A COUNCILLOR has spoken of Weymouth and Portland’s special connection to the late actor Sir Donald Sinden.

The death of Sir Donald at the age of 90 was announced last week and he had a link to the borough dating back more than 60 years.

Sir Donald became famous in 1953 when he starred alongside Jack Hawkins in the film Cruel Sea.

Many people are unaware that the picture was mainly filmed in Weymouth and Portland and Sir Donald reportedly had fond memories of his time in the area.

Borough councillor Ian Bruce said he and wife Hazel met the actor when he was a celebrity speaker on a cruise ship.

Sir Donald spokes of his experience on the film and revealed the scenes featuring two ships battling through the waves of the mid Atlantic were actually shot from Portland Bill with the waves created by the Portland Race. Hazel said: “We had a number of conversations with Sir Donald and he was a delightful and charming man.”

Ian added: “We were very sad to hear of Sir Donald’s death.

“He was a true star of our post war British film industry and his legacy will endure particularly including all his wonderful Films and TV work.

“Dorset continues to be blessed as a venue for films and television, which is much wider than The Boat That Rocks and Broadchurch. “I suspect there is a book for someone to write about Dorset’s role in Elstree’s and Hollywood’s success.”

Sir Donald made his name on stage as a Shakespearean actor and also had more than 70 credits for film and TV productions since the late 1940s to now.

He had been battling prostate cancer over several years and his death, just weeks before his 91st birthday, at his home in Romney Marsh, Kent, has been described as a “huge loss” by his family.

His son, actor and film director Marc Sinden, said in a statement: “My father has finished dying. He suffered for a few years from prostate cancer which slowly spread.”