RADA-trained light leading man, the son of a banker. Stannard advanced to the limelight after being spotted by MGM chief Louis B. Mayer who was visiting England at the time. He then appeared in a few British-based MGM productions, before his career was put hold due to wartime service in the Royal Navy. He re-emerged after his five-year stint, starring as tough secret agent Dick Barton in a trio of films under the banner of Hammer studios. The series died with Stannard's own tragic demise in a car accident on July 9 1949.