Frederick Volpe (31 July 1865 – 7 March 1932), sometimes printed Volpé, was an English actor. He made his stage debut in his early twenties. From 1894 until his death he was a familiar figure on the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

stage, generally in undemanding comedies and other ephemeral productions. Among others, he created the role of Alexis in '' The Girl in the Taxi'' (1913). He made several films, beginning in 1917.

Life and career

Volpe was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, the son of Raffaele Volpe. He was educated at the

Liverpool Institute High School for Boys The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys was an all-boys grammar school in the English port city of Liverpool. The school had its origins in 1825 but occupied different premises while the money was found to build a dedicated building on ...

(now the

Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) is a performing arts higher education institution in Liverpool, founded by Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty and opened in 1996. LIPA offers 11 full-time BA ( Hons) degrees in a ra ...

), and made his stage debut in 1887 at

Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd''). To the west ...

in north Wales. He first came to public prominence in 1894 when he appeared in ''The Gentleman Whip'' at

Terry's Theatre Terry's Theatre was a West End theatre in the Strand, in the City of Westminster, London. Built in 1887, it became a cinema in 1910 before being demolished in 1923. History The theatre was built in 1887, near Fountain's Court, on the site of a ...

, London, under the management of

Weedon Grossmith Walter Weedon Grossmith (9 June 1854 – 14 June 1919), better known as Weedon Grossmith, was an English writer, painter, actor, and playwright best known as co-author of ''The Diary of a Nobody'' (1892) with his brother, music hall comedia ...

. He remained a member of Grossmith's team for more than two years, appearing in ''The New Boy'', ''The Ladies' Idol'', ''Poor Mr. Potion'' and ''The Romance of the Shopwalker''. For the rest of the century he played in light comedies and other ephemeral productions in the

. In 1900 he visited America with E. S. Willard's company. Between the turn of the century and the First World War, Volpe's roles included Pecksniff in ''Tom Pinch'', based on ''

Martin Chuzzlewit ''The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit'' (commonly known as ''Martin Chuzzlewit'') is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between 1842 and 1844. While he was writing it ...

'' (1903), Lord Amersteth in a play based on the '' Raffles'' stories (1906), Paul Bultitude in a stage version of ''

Vice Versa References Additional references * * {{Latin phrases V ca:Locució llatina#V da:Latinske ord og vendinger#V fr:Liste de locutions latines#V id:Daftar frasa Latin#V it:Locuzioni latine#V nl:Lijst van Latijnse spreekwoorden en ui ...

'', and Alexis in '' The Girl in the Taxi'' (1913). Among his post-war roles were Chancellor Teppich in ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in or ...

'' (1923), Mr Cattermole in ''

The Private Secretary ''The Private Secretary'' is an 1883 farce in three acts, by Charles Hawtrey. The play, adapted from a German original, depicts the vicissitudes of a mild young clergyman, innocently caught up in the machinations of two irresponsible young men ...

'' (1923)Parker, pp. 951–952 and Sir Joshua Grimshaw in ''The Truth Game'' in a starry cast including

Lily Elsie Elsie Cotton (''née'' Hodder, 8 April 1886 – 16 December 1962), known professionally as Lily Elsie, was an English actress and singer during the Edwardian era. She was best known for her starring role in the London premiere of Franz Lehár's ...

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

Lilian Braithwaite Dame Florence Lilian Braithwaite, (9 March 1873 – 17 September 1948), known professionally as Lilian Braithwaite, was an English actress, primarily of the stage, although she appeared in both silent and talkie films. Early life She was born ...

, Viola Tree and Glen Byam Shaw (1928). Volpe was married to the actress Alice Beet, whom he outlived by two months. He died at his home in

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

, Surrey aged 66."Death of Mr Frederick Volpe", ''The Times'', 8 March 1932, p. 12

Partial filmography

* ''

The Labour Leader ''The Labour Leader'' is a 1917 British silent drama film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Fred Groves, Fay Compton and Owen Nares. The film was based on an original screenplay by Kenelm Foss.Low p.70 Plot summary After his friend imp ...

'' (1917) * ''

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 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in ...

'' (1918) * '' The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick'' (1921) * ''

Lord Richard in the Pantry ''Lord Richard in the Pantry '' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Richard Cooper, Dorothy Seacombe and Marjorie Hume. No print of the film is known to exist, and it is included on the British Film Institute's ...

'' (1930) * '' The Middle Watch'' (1930) * ''

Bed and Breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

'' (1930) * '' Captivation'' (1931)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Volpe, Frederick 1865 births 1932 deaths English male film actors English male silent film actors Male actors from Liverpool 20th-century English male actors