John Robert Hale-Monro (1 May 1902 – 9 June 1959), known as Sonnie Hale, was an English actor, screenwriter, and director.

Early life

John Robert Hale-Monro was born in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Garden ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the son of Belle Reynolds and actor Robert Hale. His sister,

Binnie Hale Beatrice "Binnie" Mary Hale-Monro (22 May 1899 – 10 January 1984) was an English actress, singer and dancer. She was one of the most successful musical theatre stars in London in the 1920s and 1930s, able to sing leading roles in operetta a ...

, was also an actress. Hale was educated at Beaumont College."Mr. Sonnie Hale." Times ondon, England10 June 1959: 14. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 August 2016.

Career

He worked chiefly in musical and revue theatre, but also acted in several films with occasional screenwriting or directing credits. He first performed on stage at the London Pavilion in 1921 in the chorus of the revue ''Fun of the Fayre''. A major personal investment in a show to tour the country planned for late 1939 proved financially ruinous due to the outbreak of war and the subsequent closure of most theatres. His slight acquaintance Evelyn Waugh advised him against such an investment. His reply was reported to be the sardonic "War is good for business, don't you know!" Hale's play ''

The French Mistress ''The French Mistress'' is a comedy play by the British entertainer Sonnie Hale under the pen name Robert Munro about the arrival of a new young French teacher at a traditional public school. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre in June 1955. ...

'' premiered at

Wimbledon Theatre The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland. Built on the site of a large hous ...

in 1955. It later enjoyed a long West End run, before being adapted into the film ''

A French Mistress ''A French Mistress'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Cecil Parker, James Robertson Justice, Agnès Laurent, Ian Bannen, Raymond Huntley, Irene Handl and Thorley Walters. It is based on a stage play, '' The ...

''.

Personal life and death

He was married three times, to: * The actress Evelyn Laye (1926–1930). * The actress and dancer

Jessie Matthews Jessie Margaret Matthews (11 March 1907 – 19 August 1981) was an English actress, dancer and singer of the 1920s and 1930s, whose career continued into the post-war period. After a string of hit stage musicals and films in the mid-1930s, Ma ...

(1931–1944). * Mary Kelsey (1945–1957) He left his first marriage to Evelyn Laye for actress

, an action which led to a backlash among the British public and caused a scandal. By his second marriage he had one son (died at birth) and one adopted daughter (born 1935); by his third marriage he had one son, John Robert Hale-Monro (born 1946, died 2013) and a daughter. He also had a daughter

Joanna Monro Joanna Monro (born 1956) is a British actress and former television presenter who, in the 1980s, appeared on the BBC show ''That's Life!'' with Esther Rantzen. In 1974 she appeared in the ''Doctor Who'' story ''Planet of the Spiders'', followed by ...

(born 1956) from a subsequent relationship with the actress Frances Bennett. He died on 9 June 1959 in London from myelofibrosis, aged 57.

Selected theatre performances

* ''

Little Nellie Kelly ''Little Nellie Kelly'' is a 1940 American musical-comedy film based on the stage musical of the same title by George M. Cohan which was a hit on Broadway in 1922 and 1923. The film was written by Jack McGowan and directed by Norman Taurog. ...

'' (London production) - 1923 (as Sidney Potter) * ''Mercenary Mary'' - 1925 (as Jerry Warner) * ''One Dam Thing After Another'' ( revue) - 1927 * '' This Year of Grace'' (revue) - 1928 * '' Wake Up and Dream'' (revue) - 1929 * '' Ever Green'' - 1930 (as Tommy Thompson) * ''Hold My Hand'' - 1931 (as Pop Curry) * ''Come Out to Play'' (revue) - 1940 * '' Maid of the Mountains'' - 1942 (as Tonio) * ''One, Two, Three'' (revue) - 1947 * ''The Perfect Woman'' - 1948 (as Freddie Cavendish) * ''Rainbow Square'' - 1951 (as Peppi) * '' Lady Be Good'' - 1955 * ''

'' - 1959 (as John Crawley)

Filmography

Actor

* '' Happy Ever After'' (1932) * ''

Tell Me Tonight ''Tell Me Tonight'' or ''Be Mine Tonight'' is a 1932 British musical comedy film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Jan Kiepura, Sonnie Hale and Magda Schneider. It was shot in Berlin at the Babelsberg Studios as part of a co-production be ...

'' (1932) * ''

Early to Bed Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

'' (1933) * '' Friday the Thirteenth'' (1933) * ''

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

'' (1934) * '' Wild Boy'' (1934) * ''

Are You a Mason? Are You a Mason? is a farce in 3 acts by Leo Ditrichstein, who in turn adapted it from a German play, ''Die Logenbrüder'' (''The Freemason''), by Curt Kraatz and Carl Laufs. The play was performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1901.''The Prince of ...

'' (1934) * '' My Song for You'' (1934) * ''

Mon coeur t'appelle ''My Heart Is Calling You'' (French: ''Mon coeur t'appelle'') is the 1934 French version of a German musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and Serge Véber, written by Ernst Marischka, produced by Arnold Pressburger. The film stars Jan Kiepu ...

'' (1934) * ''

My Heart is Calling "My Heart Is Calling" is a song recorded by the American recording artist Whitney Houston for the 1996 film ''The Preacher's Wife''. It was released on June 10, 1997, as the third and final single by Arista Records from the accompanying soundtrac ...

'' (1935) * '' Marry the Girl'' (1935) * '' First a Girl'' (1935) * '' It's Love Again'' (1936) * '' The Gaunt Stranger'' (1938) * '' Let's Be Famous'' (1939) * '' Fiddlers Three'' (1944) * '' London Town'' (1946)

Director

* '' Head Over Heels'' (1937) * '' Gangway'' (1937) * '' Sailing Along'' (1938)

References

* "Oxford Companion to Popular Music" by Peter Grimmond - Publisher OUP 1991 - * "Who Was Who in the Theatre: 1912–1976", Vol. 2 D–H - Publisher Pitman London -

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Sonnie 1902 births 1959 deaths English male film actors English film directors English male screenwriters English male stage actors 20th-century English male actors Male actors from London People educated at Beaumont College Royal Army Service Corps officers 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers