Curiosidades

Played the captain of the HMS Prince of Wales in Afundem o Bismarck (1960). Ironically, it was while serving aboard the real Prince of Wales during her fight with the Bismarck that he was injured in an explosion, resulting in the loss of one eye and almost losing the other.

Michael Powell said of his first seeing Esmond, "... a sulky, handsome young man with a mane of black hair and magnetic eyes, almost too romantically handsome to be true. Then one day I saw him giggling with one of the sound engineers and I realised that it was all a pose and he had a sense of humour."

Suffered from a stuttering problem, which he continually had to overcome with speech exercises, and usually suffered from a huge case of stage fright just before going on.

Father of Rosalind Knight.

Remained close friends with his first wife Frances Clare after their divorce. Frances in fact attended his funeral alongside wife Nora Swinburne.

He appeared in four of the five films that Laurence Olivier directed: Henrique 5º (1944), Hamlet (1948), Ricardo III (1955) and O Príncipe Encantado (1957). The only film that Oliver directed in which he did not appear was As Três Irmãs (1970). The only actor to appear in all five of Olivier's films as director was Olivier himself.

He appeared in four films directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger: Um Conto de Canterbury (1944), Narciso Negro (1947), Os Sapatinhos Vermelhos (1948) and Coração Indômito (1950). He also appeared in four films that Powell directed on his own: Someday (1935), Nas Sombras da Noite (1940), A Tortura do Medo (1960) and The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972).

Cousin of Phillip Glasier.

He died five months prior to the release of his final film Superman IV: Em Busca da Paz (1987).

Appeared in four Best Picture Oscar nominees: Henrique 5º (1944), Hamlet (1948), Os Sapatinhos Vermelhos (1948) and Ana dos Mil Dias (1969). Hamlet won.

It is often reported that he died in Cairo, Egypt. In fact (as his daughter confirms), he came back from working in Egypt and died the next day in his flat in Chelsea.

Along with John Laurie and Russell Thorndike, he is one of only three actors other than Laurence Olivier himself to appear in all three Shakespearean films that Olivier directed: Henrique 5º (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Ricardo III (1955).

Cousin of Jean Knight.

Father-in-law of Michael Elliott.

Nephew of C.W.R. Knight.

Grandfather of Susannah Elliott-Knight and Marianne Elliott.

His first film role since being blinded in Second World War naval action was in The Silver Fleet (1943).