Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1945.

Early life

Fenton was born on 12 March 1902 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

, England. He emigrated to America with his mother, Elizabeth Carter Fenton, and his brothers when he was six years old. They sailed as

steerage Steerage is a term for the lowest category of passenger accommodation in a ship. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century considerable numbers of persons travelled from their homeland to seek a new life elsewhere, in many cases North America ...

passengers on board the R.M.S. ''Celtic'', which departed from

, 11 September 1909, and arrived at

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where they were ferried over to

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...

for "U.S. Immigrant Inspection" on 19 September. They were quickly admitted and continued their journey by rail to join his father, shoe manufacturer's representative Richard Fenton, in Mifflin, Ohio.

Career

As a teenager, Leslie worked as an office clerk. He moved to

and began a career on the stage. His film career began later with Fox Studios. He also directed 19 films between 1938 and 1951.

Military service

Fenton saw active service during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In spring 1941, he was commissioned into the

Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original R ...

. In 1942, as commander of a Motor Launch vessel, he took part in the

St Nazaire Raid The St Nazaire Raid or Operation Chariot was a British amphibious attack on the heavily defended Normandie dry dock at St Nazaire in German-occupied France during the Second World War. The operation was undertaken by the Royal Navy (RN) a ...

. He was injured in the raid and spent months convalescing in Devon, England. Unable to return to sea, he was assigned to a desk job at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

Personal life

He married American actress

Ann Dvorak Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told ''The Literary Digest'' in 1936: "My fake name is properly pronounced ''vor'shack ...

in 1932. Dvorak (Anna May McKim) moved to Britain with Fenton while he served in the British armed forces during the

. The union was childless and ended in divorce in 1945. Fenton died 25 March 1978 in Montecito,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, aged 76. Some sources, including

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

, incorrectly cite Frank Fenton, the noted screenwriter and novelist, as his younger brother. Frank Fenton's parents were actually John Fenton and Eveline Edgington (married Liverpool, 1900), as evidenced by the ship's manifest for the RMS ''Caronia'' (page 0817, line 0008), aboard which Frank Fenton arrived in the US on 21 April 1906.

Selected filmography

As actor: * '' Gentle Julia'' (1923) * ''

Havoc High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) is a set of crewed NASA mission concepts to the planet Venus. All human portions of the missions would be conducted from lighter-than-air craft or from orbit. Background Venus is a planet with a r ...

'' (1925) as Babe * '' Thunder Mountain'' (1925) as Sam Martin * '' Lazybones'' (1925) as Dick Ritchie * '' East Lynne'' (1925) as Richard Hare * '' The Ancient Mariner'' (1925) as Joe Barlow * '' The Road to Glory'' (1926) as David Hale * ''

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...

'' (1926) as Douglas Keith * ''

The Shamrock Handicap ''The Shamrock Handicap'' is a 1926 American romance film directed by John Ford. Prints of the film still exists in the Museum of Modern Art film archive and Cinematheque Royale de Belgique. Cast * Janet Gaynor as Lady Sheila O'Hara * Leslie ...

'' (1926) as Neil Ross * ''

Black Paradise ''Black Paradise'' is a 1926 American silent adventure film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Madge Bellamy, Leslie Fenton, and Edmund Lowe Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative ...

'' (1926) as James Callahan * '' What Price Glory?'' (1926) as Lt. Moore * ''

The Gateway of the Moon ''The Gateway of the Moon'' is a lost American 1928 silent film directed by John Griffith Wray and starring Dolores del Río, Walter Pidgeon and Anders Randolf. Plot Arthur Wyatt, an American railroad conductor, is lost in the jungle of the Ama ...

'' (1928) as Jim Mortlake * '' The Showdown'' (1928) as Kilgore Shelton * ''

The Drag Net ''The Drag Net'', also known as ''The Dragnet'', is a 1928 American silent crime drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures based on the story "Nightstick" by Oliver H.P. Garrett. It was directed by Josef von ...

'' (1928) as Shakespeare * '' The First Kiss'' (1928) as Carol Talbot * '' The Office Scandal'' (1929) as Andrew 'Andy' Corbin * '' Girls Gone Wild'' (1929) as Boogs * '' A Dangerous Woman'' (1929) as Peter Allerton * '' The Man I Love'' (1929) as Carlo Vesper * ''

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

'' (1929) as 'Scar' Edwards * '' Paris Bound'' (1929) as Richard Parrish * '' Woman Trap'' (1929) as Eddie Evans * '' The Last Performance'' (1929) as Buffo Black * ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and patented in 1867. It rapidl ...

'' (1929) as Young 'Vulture' * '' The Man Who Came Back'' (1931) as Baron le Duc * '' The Public Enemy'' (1931) as Samuel 'Nails' Nathan * '' Kick In'' (1931) as Charlie * '' Murder at Midnight'' (1931) as Walter Grayson * '' The Pagan Lady'' (1931) as Gerald 'Gerry' Willis * ''

The Guilty Generation ''The Guilty Generation'' is a 1931 American pre-code crime film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Leo Carrillo, Constance Cummings and Robert Young. Plot The children of feuding gangsters fall in love and fight to escape their parent ...

