Alfred Edward Matthews (22 November 186925 July 1960), known as A. E. Matthews, was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades. Already middle-aged when films began production, he enjoyed increasing renown from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

onwards as one of the British cinema's most famous crotchety, and sometimes rascally, old men.

Early life

Matthews was born in

Bridlington Bridlington (previously known as Burlington) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is on the Holderness part (Flamborough Head to the Humber estuary) of the Yorkshire Coast by the North Sea. The town is ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, England. Nicknamed "Matty", he was christened Alfred Edward Matthews. He married actress May Blayney, best known for her role as Julie Alardy in

Monckton Hoffe Monckton Hoffe (1880–1951) was an Irish playwright and screenwriter. Early life On 26 December 1880, Hoffe was born in Connemara, Ireland. His full name was Reaney Monckton Hoffe-Miles. Career Hoffe was known for his romantic comedies a ...

's '' The Little Damozel''. The couple had three children, a girl and twin boys.

Career

A prominent stage actor by his mid-40s, Matthews was among several theatre figures who then began a film career during the

silent era A silent film is a film without 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, wh ...

with the British Actors Film Company, a production company that operated between 1916 and 1923. Matthews toured during

in ''The First Mrs. Fraser'', with Dame

Marie Tempest Dame Mary Susan Etherington (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress. Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian era, Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedie ...

and

Barry Morse Herbert "Barry" Morse (10 June 19182 February 2008) was a British-Canadian actor, writer, and director. He was known for playing Lt. Philip Gerard, the principal antagonist of the American television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–67), as ...

, and was later cast in the extremely popular films '' Carry On Admiral, Doctor at Large'' and '' Around the World in 80 Days'', in which he played a mainstay of the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club, owned and controlled by its members, on the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it had an all-male membership for ...

. Matthews's other best-known films include ''

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' is a 1943 British romantic-war film written, produced and directed by the British film-making team of Powell and Pressburger, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and ...

'', ''

The Million Pound Note ''The Million Pound Note'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck, Ronald Squire, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Jane Griffiths (actress), Jane Griffiths. It is based on the 1893 Mark Twain short story "The Mi ...

'' (with

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

), '' Inn for Trouble'', ''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivie ...

'', '' The Ghosts of Berkeley Square'' and '' Just William's Luck''. In 1951 Matthews was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

, and on 15 August 1951 when aged 81 he was interviewed by

Roy Plomley Francis Roy Plomley ( ; 20 January 1914 – 28 May 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist. He is best remembered for creating the BBC Radio series ''Desert Island Discs'', which he hosted from its inception in ...

as the guest "

castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a desert island, either to evade kidnapping, captors or the world in general. A person may also be ...

" on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

's long-running ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

'' programme. He was Roy Plomley's 100th castaway. In his later years, his memory began to decline.

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missin ...

, who directed him in ''The Million Pound Note'' (1954) made sure to shoot all his scenes in the mornings because he became confused and forgetful in the afternoons. In his 89th year, Matthews made national headlines by sitting for several days and nights on the pavement outside his beautiful Georgian home in

Bushey Heath Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It had a population of 25,328 in the 2011 census, rising to 28,416 in the 2021 census, an increase of 12.19%. This makes Bushey the second most populated town ...

near London, his purpose being to prevent the council from installing a new streetlight, the design of which he felt was totally out of keeping with the neighbourhood and which badly needed improvement.

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

penned an episode of ''

The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...

'' entitled "The Evils of Bushey Spon" based on the incident. The programme, first broadcast on 17 March 1958, included a guest appearance by Matthews himself at the end of the episode, and this part of the show was ad-libbed as Milligan knew Matthews had never used a script in his life, and wrote blank lines for him. Much laughter was obtained by the larking around of the Goons interaction with their guest. Shortly afterwards, on 5 May 1958, Matthews appeared on the live BBC TV programme '' This Is Your Life'', a notable feature of which occurred at the end when he was faded out just as he began to speak directly to the television theatre audience. Having regaled audience and viewers throughout the show with highly engaging reminiscences, there were many press and public complaints to the BBC about the fade out. Host

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

recalled in his autobiography that "Matty had been a bit of a hellion all his life, a loveable, unpredictable rebel whose sense of fun was monumental. I knew I had a tough assignment on my hands once the decision was made to present his 'life'. On transmission, he did just about every solitary thing calculated to wreck the show's intricate timing and drive me up the drapes. He snorted, contradicted, interrupted, laughed, and, at one stage, even stretched out on the couch and said he was going to have a snooze.". On the following day, the

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

declared that "There has never been a ''This Is Your Life'' quite like it", and a ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' article titled "Mattie's BBC Fade-Out Angers Viewers" wrote that "This was THE life of the whole series." Matthews was still working as an actor right up until his death two years later. He died on 25 July 1960 in

, Hertfordshire, aged 90. A

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

is displayed on his former home at 38 Little Bushey Lane, WD23 4RN. In 2008

Greg Knight Sir Gregory Knight (born 4 April 1949) is a British politician, author and musician. He served as the Conservative MP for East Yorkshire from 2001 to 2024, having previously served as the MP for Derby North from 1983 to 1997. He also serv ...

