How tall was Anthony Quayle

Sinclair said on 11/Apr/22
Yes, why not indeed 6’0.5”, almost two inches between Quayle and Peter O’Toole (6’2” peak minimum).

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 23/Mar/21
I'd consider moving this to 6ft0¾

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 13/Aug/20
Looked 185-186cm in Lawrence of Arabia

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 5/Aug/20
This mark at worst

Arch Stanton said on 2/Aug/20
6'0.5 is arguable..

Arch Stanton said on 2/Aug/20
Are you still sure on this Rob after seeing him with Fonda? I did think he could easily look it in a lot of films but I can't see him as the same height as Fonda.

James said on 14/Oct/17
Quayle was 5'11".

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 3/Sep/17
I think roughly 1in below O'Toole (who you could argue looked 189cm)

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 2/Jul/17
Rob, which of these is most likely?

A) 189cm/187cm
B) 188.5cm/186.5cm
C) 188cm/186cm
D) 187.5cm/185.5cm
E) 187cm/185cm
F) 186.5cm/184.5cm
G) 186cm/184cm

Animus said on 28/Jun/17
@PLB
I agree. The ideal height range for leading men in film is 5'11½"-6'1½". Some leading men fall outside this range, but they have other attributes or qualities that make up for less-than-ideal height.

Just as important as height is proportions and facial structure. Someone like Tom Hardy, who is 5'9", can appear quite imposing because he is well-built and has a masculine face.

If you don't look strong in body and face, it's not interesting to see you vulnerable. That's why masculinity is important for leading men.

PLB said on 8/Jun/15
Quayle it seems to me is just about the correct height for a movie star. In ' Lawrence of Arabia' he plays a weak feckless man. You don't want to be too tall in such a part. The dominating male characters should be taller.

In "Fall of the Roman Empire' he plays a former champion gladiator. For such a part you want to be reasonably tall and husky. Quayle is big enough in that part and also small enough elsewhere so that he is always appropriate for almost any part.

Tyler Mane isn't going to get many Rom-Com opportunities. Brad Garrett is the exception that proves that rule. James Arness and Clint Walker are the only two really big guys who routinely played TV leads (I think). Most big guys play monsters or freaky villains.

Paul Bethany is really 6'4" but he claims to be shorter. Tiny guys like Al Pacino or Robert Downey Jr. seems to have an easier time of it. But best of all is to be tall but not too tall - like Quayle.

Steve said on 27/Apr/15
In Persuit of the Graff Spee, Quayle was obviosly shorter than Ian Hunter who was supposedly 6' even. I believe Hunter was that height.

Arch Stanton said on 26/Feb/15
In fact in some scenes Burton virtually looks the same height as him!!!

Arch Stanton said on 26/Feb/15
@Steve Did Burton wear lifts in Anne of the Thousand Days as he only looks about 1.5-2 inches shorter than Quayle!

Steve said on 21/Jan/15
Arch, remember that in Lawrence of Arabia, O'Toole wore sandals which probably didn't give him anymore than half an inch boost. Quayle wore military boots which could have contained lifts. So did Jack Hawkins. Therefor the inch and a half you see was more like two and a half inches.

I think both Quayle and Hawkins were under 6'. Just how much I'm not that sure. Hawkins wore huge lfts in Ben-Hur to bring him close to eye level with 6'3" Charlton Heston.

I've looked at The Wrong Man several times and come to the conclusion that Quayle was a couple of inches shorter than Henry Fonda.

GW said on 19/Jan/15
I met Anthony Quayle in the early 70's. I have a photo of us side by side.
In the photo I look taller,I was about 5'10 1/2" at the time but he was very tired and worn down after travel and grueling performance.
A person can look taller or shorter than their actual height according to time of day due to gravity compressing the discs of the spinal column.
I left the photo with a friend to hang on his study wall.
I could examine it closely to be more certain. As we get older we often lose a inch or so in height.
He was a very decent chap and listened intently to criticism of his performance.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 20/Nov/14
185-186cm for this dude if O'Toole was 189cm

Arch Stanton said on 11/Nov/14
The Story of David is probably worth squeezing in there, although a TV movie.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Nov/14
Rob can you update with a photo and films like The Battle of the River Plate, Ice Cold in Alex, Anne of the Thousand Days, The Eagle Has Landed, Hamlet and Tarzan's Greatest Adventure.

Arch Stanton said on 24/May/14
Although if you have Fonda at 186 he'd be 184. I still think Fonda was 6'1.5".

Arch Stanton said on 24/May/14
185 looks spot on next to Henry Fonda in The Wrong Man.

Arch Stanton said on 6/Mar/14
Sam watch Ice Cold in Alex, He had easily 5 inches on John Mills and was 1-1.5 inches shorter than Walter Gotell who was 188-189. You could argue 6'0.5", but I don't think you could argue a flat 6' or lower.

Arch Stanton said on 6/Mar/14
I think O'Toole could often look between 6'2" and 6'3" yeah. I mean see him in How to Steal a Million and his proportions next to Hepburn in that cupboard for instance, could seem more 189-190 at times. Quayle consistently looked this in everything I've seen him in, although 184 is always possible.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 19/Sep/13
@Arch: So, does that mean O'Toole might've been near 189cm? Makes sense alright.

Arch Stanton said on 16/Sep/13
Robert Shaw was a legit 5'10" but he was robust and could seem bigger. I'm watching him in A Man for All Seasons right now.

Arch Stanton said on 16/Sep/13
Rob I finally got around to watching Lawrence of Arabia the other day and I confirm that Peter O'Toole had 1-1.5" on him so this looks accurate. Alec Guinness looked about what you have him at in the film too and was about 2 inches shorter than Omar Sharif.

