958)

    as Thomas Andrews

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Up the Creek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Nelson

  • The Camp on Blood Island(1958)

    as Father Paul Anjou

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Carve Her Name with Pride(1958)

    as Coding Expert

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Chaucer's England (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as The Theif

  • The One That Got Away(1957)

    as R.A.F. Interrogator

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The End Begins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Col. Ridgewell

  • She Played with Fire(1957)

    as Detective Insp. Barnes

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Pursuit of the Graf Spee(1956)

    as Captain McCall, R.N., British Naval Attache, Buenos Aires

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · as David · as Flemming · as Mr Lansing

  • Wicked as They Come (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Larry Buckham

  • Link Span (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Dial 999 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as John Moffat

  • Quentin Durward(1955)

    as Count De Dunois

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Dixon of Dock Green (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Garfield Fenton

  • The End of the Affair(1955)

    as Smythe

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Crowded Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Eve's Husband

  • Front Page Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Kennedy

  • Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue(1953)

    as Robert Walpole

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Sea Devils(1953)

    as Ragan

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Hour of 13(1952)

    as Anderson

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Ocean Terminal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Plan for Coal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Actor

  • Cry, the Beloved Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Martens

  • Captain Horatio Hornblower(1951)

    as Col. Caillard - POW Escort

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Family Portrait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Wooden Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Robbie

  • Sunday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 1 episode · as Udolphus McCluskey

  • Stop Press Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as McPherson

  • The Small Back Room(1949)

    as Till

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 99 titles from 1949 to 1983; peak year 1960.

Biggest box office

Peeping Tom (1960)

$99K worldwide

Highest rated

A Night to Remember (1958)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Peeping Tom (1960)

Film career

19491983

Peak 1960 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1949Screen debut· The Small Back Room
  • 1960Career best· Peeping Tom

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting99 of 99: 99 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

By decade

1940s2 · acting1950s35 · acting1960s43 · acting1970s18 · acting1980s1 · acting

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 0% of 29 roles
49596469

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Michael Goodliffe's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 40; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Approval · how many liked their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 24

Midcredits score across 44 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up19
  • 50th to 74th18
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

34 of their 44 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser34
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

James Bond: The First 21 Years (1983)

86th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

A Night to Remember (1958)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 23 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Michael Goodliffe's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 5 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles10–54 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 24 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 63 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Michael Goodliffe work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Goodliffe's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Earl St. John shares the most, 5.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers