John Hoy(I)

John Hoy was born in South Africa in 1921. The son of opera singer Thelma Tuson, the young man landed a few minor parts at the opera, in the theater and in films. At the beginning of World War II, he volunteered for the Army and fought in Syria first, then in North Africa under the command of Montgomery. Taken prisoner by the Italians, John Hoy ran away from the prison he was incarcerated in and managed to reach Switzerland while seriously wounded. After recovering, he was hired by Leopold Lindtberg for his classic La dernière chance (1945). His career ended there but the role he interpreted remains in film history. In 1946, John Hoy married a young woman from the Swiss canton of Ticino.