Knowitall said on 2/Sep/13
I repeat, Quayle was visibly shorter than Henry Fonda who was six one:

Click Here

Quayle was roughly an inch and a half to two inches shorter. Watch The Wrong Man.

Knowitall said on 2/Sep/13
I've got news for you. Olivier was never five ten. More like five nine out of bed. I saw him later in life when he was no more than five foot eight.

Arch Stanton said on 26/Aug/13
Under 6 ft? Haha. Watch Hamlet. He made Lawrence Olivier look 5'9" range. A good example of a solid 6'1" my opinion.

Sam said on 7/Aug/13
I agree with Knowitall this time...he looks more like six foot range than anything over it.

Knowitall said on 6/Aug/13
I think Quayle was one of those actors who had such a strong screen presence that everyone assumed he was quite tall. But in reality he was under six feet.

Robert Shaw was another strong actor who was under six feet. in Shaw's case he was about five ten.

Knowitall said on 5/Aug/13
Here you can see that Quayle was the same height as David Niven and considerably shorter than Gregory Peck:

Click Here

Knowitall said on 5/Aug/13
O'Toole was never six two. Come on!

One more time. Quayle was no taller than Jack Hawkins in Lawrence of Arabia. Hawkins was never six one.

Also, watch Hitchcock's The Wrong Man. Quayle is shorter than Henry Fonda.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 5/Aug/13
Peter O'Toole - 6ft2.25in(189cm)
Omar Sharif - 5ft10.5in(179cm)
Anthony Quayle - 6ft1.25in(186cm)
Anthony Quinn - 6ft1.75in(187cm)

Knowitall said on 3/Aug/13
Arch, I will providing you and everyone else gives their real names and addresses. Oh, and telephone numbers.

I know what I saw. Quayle was about five eleven. Nowhere near six one.

Watch Lawrence of Arabia. He 's roughly the same height as Jack Hawkins who was also five eleven. Hawkins was the same height as Tyrone Power in The Black Rose. Power wasn't six feet tall. He was around five eleven.

Funny thing about this forum. When I defend an official height such as John Wayne's, I'm questioned, even criticized. When I question a height, I'm questioned, even criticized.

Arch Stanton said on 30/Jul/13
Knowitall, sorry, unless you provide some proof of your identity I take your claims with a pinch of salt.

Arch Stanton said on 30/Jul/13
O'Toole was taller than 6'1", I'm sure Rob would agree with me.

Knowitall said on 26/Jul/13
I think O'Toole was around six one to six one and a half. Very thin which gave the impression of being taller than he was. Five foot nine Omar Shariff had to wear huge lifts and stand on a platform to appear just slightly shorter than O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia. O'Toole appeared to be the same height as Anthony Quinn who was about six one to six one and a half.

Anthony Quayle was a couple of inches shorter than O'Toole. But remember that O'Toole wore sandals with no heels while Quayle wore military boots.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 15/Jul/13
I know I asked this before on his page, but I never got a reply.
Is it possible that O'Toole may have been a fraction over 6ft2, Rob?

Knowitall said on 14/Jul/13
I met Quayle one day when he was lunching at the same Hollywood eatery. He surprised me since he was my height and I'm five eleven.

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 21/Jun/13
Rob, was Peter O'Toole taller than this guy?

Arch Stanton said on 1/May/13
Yes, that's the film I saw which made me look for a listing here and there wasn't one. He could look 6'2" range next to John Mills as the South African posing officer but generally looked about 6 inches taller than 5'7" John Mills, and was about 1.5 inches shorter than Walter Gotell who I have at 189cm as he seemed a bit shorter than Greg Peck who the more I see of him the more I believe he was very close to a full 6'3".

themotorbikeman said on 30/Apr/13
He's in the film 'Ice Cold In Alex' with John Mills aswel as Harry Andrews. Might be worth a watch.

Arch Stanton said on 30/Apr/13
Yeah, just shy of 6 ft I think he'd have been barefoot.

Arch Stanton said on 29/Apr/13
Click Here

Found this. Pause at 2:24. Grant looks about 1.5 inches taller than Niven, Niven looks 5'11" range next to him rather than a full 6ft.

Arch Stanton said on 29/Apr/13
Dunno, haven't seen it in a long long time either, I'll try to find some of his earlier films this week. I'll watch The Purple Plain later with Peck and then try to find one of Niven's.

Arch Stanton said on 28/Apr/13
6' for David Niven I think is about right, 5'11.5"-6'.

Arch Stanton said on 27/Apr/13
Watching Guns of Navarone now, didn't get much chance to see Quayle next to Peck but in one scene when they're standing inside the boat's cabin and Peck looks about 2 inches taller. Not the best film for looking at Quayle's height as he gets gangrene and is lying down during most of it LOL!

Arch Stanton said on 27/Apr/13
Time I watched Lawrence of Arabia , I have it on DVD, but it's such a long film I don't watch it often. I can't remember if there is a scene between him and Peter O'Toole and Alec Guiness but from other films I've seen him in I always got a 6'1-6'2" impression more than 6'0'-6'1 but he was a well built guy who could look quite big.

Arch Stanton said on 27/Apr/13
Thanks Rob, really appreciate it and you also found a photo! Yeah I see 185cm on other websites, I think he easily looked that and could look 6'2" at times. He had about 6 inches on John Mills who I think was 5'6.5"-5'7". He was also between 1 and 2 inches shorter than Walter Gotell who I think was near 190cm peak. This seems about right.