Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor.

Career

Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit '' Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star

Doris Keane Doris Keane (December 12, 1881 – November 25, 1945) was an American actress, primarily in live theatre. Early life and family Keane was born in Michigan to Joseph Keane and Florence Winter. She was educated privately in Chicago, New York, Pa ...

, and he costarred with Keane in the 1920 silent film of the play. The couple married in 1918, and when Keane revived ''Romance'' in New York City in 1921, Sydney made his Broadway debut in the parts. He stayed in New York for over a decade playing a variety of roles such as Mercutio in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' (1922), Domin in '' R.U.R.'' (1922), Richard Dudgeon in '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1923), the title role in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (1923), Prince Hal in '' Henry IV, Part I'' (1926), and Petruchio in ''

Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a Frame story, framing device, often referred to as the Induction (play), inducti ...

'' (1927). In 1937 he starred in the murder mystery '' Blondie White'' in the West End. He made over 50 screen appearances, most memorably as

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

's 1948 film of ''

.'' He also appeared in classic films like ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'' (1950), ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

'' (1952), and ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'' (1956), but the focus of his career was the stage on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1946 he starred with Flora Robson in '' A Man About the House'' at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...

Personal life

Sydney divorced Keane in 1925. In 1929, he married actress Mary Ellis, and the couple moved to England.''A Special Relationship''
/ref> There he concentrated more on film than on theatre work. In the 1940s, he married English film actress Joyce Howard; they had three children. A heavy smoker, Sydney died from

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

in 1968, aged 73.

Filmography

* '' Romance'' (1920) as Armstrong * '' Red Hot Romance'' (1922) as Rowland Stone * '' The Midshipmaid'' (1932) as Cmdr. Fosberry * '' The Third Clue'' (1934) as Reinhardt Conway * '' Dirty Work'' (1934) as Hugh Stafford * '' The Riverside Murder'' (1935) as Inspector Philip Winton * '' The White Lilac'' (1935) as Ian Mackie * '' The Tunnel'' (1935) as Mostyn * '' The Amateur Gentleman'' (1936) as Louis Chichester * '' Rhodes of Africa'' (1936) as Dr. Jim Jameson * '' Blind Man's Bluff'' (1936) as Dr. Peter Fairfax * '' Crime Over London'' (1936) as 'Joker' Finnigan * '' Talk of the Devil'' (1936) as Stephen Rindlay * '' Accused'' (1936) as Eugene Roget * '' The Four Just Men'' (1939) as Frank Snell * '' Shadowed Eyes'' (1940) as Dr. Zander * '' Spring Meeting'' (1941) as James * '' The Farmer's Wife'' (1941) as Samuel Sweetland * ''

The Black Sheep of Whitehall ''The Black Sheep of Whitehall'' (the opening credits read ''Black Sheep of Whitehall'') is a 1942 British black-and-white comedy film, comedy war film, film director, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, starring Will Hay, John Mills, Basil ...

'' (1942) as Costello * '' Ships with Wings'' (1942) as Capt. Fairfax * ''

The Big Blockade ''The Big Blockade'' was a 1942 British black-and-white war propaganda film in the style of dramatised documentary. It was film director, directed by Charles Frend and starred Will Hay, Leslie Banks, Michael Redgrave and John Mills. It was film ...

'' (1942) as Bit Part (uncredited) * '' The Next of Kin'' (1942) as Naval captain * '' Went the Day Well?'' (1942) as Major Ortler * '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' (1945) as Rufio * '' Meet Me at Dawn'' (1947) as Georges Vermorel * '' The Man Within'' (1947) as Sir Henry Merriman * '' Jassy'' (1947) as Nick Helmar * ''

'' (1948) as Claudius - The King * '' The Angel with the Trumpet'' (1950) as Francis Alt * ''

'' (1950) as

Captain Smollett Captain Alexander Smollett is the fictional captain of the schooner ''Hispaniola'' in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''. He plays an important part in disciplining the main characters on the ship as the story progresses, and ...

* ''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivie ...

'' (1951) as William Fox-Talbot * ''

'' (1952) as Waldemar Fitzurse * ''

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

'' (1953) as Pontius Pilate * '' Hell Below Zero'' (1954) as Bland * '' Star of India'' (1954) as King Louis XIV * ''Three's Company'' (1954) as Dr. Graham (segment "The Surgeon's Story") * ''

Simba Simba is a fictional character in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's ''The Lion King (franchise), The Lion King ''franchise. First appearing as a cub in ''The Lion King'' (1994), the character flees his homeland when his father, Mufasa, is ...

'' (1955) as Mr. Crawford * '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris * '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956) as Reform Club Member #2 * '' Sea Wife'' (1957) as Bulldog * '' Island in the Sun'' (1957) as Julian Fleury * '' A Question of Adultery'' (1958) as Sir John Loring * ''

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

'' (1959) as Sir William Young * '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959) as Lawyer Hawkins * ''

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver ''The 3 Worlds of Gulliver'' is a 1960 American Eastmancolor fantasy adventure film loosely based upon the 1726 novel ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift. The film stars Kerwin Mathews as the title character, June Thorburn as his fiancée E ...

'' (1960) as Emperor of Lilliput * '' The Hands of Orlac'' (1960) as Maurice Seidelman * '' A Story of David'' (1961) as King Saul

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sydney, Basil 1894 births 1968 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors Actors from Tendring 20th-century English male actors Respiratory disease deaths in England Infectious disease deaths in England Deaths from pleurisy English expatriate male actors in the United States Male actors from Essex