Sir Godfrey Seymour Tearle (12 October 1884 – 9 June 1953) was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential British gentleman on stage and in both British and US films.

Biography

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and brought up in Britain, he was the son of British actor/manager George Osmond Tearle (1852–1901) and American actress Marianne "Minnie" Conway (1852-1896), the brother of actor Malcolm Tearle, and the half-brother of

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

star

Conway Tearle Conway Tearle (born Frederick Conway Levy, May 17, 1878 – October 1, 1938) was an American stage actor who went on to perform in silent and early sound films. Early life Tearle was born on May 17, 1878, in New York City, the son of the ...

. His maternal grandmother was Sarah Crocker Conway. In 1893, he made his stage debut as young Prince Richard, Duke of York, in his father's production of ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...

'' and in 1908 he appeared in his first film as

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...

in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

''. He became a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

an actor of note, appearing on stage in the title roles of ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

'', ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' and ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

''. His theatrical career was interrupted when he joined the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

for a four-year stint beginning in 1915. In 1924 he starred in the West End production of

Frederick Lonsdale Frederick Lonsdale (5 February 1881 – 4 April 1954) was a British playwright known for his librettos to several successful musicals early in the 20th century, including ''King of Cadonia'' (1908), ''The Balkan Princess'' (1910), '' Betty'' (1 ...

's drama '' The Fake''. In 1935 he appeared in

Bernard Merivale Bernard Merivale (1882–1939) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Several of his plays were adapted into films including '' Blondie White'', '' The Wrecker'' and ''The Unguarded Hour''.Goble p.323 Selected filmography * '' The Flying Fo ...

's ''

The Unguarded Hour ''The Unguarded Hour'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Loretta Young and Franchot Tone. In England, a prominent young prosecutor in a murder trial is unaware that his wife is involved. It is based on Bernard Meri ...

''. One of Tearle's most memorable screen roles was in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's '' The 39 Steps'' (1935), in which he portrayed Professor Jordan, a seemingly respectable country squire whose missing finger unmasks him as an enemy agent. He was cast as an RAF gunner in '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missing'' (1942), a German general in '' Undercover (film)'' (1943), an aging

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

veteran in '' Medal for the General'' (1944) and as Franklin D. Roosevelt in '' The Beginning or the End'', MGM's 1946 account of the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

. Tearle made his

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

debut in ''Carnival'' in 1919. In his review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Alexander Woollcott Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (January 19, 1887 – January 23, 1943) was an American drama critic and commentator for ''The New Yorker'' magazine, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, an occasional actor and playwright, and a prominent radio p ...

noted, "It is difficult to guess why Godfrey Tearle should have selected as the vehicle of his American debut the play called ''Carnival'', which was presented to New York for the first time last evening at the 44th Street Theatre. It is a spare and unsubstantial piece at best, and the role it offers him is distinctly secondary in importance and opportunity."''New York Times'' review of ''Carnival'', 25 December 1919
/ref> Additional Broadway credits include ''The Fake'' (1924), ''The Flashing Stream'' (1939), and ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in aroun ...

'' (1947).

Knighthood

Tearle was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

in the 1951 King's Birthday Honours List for services to drama.

Marriages

He was married three times, to actress Mary Malone from 1909 until their divorce in 1932, to starlet Stella Freeman from 1932 until her sudden death in 1936, and to Barbara Palmer from 1937 until their divorce in 1947. For several years at the end of his life, Tearle lived with the actress Jill Bennett.

Death

Sir Godfrey Tearle died on 9 June 1953, aged 68.

Complete filmography

*''Romeo and Juliet'' (1908 short) - Romeo *'' The Fool'' (1913) - Sterndale *''Lochinvar'' (1915 short) - Lochinvar *''Sir James Mortimer's Wager'' (1915 short) - Sir James Mortimer *''The Real Thing at Last'' (1916 short) - Macduff *'' The March Hare'' (1919) - Guy * ''

A Sinless Sinner ''A Sinless Sinner'' is a 1919 British silent drama film directed by James C. McKay and starring Marie Doro, Godfrey Tearle and Sam Livesey. It was distributed in the United States the following year under the alternative title ''Midnight Gambo ...

'' (1919) - Tom Harvey *''

Fancy Dress A costume party (American English) or fancy dress party (other varieties of English) is a type of party, common in contemporary Western culture, in which many of the guests are dressed in costume, usually depicting a fictional or stock cha ...

'' (1919) - Tony Broke *'' Nobody's Child'' (1919) - Ernest d'Alvard *''

Queen's Evidence A criminal turns state's evidence by admitting guilt and testifying as a witness for the state against their associate(s) or accomplice(s), often in exchange for leniency in sentencing or immunity from prosecution.Howard Abadinsky, ''Organized C ...

'' (1919) - Adam Pascal *''

Salome of the Tenements ''Salome of the Tenements'' is a 1925 American silent drama film adapted to the screen by Sonya Levien from the Anzia Yezierska novel of the same name. Made by Jesse L. Lasky and Adolph Zukor's Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, a division of ...

'' (1925) - John Manning *''Guy of Warwick'' (1926 short) - Guy of Warwick *''

If Youth But Knew ''If Youth But Knew'' is a 1926 British silent romance film directed by George A. Cooper and starring Godfrey Tearle, Lillian Hall-Davis and Wyndham Standing. It is a love story spanning two generations. It was made at Southall Studios. Cast ...

'' (1926) - Dr. Martin Summer *'' One Colombo Night'' (1926) - Jim Farnell * ''Infatuation'' (1930 short) - Gerald Norton *'' These Charming People'' (1931) - James Berridge *'' The Shadow Between'' (1931) - Paul Haddon *'' Puppets of Fate'' (1933) - Richard Sabine *''Jade'' (1934 short) - The Man *'' The 39 Steps'' (1935) - Professor Jordan *'' The Last Journey'' (1936) - Sir Wilfred Rhodes *'' East Meets West'' (1936) - Sir Henry Mallory *'' Tomorrow We Live'' (1936) - Sir Charles Hendra *'' One of Our Aircraft Is Missing'' (1942) - Sir George Corbett - Rear Gunner in B for Bertie *'' Tomorrow We Live'' (1943) - Mayor Pierre Duchesne *'' Undercover'' (1943) - Gen. Von Staengel *'' The Lamp Still Burns'' (1943) - Sir Marshall Freyne *'' Medal for the General'' (1944) - General Church *''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

'' (1945) - Colonel Robert Kenway *'' The Beginning or the End'' (1947) - President Roosevelt *'' Private Angelo'' (1949) - Count Piccologrando *'' White Corridors'' (1951) - Mr. Groom Sr. *'' I Believe in You'' (1952) - Mr. Pyke *'' Mandy'' (1952) - Mr. Garland *''

Decameron Nights ''Decameron Nights'' is a 1953 anthology Technicolor film based on three tales from ''The Decameron'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, specifically the ninth and tenth tales of the second day and the ninth tale of the third. It stars Joan Fontaine and, a ...

'' (1953) - Ricciardo / Bernabo *'' The Titfield Thunderbolt'' (1953) - The Bishop

References

Sources

* ''Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies'' - published by Harper-Collins - * ''Guide to Movies & Videos'' published by Dell -

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tearle, Godfrey 1884 births 1953 deaths Actors awarded knighthoods Male actors from London English male silent film actors English male film actors English male stage actors British male Shakespearean actors 20th-century English male actors American emigrants to England Knights Bachelor American people of British descent British Army personnel of World War I Royal Artillery personnel Military personnel from New York City