Morton Lowry (born Edward Morton Lowater;Lancashire Birth Records, Volume 8c, pg. 1257. 13 February 1914 – 26 November 1987) was a British actor. He is best known for his film roles as John Stapleton in ''
The Hound of The Baskervilles
''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...
'' (1939) and for his role as Mr. Jonas in ''
How Green was My Valley
''How Green Was My Valley'' is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own persona ...
'' (1941). He also appeared in other films including ''
Pursuit to Algiers
''Pursuit to Algiers'' (1945) is the twelfth entry in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes film series of fourteen. Elements in the story pay homage to an otherwise unrecorded affair mentioned by Dr. Watson at the beginning of the 1903 ...
'' and ''
The Picture of Dorian Gray
''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...
'' (both 1945).
Personal life
Morton was born in
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 as Edward Morton Lowater to Edward Morton Lowater, Sr., an engineer, and Bithiah 'Bertha' Holmes. The family later moved to the
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the ...
area of London.
Morton was married at least three times. His first marriage was in 1934, when he was 20 years old, to Diana Whalley. This short-lived marriage ended in divorce in 1936. On 27 February 1938, Morton married socialite Virginia Barnato, granddaughter of diamond dealer
Barney Barnato
Barney Barnato (21 February 1851 – 14 June 1897), born Barnet Isaacs, was a British Randlord, one of the entrepreneurs who gained control of diamond mining, and later, gold mining in South Africa from the 1870s up to World War I. He is perha ...
and daughter of racing car driver Woolf Barnato, on a San Francisco theatre stage after announcing their engagement on 15 February 1938. This relationship did not survive but one son was born. Morton went on to marry once more in 1957Middlesex Marriage Records, Jan–Feb–Mar 1957. Volume 5c, pg. 2344. and, though this union also ended in divorce, it produced one more child in 1958.
Morton Lowry moved back to the United States in the early 1960s to revive his film career. He died on 26 November 1987 at a San Francisco UCSF hospital from
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...
due to complications during surgery. His death was
indigent
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little
and he was buried by the state at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol ( ) is a city in Sonoma County, in California with a recorded population of 7,521, per the 2020 U.S. Census.
Sebastopol was once primarily a plum and apple-growing region. Today, wine grapes are the predominant agriculture crop, ...
, on 14 January 1988.
Career
Morton started his stage career using the name Edward Lowater. He appeared in many stage
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...
s, appearing in theatres such as the
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End theatre, West End of London. It was built originally as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was clo ...
, the
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England.
Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further developme ...
and the
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...
, where he is mostly credited as being part of the singing and dancing
chorus line
A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed.
Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms su ...
. He can be found credited in shows such as ''Over the Page'' in September 1933 and ''
The Drunkard
''The Drunkard; or, The Fallen Saved'' is an American temperance play first performed on February 12, 1844.
'' in November 1934.
His first known big break came in the role of Donnie in the film '' The Dawn Patrol'' acting under the name of Morton Lowry. This led to a respectable film career in which he completed over 25 films, including ''
How Green Was My Valley
''How Green Was My Valley'' is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, narrated by Huw Morgan, the main character, about his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed that he based the book on his own persona ...
'', which received ten
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominations in the United States. He was one of the few actors to appear as different characters in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
film series, as John Stapleton in ''
The Hound of the Baskervilles
''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...
'' (1939) and as the steward Sanford in ''
Pursuit to Algiers
''Pursuit to Algiers'' (1945) is the twelfth entry in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes film series of fourteen. Elements in the story pay homage to an otherwise unrecorded affair mentioned by Dr. Watson at the beginning of the 1903 ...
'' (1945).
In 1947, Lowry's film career dwindled, with his last American film role being uncredited as a scared man in ''
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
''. His last British film role was as Dinelli's driver in the 1960 film '' Too Hot to Handle''.
Morton ventured into television work during the 1950s, most of which was in the United Kingdom. His work includes BBC ''
Sunday Night Theatre
''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959.
The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...
'' in 1951, ''Theatre Royal'' (television film) in 1952 and '' Sword of Freedom'' in 1957. During 1959, he played various characters in the television series '' The Four Just Men''. He also appeared as the Lieutenant in the 1959–60 television series ''
The Adventures of Robin Hood
''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia d ...