Edmund Breon (born Iver Edmund de Breon MacLaverty; 12 December 1882 – 24 June 1953) was a Scottish film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1907 and 1952.

Life and career

Born in

Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Hamilton ( sco, Hamiltoun; gd, Baile Hamaltan ) is a large town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It sits south-east of Glasgow, south-west of Edinburgh and no ...

, Breon began in John Hare's touring company and later played on the West End stage and in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, gaining prominence. According to his grandson, film editor, Breon "started out at the turn of the century doing silent pictures in France. Vampire movies", so it is reasonably certain that MacLaverty is indeed the actor who appeared under the name Edmond Bréon in many Gaumont films 1907-1922 including, most famously, playing the part of Inspector Juve for ''

Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serials '' Fantômas'', '' Les Vampires'' and '' Judex ...

'' in the ground-breaking ''

Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...

'' series. He did also appear in a small part in the 1915-1916 Feuillade series ''

Les vampires ''Les Vampires'' is a 1915–16 French silent crime serial film written and directed by Louis Feuillade. Set in Paris, it stars Édouard Mathé, Musidora and Marcel Lévesque. The main characters are a journalist and his friend who become invol ...

'' although this is not, as his grandson supposes, a horror film. He returned to Britain where he made the film '' A Little Bit of Fluff'' (1928) then went to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1929 and worked on the land. A year later he emigrated to the United States and gained his first big American film part in '' The Dawn Patrol'' (1930). Breon appeared in a mixture of British and American films over the following two decades. He also appeared on stage in the West End production of the comedy ''

Spring Meeting ''Spring Meeting'' is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Walter C. Mycroft and Norman Lee and starring Enid Stamp-Taylor, Michael Wilding, Basil Sydney and Sarah Churchill. It was based on a 1938 play of the same title by M. J. Farrell ...

'' in 1938. Basil Rathbone-Edmund Breon in Dressed to Kill

A 1949 newspaper article noted that Breon's "career has been interrupted by serious illness and an accident which kept him idle for two years." His grandson also recalls that he played the role of Dr. Ambrose in Howard Hawks’ ''

The Thing from Another World ''The Thing from Another World'', sometimes referred to as just ''The Thing'', is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, directed by Christian Nyby, produced by Edward Lasker for Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporati ...

'' (1951). Breon died in Cork, Ireland, on 24 June 1953.

Selected filmography

*''L'homme aimanté'' (1907) *'' Fantômas - À l'ombre de la guillotine'' (1913) - Inspector Juve *''

'' (1913) - Inspector Juve *'' Le mort qui tue'' (1913) - Inspector Juve *''Fantomas: The Mysterious Finger Print'' (1914) - Inspector Juve *''Le Faux Magistrat'' (1914) - Inspector Juve *''Severo Torelli'' (1914) *''La petite Andalouse'' (1915) - Don Benigno - Lawyer *''

'' (1915) - Satanas' Secretary *''L'énigme'' (1919) *'' Barrabas'' (1919) - Lucius *'' L'écuyère'' (1922) *'' A Little Bit of Fluff'' (1928) - John Ayres *'' The Dawn Patrol'' (1930) - Lieut. Phipps *'' Raffles'' (1930) - Harry - Lord & Lady Melrose's Friend (uncredited) *'' On Approval'' (1930) - Richard Wemys *'' The Love Habit'' (1931) - Alphonse Dubois *''

Uneasy Virtue ''Uneasy Virtue'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Norman Walker and starring Fay Compton, Edmund Breon, Francis Lister, Donald Calthrop, and Garry Marsh. It was produced by British International Pictures and shot at the company's El ...

'' (1931) - Harvey Townsend *'' Born to Love'' (1931) - Tom Kent (uncredited) *'' Chances'' (1931) - The General *''

I Like Your Nerve ''I Like Your Nerve'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by William C. McGann, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Loretta Young. Boris Karloff has a small role.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection ...

'' (1931) - Clive Lattimer *''

Women Who Play ''Women Who Play'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Mary Newcomb, Benita Hume and George Barraud. It was produced by Walter Morosco and Alexander Korda and has a screenplay by Basil Mason and Gilbert Wakefie ...

'' (1932) - Rachie Wells *''

Wedding Rehearsal ''Wedding Rehearsal'' is a 1932 British romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife. Plot "Reggie", the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at his ...

'' (1932) - Lord Fleet *''

Leap Year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or ...

'' (1932) - Jack Debrant *''

No Funny Business ''No Funny Business'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Victor Hanbury and starring Laurence Olivier, Gertrude Lawrence, Jill Esmond and Edmund Breon. The film is a comedy of errors set in a divorce case. It was made at Ealing Studios. ...

'' (1933) - Edward *'' Waltz Time'' (1933) - Judge Bauer *''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a tw ...

'' (1933) - George *''

The Private Life of Don Juan ''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. Th ...

'' (1934) - Cardona, the Playwright, as Playwrights Go *''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'' (1934) - Col. Winterbottom *'' Mister Cinders'' (1934) - Sir George Lancaster *''

Royal Cavalcade ''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and Mar ...

'' (1935) - Minor Role (uncredited) *''

Night Mail ''Night Mail'' is a 1936 British documentary film directed and produced by Harry Watt and Basil Wright, and produced by the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit. The 24-minute film documents the nightly postal train operated by the London, ...

