actor

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Desmond Tester (17 February 1919 – 31 December 2002) was an English and Australian film actor and television actor, host and executive. He was born in London, England. Among his most notable roles was that of the ill-fated boy Stevie in the Alfred Hitchcock film Sabotage (1936).

Tester made his first stage appearance at the age of 12, receiving positive reviews from London critics. He was known more as a child actor in film in his native England. Tester's characters often met with doomed fates, in such early films as Carol Reed's Midshipman Easy (1935), Tudor Rose (1936), The Stars Look Down (1939), and Sabotage. He also appeared in The Drum (1938).

After World War II, he moved to Australia and embarked in careers in radio, theater and television. As television broadcasting began in Australia, Tester soon found work with Channel Nine's What's My Line and in a variety of children's programs including Kaper Kops with Reg Gorman and Rod Hull. He spent fifteen years at Channel Nine, taking charge of children's programming, and became more involved behind the scenes in production and publicity. He later moved to Reg Grundy Productions, eventually leaving the industry entirely due to a dislike of the overall management culture.

In 1974 he revived his stage acting career. He also had occasional minor roles in various films, such as Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974) and The Wild Duck (1983).

Tester died in Sydney on 31 December 2002.

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