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 Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

'' 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 a variety of roles such as Mercutio in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' (1922), Domin in '' R.U.R.'' (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 Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (1923), Prince Hal in ''

Henry IV, Part I ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'' (1926), and Petruchio in ''

Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a Frame story, framing device, often referred to as the Induction (play), inducti ...

'' (1927). In 1937 he starred in the murder mystery ''

Blondie White ''Blondie White'' is a 1937 mystery play by British writer Jeffrey Dell and Bernard Merivale. A murder mystery, it was inspired by an earlier play by Hungarian writer Ladislas Fodor. A famous crime novelist helps Scotland Yard to solve the murder ...

'' in the West End. He made over 50 screen appearances, most memorably as

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

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

's 1948 film of ''

.'' He also appeared in classic films like ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

'' (1950), ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

'' (1952), and ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () 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 employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'' (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 qu ...

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 adapt ...

'' at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...

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 who spent most of her career in Britain. Trained as a lyric soprano, she began performing at the Metropolitan Opera where she created the ...

, 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 – 23 November 2010) was an English actress, writer, and film executive. Acting career After studying at RADA, she was spotted by film director Anthony Asquith in a play at London's Embassy Theatre. He cast t ...

; they had three children. A heavy smoker, Sydney died from

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

in 1968, aged 73.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1920) as Armstrong * '' Red Hot Romance'' (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 Ki ...

'' (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 Tre ...

'' (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 a ...

'' (1935) as Ian Mackie * '' The Tunnel'' (1935) as Mostyn * '' The Amateur Gentleman'' (1936) as Louis Chichester * '' Rhodes of Africa'' (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 Ludwi ...

'' (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 Herbe ...

'' (1936) as Stephen Rindlay * '' Accused'' (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 and Stewart Rome. It was produced at Isleworth Studios in London as a quota quickie for distribution by RKO Pictures. Synop ...

'' (1940) as Dr. Zander * ''

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 ...

'' (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 ''The Black Sheep of Whitehall'' (the opening credits read ''Black Sheep of Whitehall'') is a 1942 British black-and-white comedy film, comedy war film, film director, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, starring Will Hay, John Mills, Basil ...

'' (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 Secon ...

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

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

'' (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? ''Went the Day Well?'' is a 1942 British war film adapted from a story by Graham Greene and directed by Alberto Cavalcanti. It was produced by Michael Balcon of Ealing Studios and served as unofficial propaganda for the war effort. The film shows ...

'' (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 Australian television series * '' Meet: Badlegi Duniya K ...

'' (1947) as Georges Vermorel * '' The Man Within'' (1947) as Sir Henry Merriman * '' Jassy'' (1947) as Nick Helmar * ''

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

'' (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 (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

'' (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 Simba is a fictional character in Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's ''The Lion King (franchise), The Lion King ''franchise. First appearing as a cub in ''The Lion King'' (1994), the character flees his homeland when his father, Mufasa, is ...

'' (1955) as Mr. Crawford * '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris * ''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () 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 employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'' (1956) as Reform Club Member #2 * '' Sea Wife'' (1957) as Bulldog * '' Island in the Sun'' (1957) as Julian Fleury * ''

A Question of Adultery ''A Question of Adultery'' (U.S. title: ''The Case of Mrs. Loring'') is a 1958 British drama film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Julie London and Anthony Steel. It was written by Anne Edwards, based on the 1948 play ''Breach of Marriage' ...

'' (1958) as Sir John Loring * ''

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

'' (1959) as Sir William Young * '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959) as Lawyer Hawkins * ''

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver ''The 3 Worlds of Gulliver'' is a 1960 American Eastmancolor fantasy adventure film loosely based upon the 1726 novel ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift. The film stars Kerwin Mathews as the title character, June Thorburn as his fiancée E ...

'' (1960) as Emperor of Lilliput * '' The Hands of Orlac'' (1960) as Maurice Seidelman * ''

A Story of David ''A Story of David'' (also known as ''David the Outlaw'') is a 1961 British Empire, British-Israel, Israeli drama (film and television), drama film directed by Bob McNaught and starring Jeff Chandler (actor), Jeff Chandler, Basil Sydney and Pet ...

'' (1961) as King Saul

References

External links

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