May 7, 1917 – Actor and Disney Legend David Tomlinson is Born
“…Walt said, ‘Very good, let’s see if we can get him.’ And that’s how it was – it was as simple as that. We knew he had the right personality.” – Richard M. Sherman on casting David Tomlinson.
Although David Tomlinson had a prominent career in England, he will always be known to generations of children as Mr. Banks in the film Mary Poppins. Tomlinson was born on May 7, 1917, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. He began his acting career with amateur stage productions, progressing to a film debut in 1940’s Quiet Wedding. He briefly left acting to serve in the RAF in World War II, but came back after the war ended, although he did not leave behind his love of flying, continuing to pilot planes, much to the chagrin of his neighbors.
Tomlinson was asked to play the part of George Banks in Mary Poppins after many of the members of staff had watched his films. Before the film, he had never sung before, but a bit of polishing soon had him singing on screen like a professional. This role would become his most well known, particularly for the character’s change of heart and song “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.” Tomlinson would go on to star in two other films for the Disney Studios: The Love Bug as the evil Thorndyke, and the professor of magical arts Emelius Brown in Bedknobs and Broomsticks alongside Angela Lansbury. Tomlinson died at the age of 83 in 2000, and was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2002.
disneydetail 