Person Open DS/UK/6348 Knight; Esmond Penington (1906-1987); British actor Knight Esmond Penington 1906-1987 British actor Male

Sensory disability Esmond Penington Knight was an English actor. He was an accomplished actor with a career spanning over half a century. For much of his career Esmond Knight was virtually blind. He had been badly injured in 1941 whilst on active service on board HMS Prince of Wales when she fought the Bismarck at the Battle of the Denmark Strait, and remained totally blind for two years, though he later regained some sight in his right eye. During this period, Esmond dictated an early autobiography to his secretary, Annabella Cloudsley, Seeking the Bubble (Hutchinson & Co. 1943). He played Captain John Leach of the HMS Prince of Wales in the 1960 film Sink the Bismarck! Esmond was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1957 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the King's Theatre in Hammersmith, London. He starred as Professor Ernest Reinhart in the 1961 British science fiction television series, A for Andromeda, alongside Patricia Kneale and Peter Halliday. Knight died of a heart attack and was cremated. His daughter is the actress Rosalind Knight. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes RAHhbaulcombe 7/19/2013 RAHAKirkbride 4/21/2023 3dbd7fd9-80b2-4a09-b02b-a9c31d22dedb