'' (1935) - Lord Ticehurst *'' The Divine Spark'' (1935) - Rossini *''

She Shall Have Music ''She Shall Have Music'' is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Jack Hylton, June Clyde and Claude Dampier. Hylton played himself in a story built around a millionaire shipowner who hires a band (led by ...

'' (1935) - Freddie Gates *''

Love in Exile ''Love in Exile'' is a 1936 British romantic adventure film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Helen Vinson, Clive Brook and Mary Carlisle. Production The film was shot at Isleworth Studios in west London by the independent producer M ...

'' (1936) - Baron Zarroy *''

Strangers on Honeymoon ''Strangers on Honeymoon'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Constance Cummings, Hugh Sinclair and Noah Beery, based on the 1926 novel '' The Northing Tramp'' by Edgar Wallace. Much of the film takes place ...

'' (1936) - Sir Gregory *'' French Leave'' (1937) - Col. Root *'' Keep Fit'' (1937) - Sir Augustus Marks *''

Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel'' is a 1937 British thriller film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Barry K. Barnes, Sophie Stewart, Margaretta Scott and James Mason. It is a sequel to the 1934 film ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' based on ...

'' (1937) - Colonel Winterbottom *'' Premiere'' (1938) - Morel *''

Owd Bob ''Owd Bob: The Grey Dog of Kenmuir'', also titled ''Bob, Son of Battle'' for US editions, is a children's book by English author Alfred Ollivant. It was published in 1898 and became popular in the United Kingdom and the United States, though ...

'' (1938) - Lord Meredale *'' A Yank at Oxford'' (1938) - Captain Wavertree *'' Almost a Honeymoon'' (1938) - Aubrey Lovitt *''

Dangerous Medicine ''Dangerous Medicine'' is a 1938 British crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Elizabeth Allan and Cyril Ritchard. It is now classed as a lost film.Crackerjack'' (1938) - Tony Davenport *'' Luck of the Navy'' (1938) - Admiral Maybridge *'' Many Tanks Mr. Atkins'' (1938) - Colonel *'' The Outsider'' (1939) - Dr. Ladd *''

Goodbye, Mr. Chips ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...

'' (1939) - Colonel Morgan *''

It Happened to One Man ''It Happened to One Man'' is a 1940 British drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Wilfrid Lawson, Nora Swinburne and Marta Labarr. The screenplay was scripted by Paul Merzbach and Nina Jarcis, based on the play of the same name b ...

'' (1940) - Adm. Drayton *'' The Lodger'' (1944) - Manager (uncredited) *''

Gaslight Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either direct ...

'' (1944) - General Huddleston *'' The Hour Before the Dawn'' (1944) - Freddy Merritt *'' The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944) - Major Rupert Bancroft (uncredited) *''

Casanova Brown ''Casanova Brown'' is a 1944 American comedy romantic film directed by Sam Wood, written by Nunnally Johnson, and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Frank Morgan. The film had its world premiere in western France after the Allies had li ...

'' (1944) - Mr. Drury *''

Our Hearts Were Young and Gay ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' is a book by actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and journalist Emily Kimbrough, published in 1942. The book presents a description of their European tour in the 1920s, when they were fresh out of college from Bryn M ...

'' (1944) - Guide (uncredited) *'' An American Romance'' (1944) - (uncredited) *'' The Woman in the Window'' (1944) - Dr. Michael Barkstane *'' The Man in Half Moon Street'' (1945) - Sir Humphrey Brandon *''

The Corn Is Green ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...

'' (1945) - Bit Part (uncredited) *''

Saratoga Trunk ''Saratoga Trunk'' is a 1945 American Western film (or historical romance film, per the American Film Institute) directed by Sam Wood and starring Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, and Flora Robson. Written by Casey Robinson, based on the novel '' ...

'' (1945) - McIntyre (uncredited) *''

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

'' (1946) - Sir John Thornton (uncredited) *'' Dressed to Kill'' (1946) - Julian 'Stinky' Emery *'' The Imperfect Lady'' (1947) - Lord Chief Justice *'' Forever Amber'' (1947) - Lord Redmond *''

Julia Misbehaves ''Julia Misbehaves'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy film starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon as a married couple who are separated by the man's snobbish family. They meet again many years later, when the daughter whom the man has rais ...

'' (1948) - Jamie (uncredited) *'' Master of Lassie'' (1948) - Jamie Soutar *'' Enchantment'' (1948) - Uncle Bunny *'' Rope of Sand'' (1949) - Chairman *''

Challenge to Lassie ''Challenge to Lassie'' is an American drama directed by Richard Thorpe in Technicolor and released October 31, 1949, by MGM Studios. It was the fifth feature film starring the original Lassie, a collie named Pal, and the fourth and final ''La ...

'' (1949) - Magistrate *''

'' (1951) - Dr. Ambrose (uncredited) *''

At Sword's Point ''At Sword's Point'', also known as ''The Sons of the Three Musketeers'', is a 1952 American historical action adventure film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Cornel Wilde and Maureen O'Hara. It was shot in Technicolor by RKO Radio Pictur ...

'' (1952) - Queen's Chamberlain

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breon, Edmund 1882 births 1951 deaths Scottish male film actors Scottish male silent film actors People from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Place of death missing 20th-century Scottish male actors British emigrants to the United States