Screen Icons: John Mills

Four films featuring British actor John Mills. In the comedy 'The Baby and the Battleship' (1956), Able Seaman Knocker White (Richard Attenborough) finds himself literally left holding the baby after a quayside mix-up with the Italian family of his fiancée.

Unable to return it before his ship sails, he enlists the help of best mate Puncher Roberts (Mills) to smuggle the child aboard.

But babies are surprisingly demanding, and gradually the whole crew is drawn into helping keep it fed and washed - and undiscovered.

Even so, the officers above deck start to puzzle over the increasingly strange happenings on board...

In 'It's Great to be Young' (1956), Mills stars as Mr Dingle, the popular music teacher in an English school.

When the headmaster threatens to close down the school band (partly because of Dingle's fondness of more modern music), the pupils come to his assistance. 'The Gentle Gunman', two Irish brothers (John Mills and Dirk Bogarde) arrive in London to launch an IRA bombing campaign, but one of them begins to have doubts about their mission.

In 'The Family Way' (1966) Hywel Bennett and Hayley Mills play newlyweds living in a small, Lancashire village with the groom's dominating father (John Mills).

When they are unable to consummate their marriage, the young bride determines it is her fault - neglecting to consider the bullying behaviour of the father towards her husband.