, the Member of Parliament for the

constituency, (which includes Matthews's birthplace, Bridlington), launched a successful campaign to have his birthplace recognised with a blue plaque. A special ceremony to commemorate his life and career was held in the town on 22 November 2008, organised and compered by Knight. It was attended by the ventriloquist

Ray Alan Raymond Alan Whyberd (18 September 1930 – 24 May 2010) was an English ventriloquist, television entertainer, and writer. His career spanned over half a century, though he was most popular from the 1950s until the 1980s. He was associated pri ...

, who knew Matthews and who spoke about his memories of him.

Filmography

* ''A Highwayman's Honour'' (1914 short) * ''Wanted: A Widow'' (1916 short) * ''The Real Thing at Last'' (1916 short) as Murdered * ''The Lifeguardsman'' (1916) as Lt. Tosh * ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

'' (1918) as Guy Travers * '' The Lackey and the Lady'' (1919) * '' Castle of Dreams'' (1919) as Gerald Sumner * '' The Iron Duke'' (1934) as Lord Hill * ''

Men Are Not Gods ''Men Are Not Gods'' is a 1936 British film starring Miriam Hopkins and co-starring Gertrude Lawrence, Sebastian Shaw and Rex Harrison. It was a success in the UK when released largely due to the popularity of the two female stars Hopkins and ...

'' (1936) as Frederick Skeates * '' Quiet Wedding'' (1941) as Arthur Royd * '' This England'' (1941) * '' "Pimpernel" Smith'' (1941) as Earl of Meadowbrook * '' The Great Mr. Handel'' (1942) as Charles Jennens * '' Thunder Rock'' (1942) as Mr. Kirby * ''

'' (1943) as President of Tribunal * ''

The Man in Grey ''The Man in Grey'' is a 1943 British melodrama film made by Gainsborough Pictures; it is considered to be the first of a series of period costume dramas now known as the " Gainsborough melodramas". It was directed by Leslie Arliss and produ ...

'' (1943) as Auctioneer * ''

Escape to Danger ''Escape to Danger'' is a 1943 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and Victor Hanbury and starring Eric Portman, Ann Dvorak and Karel Stepanek. Plot During the Second World War a British schoolteacher working in Denmark is caug ...

'' (1943) as Sir Thomas Leighton * '' They Came to a City'' (1944) as Sir George Gedney * ''

The Way Ahead ''The Way Ahead'' (also known as ''Immortal Battalion'') (1944) is a British Second World War drama film directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov. The film stars David Niven, Stanley Holloway and Wi ...

'' (1944) as Colonel Walmsley * '' Love Story'' (1944) as Col. Pitt Smith * '' Twilight Hour'' (1945) as General Fitzhenry * ''

Flight from Folly ''Flight from Folly'' is a 1945 British musical comedy film directed and produced by Herbert Mason, in his last directorial credit before moving onto production, for Warner Bros. The cast includes Pat Kirkwood, Hugh Sinclair and Tamara Desni a ...

'' (1945) as Neville * '' Piccadilly Incident'' (1946) as Sir Charles Pearson * '' The Ghosts of Berkeley Square'' (1947) as Gen. Bristow * '' Just William's Luck'' (1947) as The Tramp * '' William Comes to Town'' (1948) as Minister for Economic Affairs * '' Edward, My Son'' (1949) as Lord George Trelby * '' The Forbidden Street'' (1949) as Mr. Bly * '' Whisky Galore!'' (1949) as Colonel Linsey-Woolsey * '' The Chiltern Hundreds'' (1949) as Lord Lister * ''

Landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

'' (1949) as Air Raid Warden * '' Mister Drake's Duck'' (1951) as Brig. Matthews * '' The Galloping Major'' (1951) as Sir Robert Medleigh * ''

Laughter in Paradise ''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi, starring Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton. It was written by Jack Davies and Michael Pertwee. The film was remade as '' Some Will, S ...

'' (1951) as Sir Charles Robson * ''

'' (1951) as Old GentlemanRelease date for The Magic Box
in IMDb. * '' Castle in the Air'' (1952) as Blair * ''

Who Goes There! ''Who Goes There!'' I (U.S. title: ''The Passionate Sentry'' )is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Nigel Patrick, Valerie Hobson and George Cole. It was written by John Dighton based on his 1950 play ''Who ...

