Francis L. Sullivan | |
|---|---|
 Sullivan in Behave Yourself! (1951) | |
| Born | Francis Loftus Sullivan 6 January 1903 |
| Died | 19 November 1956 (aged 53) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932–1955 |
| Spouse | Frances Joan Perkins (1935–his death) |
| Awards | Best Featured Actor in a Play 1955 Witness for the Prosecution |
Francis Loftus Sullivan (6 January 1903 – 19 November 1956) was an English film and stage actor.
Francis Loftus Sullivan [1] attended Stonyhurst, the Jesuit public school in Lancashire, England, whose alumni include Charles Laughton and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
A heavily built man with a striking double-chin and a deep voice, Sullivan made his acting debut at the Old Vic at age 18 in Shakespeare's Richard III . He had considerable theatrical experience before he appeared in his first film in 1932, The Missing Rembrandt , as a German villain opposite Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes. [2]
Among his film roles are Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist (1948) and Phil Nosseross in the film noir Night and the City (1950). Sullivan also played the part of the lawyer Jaggers in two versions of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations - in 1934 and 1946. He appeared in a fourth Dickens film, the 1935 Universal Pictures version of The Mystery of Edwin Drood , in which he played Crisparkle.
He was featured in The Citadel (1938), starring Robert Donat, and a decade later he played the role of Pierre Cauchon in the technicolor version of Joan of Arc (1948), starring Ingrid Bergman. In 1938 he starred in a revival of the Stokes brothers' play Oscar Wilde at London's Arts Theatre. He played the Attorney-General prosecuting the case defended by Robert Donat as barrister Sir Robert Morton, in the first film version of The Winslow Boy (1948).
Sullivan also acted in light comedies, including My Favorite Spy (1951), starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr, in which he played an enemy agent, and the comedy Fiddlers Three (1944), portraying Nero. He also played the role of Pothinus in the film version of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra (1945). The film was directed by Gabriel Pascal, and was the last film personally supervised by Shaw himself. Sullivan reprised the role in a stage revival of the play.
On television, Sullivan starred in "The Man Who Would Be King", the 17 October 1950, episode of Suspense . [3]
Sullivan, who eventually became a naturalised US citizen, won a Tony Award in 1955 for the Agatha Christie play Witness for the Prosecution . Earlier, he had played Hercule Poirot at London's Embassy Theatre in the Christie play Black Coffee (1930).[ citation needed ]
In 1935, Sullivan married stage designer Frances Joan Perkins in Westminster in London. [4] In 1939 they were living at 'Hatch Hill' on Kingsley Green at Fernhurst in West Sussex. [5] They remained married until his death.
He died of a heart attack on 19 November 1956, aged 53 (some sources claim he died from an unspecified "lung ailment").[ citation needed ]
Orry-Kelly was the professional name of Orry George Kelly, an Australian-American Hollywood costume designer. Until being overtaken by Catherine Martin in 2014, he was the most prolific Australian-born Oscar winner, having won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design.
Robert Warwick was an American stage, film and television actor with over 200 film appearances. A matinee idol during the silent film era, he also prospered after the introduction of sound to cinema. As a young man he had studied opera singing in Paris and had a rich, resonant voice. At the age of 50, he developed as a highly regarded, aristocratic character actor and made numerous "talkies".
Leonard Mudie was an English character actor whose career lasted for nearly fifty years. After a successful start as a stage actor in England, he appeared regularly in the US, and made his home there from 1932. He appeared in character roles on Broadway and in Hollywood films.
Arthur Hohl was an American stage and motion-picture character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began appearing in films in the early 1920s. He played a great number of villainous or mildly larcenous roles, although his screen roles usually were small, but he also played a few sympathetic characters.
Henry Stephenson was a British actor. He portrayed friendly and wise gentlemen in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles were Sir Joseph Banks in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Mr. Brownlow in Oliver Twist (1948).
Black Coffee is a play by the British crime-fiction author Agatha Christie (1890–1976) which was produced initially in 1930. The first piece that Christie wrote for the stage, it launched a successful second career for her as a playwright. In the play, a scientist discovers that someone in his household has stolen the formula for an explosive. The scientist calls Hercule Poirot to investigate, but is murdered just as Poirot arrives with Hastings and Inspector Japp.
Peril at End House is a 1940 play based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The play is by Arnold Ridley, who much later played Private Godfrey in Dad's Army. Ridley was granted permission to adapt the book in an agreement with Christie dated 18 July 1938.
Leslie Perrins was an English actor who often played villains. After training at RADA, he was on stage from 1922, and in his long career, appeared in well over 60 films.
Forrester Harvey was an Irish film actor.
Claude Austin Trevor Schilsky was an Irish actor who had a long career in film and television.
Robert Greig was an Australian-American actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1930 and 1949, usually as the dutiful butler. Born Arthur Alfred Bede Greig, he was the nephew of Australian politician and solicitor William Bede Dalley. He was commonly known as "Bob".
Harold Huber was an American actor who appeared on film, radio and television.
Claud Allister was an English actor with an extensive film career in both Britain and Hollywood, where he appeared in more than 70 films between 1929 and 1955.
Willard Robertson was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California.
Peter Gawthorne was an Anglo-Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in the films of Will Hay and other popular British comedians of the 1930s and 1940s. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upon supporting actors during this period.
Leslie Stephenson Hiscott was an English film director and screenwriter who made over sixty films between 1925 and 1956. He was born in London in 1894. He directed Alibi (1931), the first ever depiction of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, with Austin Trevor in the lead role. He directed a follow-up, Black Coffee, also starring Trevor.
Garry Marsh was an English stage and film actor.
Oliver Burchett Clarence was an English actor.
William Stack was an American actor who began his acting career in Great Britain. Over the course of his career he appeared in over 50 films in the U.S. and the U.K, including such notable films as Mary of Scotland, Captains Courageous, and Gone with the Wind.
George Robinson was an American cinematographer.
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
| Biographical dictionaries | |
| Other | |
