Frederick Randle Ayrton (9 August 1869 – 28 May 1940) was a British actor of stage and screen, and was also a producer and director.

Early life

Ayrton was born in Chester to William Frances Ayrton, a wealthy wine-merchant who was a partner and co-founder of the firm of Ayrton & Groome, and his second wife Pauline (Fleischmann). Two of Randle's full brothers also gained prominence. The eldest, William Ayrton (1861-1916), was an artist based in Suffolk. The youngest,

Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges. Early life Maxwell Ayrton wa ...

(1874-1960), was a leading architect. The Ayrton family originated in Yorkshire. Randle's forebear Edward Ayrton was mayor of

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

in 1760, and laid the foundations for the family's subsequent prominence. Ayrton was educated at

The King's School, Chester The King's School, Chester, is a British co-educational independent day school for children aged 4 to 18. It is one of the seven 'King's Schools' established (or re-endowed and renamed) by King Henry VIII in 1541 after the Dissolution of ...

and

Geneva University The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

Career

Ayrton made his stage debut in 1890, at the Old Avenue Theatre in London and was successful on stage in London and in America into the late 1930s.In 1918 he appeared in the comedy ''

The Freedom of the Seas Freedom of the seas ( la, mare liberum, lit. "free sea") is a principle in the law of the sea. It stresses freedom to navigate the oceans. It also disapproves of war fought in water. The freedom is to be breached only in a necessary inter ...

'' at the

Theatre Royal, Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

. In 1913, he began his film career with the old

London Film Company The London Film Company was a British film production company active during the silent era. Founded in 1913, the company emerged as one of the dominant forces in production during the First World War. With strong financial backing the company co ...

. He made a successful transition from silents to talkies, working for a number of film studios during his screen career. Randle Ayrton was also the producer, and director, of several films.

Selected filmography

* ''

Profit and the Loss ''Profit and the Loss'' is a 1917 British silent film, silent drama film directed by A. V. Bramble and Eliot Stannard and starring James Carew, Randle Ayrton and Margaret Halstan. Plot When friends fail him, a tenant farmer turns to making mone ...

'' (1917) * ''

My Sweetheart ''My Sweetheart'' is a 1918 British silent comedy film directed by Meyrick Milton and starring Concordia Merrel, Randle Ayrton and Bert Wynne. It was based on a play by Minnie Palmer. Cast * Concordia Merrel - Mrs. Fleeter * Randle Ayrton ...

'' (1918) * '' The Hanging Judge'' (1918) * '' The Wonderful Year'' (1921) * '' No. 5 John Street'' (1921) * '' Chu-Chin-Chow'' (1923) * ''

Southern Love ''Southern Love'' is a 1924 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Betty Blythe, Herbert Langley and Randle Ayrton. It is based on the verse drama ''The Spanish Student'' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is known by the alte ...

'' (1924) * ''The Little People'' (1926) * '' Nell Gwyn'' (1926) * '' One of the Best'' (1927) * '' His House in Order'' (1928) * ''

High Seas The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...

'' (1929) * '' The Feather'' (1929) * '' The Hate Ship '' (1929) * '' A Romance of Seville'' (1929) * '' The Manxman'' (1929) * ''

Glorious Youth ''Glorious Youth'' is a 1929 British silent drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Anny Ondra, Randle Ayrton and William Freshman. It is also known by the alternative title of ''Eileen of the Trees''. It was one of two films Cutts m ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Great Game The Great Game is the name for a set of political, diplomatic and military confrontations that occurred through most of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century – involving the rivalry of the British Empire and the Russian Empi ...

'' (1930) * '' Two Worlds'' (1930) * '' Dreyfus'' (1931) * '' Jew Suss'' (1934) * ''

Me and Marlborough ''Me and Marlborough'' is a 1935 British comedy film, directed by Victor Saville, and starring Cicely Courtneidge, Tom Walls, Barry MacKay, Peter Gawthorne, Henry Oscar and Cecil Parker. Plot Sergeant Cummings searches Kit Ross's pub for a des ...

'' (1935) * '' Debt of Honour'' (1936) * ''

Talk of the Devil ''Talk of the Devil'' is a 1936 British crime film directed by Carol Reed and starring Ricardo Cortez, Sally Eilers and Basil Sydney. Reed had previously been working for Ealing Studios, but he made the film for the independent producer Herb ...

'' (1936)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayrton, Randle 1940 deaths 1869 births People from Chester People educated at The King's School, Chester English male film actors English male silent film actors 19th-century English male actors English male stage actors 20th-century English male actors