Quiz

David's first wife, Mary Lindsay Hiddingh, committed a murder-suicide on December 2, 1943 by taking her two children Michael 8 and John Hiddingh 6 and jumping out of a hotel window in New York. Mary was 34 and had been suffering from depression by the loss of her first husband Armand Guy Hiddingh who was killed in action during World War II. In 1943 she was hoping to join David who had returned to England after his RAF training in Canada, but while in New York City, Mary soon learned it was extremely difficult to get to England during war time which probably led to her murder-suicide.

Upon his death in 2000 British satirical magazine Private Eye published an uncharacteristically warm poem in tribute to him "So farewell David Tomlinson, noted British character actor...'Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest height.'. Yes, that was your catchphrase. And where you are going now" .

His son William "Willie" Tomlinson is autistic and lives in a community home in England.

He always acted as his own agent in film and theatre negotiations.

David narrowly survived a plane crash in 1957 flying a Tiger Moth close to his house in Buckinghamshire. Much was made of the incident and he was charged with reckless flying for which he was acquitted. Having been an RAF flying instructor in WW2 this was a huge dent to his confidence. David rarely flew again.

Retired from acting in 1979.

Served as a Flying Instructor in the RAF in WW2.

Walt Disney came to see David in "The Ring of Truth" at the Savoy Theatre London, England in 1959. Four years later Disney invited him to play Mr Banks in Mary Poppins (1964)".

After David's death Griff Rhys Jones wrote "David Tomlinson was that most winning of companions: an anarchist in patrician clothing. He came from the first rank of gentleman actors, which included Wilfrid Hyde-White and his close friend Robert Morley. They exported to Hollywood the essence of effortless English comic hauteur. They seemed to be the type, not to act it. And David could use his commanding presence to devastating effect in real life. To disconcert the overbearing was a hobby of his, but he had patience and jokes for young actors and huge reserves of admiration. He was an act, a good one, supplemented by an outrageous baby face and upswept eyebrows. The reality was a sympathetic and understanding man. He was as funny off as he was on, which was invariably very funny indeed.".

"Peter only behaved when David was on set". Simon Williams describing working with Peter Sellers in David's last film Diabolico complotto del Dr. Fu Manchu (1980).

Father of producer and 1st assistant director Henry Tomlinson and former actor James Adam Tomlinson.

Made professional stage debut October 1936.

Sarah Gertrude Tomlinson, David's aunt, was married to actor Lauderdale Maitland until her untimely death of undiagnosed appendicitis in 1907. Sarah was also an actress and acted under the name of Gertrude Valentine.

He died on the 58th birthday of Michele Lee, who played his character's love interest in The Love Bug.

Wrote his autobiography 'Luckier Than Most published in 1990.

Flew Spitfires during the war until his demob in 1945.

As a young man he joined the Grenadier Guards.