Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor.

Career

Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit '' Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star

Doris Keane Doris Keane (December 12, 1881 – November 25, 1945) was an American actress, primarily in live theatre. Early life and family Keane was born in Michigan to Joseph Keane and Florence Winter. She was educated privately in Chicago, New York, Pa ...

, and he costarred with Keane in the 1920 silent film of the play. The couple married in 1918, and when Keane revived ''Romance'' in New York City in 1921, Sydney made his Broadway debut in the parts. He stayed in New York for over a decade playing classical roles such as Mercutio in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' (1922), Richard Dudgeon in '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1923), the title role in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (1923), Prince Hal in '' Henry IV, Part I'' (1926), and Petruchio in '' Taming of the Shrew'' (1927). In 1937 he starred in the murder mystery '' Blondie White'' in the West End. Basil Sydney Ivanhoe trailer (1952)

He made over 50 screen appearances, most memorably as

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

's 1948 film of ''

.'' He also appeared in classic films like '' Treasure Island'' (1950), ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

'' (1952), and ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' (1956), but the focus of his career was the stage on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1946 he starred with

Flora Robson Dame Flora McKenzie Robson (28 March 19027 July 1984) was an English actress and star of the theatrical stage and cinema, particularly renowned for her performances in plays demanding dramatic and emotional intensity. Her range extended from q ...

in ''

A Man About the House ''A Man About the House'' is a British drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and released in 1947. The film is a melodrama, adapted for the screen by J. B. Williams from the 1942 novel of the same name by Francis Brett Young. A theatrical ada ...

'' at the Piccadilly Theatre.

Personal life

Sydney divorced Keane in 1925. In 1929, he married actress

Mary Ellis Mary Ellis (born May Belle Elsas, June 15, 1897 – January 30, 2003) was an American actress and singer appearing on stage, radio, television and film, best known for her musical theatre roles, particularly in Ivor Novello works. After appea ...

, and the couple moved to England.''A Special Relationship''
/ref> There he concentrated more on film than on theatre work. In the 1940s, he married English film actress

Joyce Howard Joyce Howard (28 February 1922 in London – 23 November 2010 in Santa Monica, California) was an English actress, writer, and film executive. After studying at RADA, she was spotted by film director Anthony Asquith in a play at London's Emb ...

; they had three children. A heavy smoker, Sydney died from pleurisy in 1968, aged 73.

Filmography

* '' Romance'' (1920) as Armstrong * ''

Red Hot Romance ''Red Hot Romance'' is a 1922 American silent comedy film directed by Victor Fleming. A fragmentary print survives in the Library of Congress. Plot As described in a film magazine, young American Rowland Stone (Sydney) receives $50 per week fr ...

'' (1922) as Rowland Stone * ''

The Midshipmaid ''The Midshipmaid'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Jessie Matthews, Frederick Kerr, Basil Sydney and Nigel Bruce. The film is based on the 1931 play of the same title by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall. ...

'' (1932) as Cmdr. Fosberry * ''

The Third Clue ''The Third Clue'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by Albert Parker and starring Basil Sydney, Molly Lamont and Raymond Lovell. The film was based on Neil Gordon's novel ''The Shakespeare Murders'', which also inspired '' The Claydon Tr ...

'' (1934) as Reinhardt Conway * '' Dirty Work'' (1934) as Hugh Stafford * ''

The Riverside Murder ''The Riverside Murder'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Albert Parker and starring Basil Sydney, Judy Gunn and Zoe Davis. A woman reporter helps an inspector solve the deaths of four financiers on the eve of a group shareout. The fi ...

'' (1935) as Inspector Philip Winton * ''

The White Lilac ''The White Lilac'' is a 1935 British mystery film directed by Albert Parker and starring Basil Sydney, Judy Gunn, Claude Dampier and Percy Marmont. It is based upon the play of the same name by Ladislas Fodor. It was made at Wembley Studios as ...

'' (1935) as Ian Mackie * ''

The Tunnel ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1935) as Mostyn * ''

The Amateur Gentleman ''The Amateur Gentleman'' is a novel by Jeffery Farnol, published in 1913. It was made into a silent film in 1920 and again in 1926 and a talking film in 1936 with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. starring as the protagonist, Barnabas Barty. Plot summ ...

'' (1936) as Louis Chichester * ''

Rhodes of Africa ''Rhodes of Africa'' is a 1936 British biographical film charting the life of Cecil Rhodes. It was directed by Berthold Viertel and starred Walter Huston, Oskar Homolka, Basil Sydney and Bernard Lee. Plot The movie begins with the captions: "Th ...

'' (1936) as Dr. Jim Jameson * '' Blind Man's Bluff'' (1936) as Dr. Peter Fairfax * ''

Crime Over London ''Crime Over London'' is a 1936 British crime film directed by Alfred Zeisler and starring Margot Grahame, Paul Cavanagh and David Burns. It was made at Isleworth Studios,Wood p.89 based on the novel ''House of a Thousand Windows'' by Ludwig v ...