'' (1931) as Joe Palmero * ''

The Hatchet Man ''The Hatchet Man'' (1932) is a pre-Code film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Edward G. Robinson. Warner Bros. had purchased the David Belasco/ Achmed Abdullah play ''The Honorable Mr. Wong'' about the Tong gang wars. Made during ...

'' (1932) as Harry En Hai * '' The Famous Ferguson Case'' (1932) as Jim Perrin * ''

The Strange Love of Molly Louvain ''The Strange Love of Molly Louvain'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Ann Dvorak and Lee Tracy. The script was based on the play ''Tinsel Girl'' by Maurine Dallas Watkins. Plot Molly Louva ...

'' (1932) as Nicky Grant * ''

Thunder Below ''Thunder Below'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Richard Wallace, written by Sidney Buchman and Josephine Lovett, and starring Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Bickford, Paul Lukas, Eugene Pallette, Ralph Forbes and Leslie Fenton ...

'' (1932) as Webb * ''

Air Mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...

'' (1932) as Tony Dressel * '' F.P.1'' (1933) as Capt. B.E. Droste * '' Night Flight'' (1933) as Jules' Radio Operator / Co-Pilot * '' Lady Killer'' (1933) as Duke * '' I Believed in You'' (1934) as Russell Storm * '' Fugitive Road'' (1934) as Frank Riker * ''

Take the Stand ''Take the Stand'' is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Jack LaRue, Thelma Todd, and Gail Patrick. It was released on September 7, 1934. Cast * Jack LaRue as George Gaylord * Thelma Todd as Sally Oxford * Gail Patr ...

'' (1934) as Hugh Halliburton * '' Marie Galante'' (1934) as Gen. Saki Tenoki * '' Strange Wives'' (1934) as Svengaart * '' White Lies'' (1934) as Dan Oliver * ''

The Casino Murder Case ''The Casino Murder Case'' is a 1934 novel written by S. S. Van Dine in the series about fictional detective Philo Vance Philo Vance is a fictional amateur detective originally featured in 12 crime novels by S. S. Van Dine in the 1920s and 19 ...

'' (1935) as Dr. Kane * ''

Star of Midnight ''Star of Midnight'' is a 1935 American mystery comedy film directed by Stephen Roberts. William Powell was loaned out to RKO Pictures from MGM to star with Ginger Rogers. Plot New York lawyer and playboy Clay "Dal" Dalzell (William Powell) is ...

'' (1935) as Tim Winthrop * ''

Stolen Harmony ''Stolen Harmony'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring George Raft, Ben Bernie and Grace Bradley. It is a semi-musical, featuring Big Band numbers. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Plo ...

'' (1935) as Joe Harris (uncredited) * '' Chinatown Squad'' (1935) as Su Quong * ''

Men Without Names ''Men Without Names'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by Kubec Glasmon and Howard J. Green. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Madge Evans, David Holt, Lynne Overman, Elizabeth Patterson, J. C. Nugent, Grant Mi ...

'' (1935) as Monk * '' East of Java'' (1935) as Captain Wong Bo * '' Two in the Dark'' (1936) as Stuart Eldredge * '' Murder on a Bridle Path'' (1936) as Don Gregg * '' Sworn Enemy'' (1936) as Steve Sherman * '' The Longest Night'' (1936) as Carl Briggs * '' House of Secrets'' (1936) as Barry Wilding * ''

China Passage ''China Passage'' is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Edward Killy from a screenplay by Edmund L. Hartmann and J. Robert Bren, based on a story by Taylor Caven. RKO Radio Pictures produced the film, which stars Constance Worth, Vinton ...

'' (1937) as Anthony Durand * '' Boys Town'' (1938) as Dan Farrow As director: * ''

Tell No Tales ''Tell No Tales'' is the third studio album by the Norwegian hard rock band TNT. It was the best-selling TNT album in the U.S., according to their bass guitarist Morty Black. This album diverted from the power metal style of '' Knights of the N ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Man from Dakota ''The Man from Dakota'' is a 1940 American Civil War film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Wallace Beery and Dolores del Río. The film was adapted by Laurence Stallings from the novel ''Arouse and Beware'' by MacKinlay Kantor. Francis ...

'' (1940) * ''

The Saint's Vacation ''The Saint's Vacation'' is a 1941 adventure film produced by the British arm of RKO Pictures. The film stars Hugh Sinclair as Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", a world-roving crimefighter who walks the fine edge of the law. This was the ...

'' (1941) * ''

Whispering Smith ''Whispering Smith'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Alan Ladd as a railroad detective assigned to stop a gang of train robbers. The supporting cast includes Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall and Donald C ...

'' (1948) * '' Streets of Laredo'' (1949) * ''

The Redhead and the Cowboy ''The Redhead and the Cowboy'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Glenn Ford and Rhonda Fleming. Plot Late in the American Civil War, the New Mexico Territory is full of spies and guerrillas for both side ...

'' (1951)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

* *
Leslie Fenton
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton, Leslie 1902 births 1978 deaths British expatriate male actors in the United States English male film actors English male silent film actors English film directors Male actors from Liverpool People from Montecito, California Royal Navy officers of World War II Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery 20th-century English male actors Military personnel from Liverpool War Office personnel in World War II