Helmore, Tom

Tom Helmore (4 January 1904 – 12 September 1995) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1927 and 1972, including three directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Helmore was born in London, England and died in Longboat Key, Florida, USA. Helmore worked in his father's accounting firm while working as an extra in films. He subsequently pursued acting as a career, working predominantly on the stage, and later on Broadway, which led to Helmore's Hollywood career. In British and American films, Helmore was mostly employed as a dapper, comedic actor, even if he is best known for his role as Gavin Elster, the villain of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Helmore portrayed Colonel X on the Top Secret Files radio program on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the mid-1950s.