'' (1936) as 'Joker' Finnigan * ''

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 Herber ...

'' (1936) as Stephen Rindlay * ''

Accused Accused or The Accused may refer to: * A person suspected with committing a crime or offence; see Criminal charge ** Suspect, a known person suspected of committing a crime * The Accüsed, a 1980s Seattle crossover thrash band *''The Accused'', a ...

'' (1936) as Eugene Roget * '' The Four Just Men'' (1939) as Frank Snell * ''

Shadowed Eyes ''Shadowed Eyes'' is a 1940 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Basil Sydney, Patricia Hilliard (actress), Patricia Hilliard and Stewart Rome. It was produced at Isleworth Studios in London as a quota quickie for distribu ...

'' (1940) as Dr. Zander * '' Spring Meeting'' (1941) as James * ''

The Farmer's Wife ''The Farmer's Wife'' is a 1928 British silent romantic comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Jameson Thomas, Lillian Hall-Davis and Gordon Harker. It is adapted from a 1916 play of the same name by British novelist, poet an ...

'' (1941) as Samuel Sweetland * '' The Black Sheep of Whitehall'' (1942) as Costello * ''

Ships with Wings ''Ships with Wings'' is a 1941 British war film directed by Sergei Nolbandov and starring John Clements, Leslie Banks and Jane Baxter. The film is set during the Battle of Greece (1940-1941). It depicts military aviation. Plot During the Second ...

'' (1942) as Capt. Fairfax * ''

The Big Blockade ''The Big Blockade'' is a 1942 British black-and-white war propaganda film in the style of dramatised documentary. It is directed by Charles Frend and stars Will Hay, Leslie Banks, Michael Redgrave and John Mills. It was produced by Michael Bal ...

'' (1942) as Bit Part (uncredited) * ''

The Next of Kin ''The Next of Kin'', also known as ''Next of Kin'', is a 1942 Second World War propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios. The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government message that ...

'' (1942) as Naval captain * '' Went the Day Well?'' (1942) as Major Ortler * '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' (1945) as Rufio * ''

Meet Me at Dawn Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer * Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Meet'' (TV series), an early Australian television series which aired on ABC du ...

'' (1947) as Georges Vermorel * ''

The Man Within ''The Man Within'' (1929) is the first novel by author Graham Greene. It tells the story of Francis Andrews, a reluctant smuggler, who betrays his colleagues, and the aftermath of his betrayal. It is Greene's first published novel. (Two earlier a ...

'' (1947) as Sir Henry Merriman * '' Jassy'' (1947) as Nick Helmar * ''

'' (1948) as Claudius - The King * '' The Angel with the Trumpet'' (1950) as Francis Alt * '' Treasure Island'' (1950) as

Captain Smollett Captain Alexander Smollett is the fictional captain of the schooner ''Hispaniola'' in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''. He plays an important part in disciplining the main characters on the ship as the story progresses, and ...

* ''

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 ...

'' (1951) as William Fox-Talbot * ''

'' (1952) as Waldemar Fitzurse * ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'' (1953) as Pontius Pilate * ''

Hell Below Zero ''Hell Below Zero'' is a 1954 British-American adventure film directed by Mark Robson and starring Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, Basil Sydney and Stanley Baker. It was written by Alec Coppel and Max Trell based on the 1949 novel '' The White South'' ...

'' (1954) as Bland * '' Star of India'' (1954) as King Louis XIV * ''Three's Company'' (1954) as Dr. Graham (segment "The Surgeon's Story") * '' Simba'' (1955) as Mr. Crawford * '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris * '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956) as Reform Club Member #2 * ''

Sea Wife ''Sea Wife'' is a 1957 British CinemaScope drama thriller war film photographed in DeLuxe Color, based on the 1955 James Maurice Scott novel ''Sea-Wyf and Biscuit''. Shot in Jamaica, the film follows a group of survivors from a torpedoed Briti ...

'' (1957) as Bulldog * '' Island in the Sun'' (1957) as Julian Fleury * '' A Question of Adultery'' (1958) as Sir John Loring * '' John Paul Jones'' (1959) as Sir William Young * '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959) as Lawyer Hawkins * '' The 3 Worlds of Gulliver'' (1960) as Emperor of Lilliput * ''

The Hands of Orlac ''The Hands of Orlac'' may refer to: * ''Les Mains d'Orlac'', a novel by Maurice Renard and several adaptations of that novel: * The Hands of Orlac (1924 film), ''The Hands of Orlac'' (1924 film), an Austrian film * The Hands of Orlac (1935 film) ...

'' (1960) as Maurice Seidelman * '' A Story of David'' (1961) as King Saul

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sydney, Basil 1894 births 1968 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors People from Tendring (district) 20th-century English male actors Respiratory disease deaths in England Infectious disease deaths in England Deaths from pleurisy British expatriate male actors in the United States