'' (1952) as Sir Arthur Cornwall * ''

Something Money Can't Buy ''Something Money Can't Buy'' is a 1952 British comedy drama film directed by Pat Jackson and starring Patricia Roc, Anthony Steel (actor), Anthony Steel and Moira Lister. It was written by Jackson and J.L. Hodson, and distributed by Rank's Gen ...

'' (1952) as Lord Haverstock * '' Penny Princess'' (1952) as Selby * ''

Made in Heaven ''Made In Heaven'' is the fifteenth and final studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 6 November 1995 by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and by Hollywood Records in the United States. It is the final studio album to ...

'' (1952) as Hillary Topham * ''

Meet Mr. Lucifer ''Meet Mr. Lucifer'' (also known as ''Let's Put out the Light)'' is a 1953 black-and-white British comedy satire film directed by Anthony Pelisser starring Stanley Holloway, Peggy Cummins and Jack Watling. It is based on the 1951 play ''Beggar ...

'' (1953) as Himself * '' Skid Kids'' (1953) as Man in Taxi * ''

'' (1954) as Duke of Frognal * '' The Weak and the Wicked'' (1954) as Harry Wicks, Mabel's beau * '' Happy Ever After'' (1954) as General O'Leary * '' Aunt Clara'' (1954) as Simon Hilton * '' Miss Tulip Stays the Night'' (1955) as Mr. Potts * ''

Jumping for Joy ''Jumping for Joy'' is a 1956 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Frankie Howerd, Stanley Holloway, Joan Hickson and Lionel Jeffries. It was written by Henry Blyth and Jack Davies. It tells of the comic adventures ...

'' (1956) as Lord Reginald Cranfield * '' Loser Takes All'' (1956) as Elderly Man in Casino * '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956) as Reform Club member * ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...

'' (1956) as Crabtree, 1st Old Gentleman * ''The Square'' (1957 short) * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) as Duke of Skye and Lewes * '' Carry On Admiral'' (1957) as Adm. Sir Maximillian Godfrey, K.C.B. * ''The Royalty'' (1957) (BBC TV series)
– Episode 1 as Lord Charters * ''The Sky Larks'' (1958) (BBC TV series)
– Episode 9: "Find the Lady" as Vice Adml. Sir Geoffrey Wiggin-Fanshawe * ''How Say You?'' (1959) (BBC TV drama) as Mr. Peebles * '' Inn for Trouble'' (1960) as Sir Hector Gore-Blandish (final film role)

Selected stage appearances

* '' Lady Huntworth's Experiment'' by R.C. Carton (1900) * ''

Peg o' My Heart "Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan (lyricist), Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music). It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The song was first performed publ ...

'' by J. Hartley Manners (1916) * ''

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who ...

'' by

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and Actor-manager, manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies ...

(1921) * '' The Happy Husband'' by

Harrison Owen Albert John "Harrison" Owen (24 June 1890 – 30 May 1966) was an Australian playwright, novelist, poet, and journalist. Career Although Owen spent most of his life as a daily journalist, his creative flair was never jeopardized. Throughout ...

(1927) * ''

Spring Meeting ''Spring Meeting'' is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Walter C. Mycroft and Norman Lee and starring Enid Stamp-Taylor, Michael Wilding, Basil Sydney and Sarah Churchill. It was based on a 1938 play of the same title by Molly Keane (a ...

'' by

Molly Keane Molly Keane (20 July 1904 – 22 April 1996),Who's Who 1987 Mary Nesta Skrine, and who also wrote as M. J. Farrell, was an Irish novelist and playwright. Early life Keane was born Mary Nesta Skrine in Ryston Cottage, Newbridge, County Kilda ...

(1938) * ''

They Came to a City ''They Came to a City'' is a 1944 British black-and-white science-fiction film directed by Basil Dearden and starring John Clements, Googie Withers, Raymond Huntley, Renee Gadd and A. E. Matthews. It was adapted from the 1943 play of the same t ...

'' by

J.B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

(1943) * '' But for the Grace of God'' by

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'' ...

(1946) * '' The Chiltern Hundreds'' by

William Douglas Home William Douglas Home (3 June 1912 – 28 September 1992) was a British dramatist and politician. Early life Douglas-Home (he later dropped the hyphen from his surname) was the third son of Charles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home, and Lady Lil ...

(1947) * ''

The Manor of Northstead ''The Manor of Northstead'' is a 1954 comedy play by the British writer William Douglas Home. It is a sequel to his 1947 hit '' The Chiltern Hundreds''. The title refers to the Manor of Northstead. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham ...

'' by

(1954)

References

External links

* *
Performance details in University of Bristol Theatre Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, AE 1869 births 1960 deaths English male film actors English male silent film actors English male stage actors Male actors from the East Riding of Yorkshire Actors from Bridlington 20th-century English male actors