Gordon James (1878 – 1949) was an English actor who became known as the "heavy" in the

Aldwych farce The Aldwych farces were a series of twelve stage farces presented at the Aldwych Theatre, London, nearly continuously from 1923 to 1933. All but three of them were written by Ben Travers. They incorporate and develop British low comedy styles ...

s, between 1923 and 1933. He also appeared in some twenty films between 1929 and 1942. James was born on 22 July 1878 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

as Sydney Lynn, he was the brother of

Ralph Lynn Ralph Clifford Lynn (8 March 1882 – 8 August 1962) was an English actor who had a 60-year career, and is best remembered for playing comedy parts in the Aldwych farces first on stage and then in film. Lynn became an actor at the age of 1 ...

, who co-starred in the Aldwych farces with

Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...

. James appeared alongside his brother in all twelve of the farces. They were two of only three performers to appear in every one of the Aldwych series; the other was

Robertson Hare John Robertson Hare, Order of the British Empire, OBE (17 December 1891 – 25 January 1979) was an English actor, who came to fame in the Aldwych farces. He is remembered by more recent audiences for his performances as the Archdeacon in the p ...

. James's roles were: George McChesney in '' It Pays to Advertise'' (1923, under his real name); Noony in ''

A Cuckoo in the Nest ''A Cuckoo in the Nest'' is a farce by the English playwright Ben Travers. It was first given at the Aldwych Theatre, London, the second in the series of twelve Aldwych farces presented by the actor-manager Tom Walls at the theatre between 1923 ...

'' (1925); Admiral Juddy in '' Rookery Nook''; Death in '' Thark'' (1927); Simon Veal in ''

Plunder Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

'' (1928); Nicholas Ramsbotham in '' A Cup of Kindness'' (1929); Knee in '' A Night Like This'' (1930); Luke Meate in '' Turkey Time'' (1931); Toom in '' Dirty Work'' (1932); Francis in '' Fifty-Fifty'' (1932); and Old Dale in '' A Bit of a Test'' (1933). He appeared in the wartime farce '' She Follows Me About'' by

Ben Travers Ben Travers (12 November 188618 December 1980) was an English writer. His output includes more than 20 plays, 30 screenplays, 5 novels, and 3 volumes of memoirs. He is most notable for his long-running series of farces first staged in the 19 ...

, author of the Aldwych Farces. He made his first screen appearance in the 1929 film ''

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

'', followed by film versions of the Aldwych farces in the early 1930s (often alongside his brother Ralph), and a variety of other films until 1942. James died in London on 3 February 1949."Gordon James"
British Film Institute, accessed 17 February 2013

Filmography

* ''

'' (1929) * '' Tons of Money'' (1930) * ''

'' (1931) * '' Thark'' (1932) * ''

Summer Lightning ''Summer Lightning'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title ''Fish Preferred'', and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Her ...

'' (1933) * ''

'' (1933) * '' Dirty Work'' (1934) * '' A Cup of Kindness'' (1934) * '' Foreign Affaires'' (1935) * '' Fighting Stock'' (1935) * '' Stormy Weather'' (1935) * '' Pot Luck'' (1936) * ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...

'' (1936) * '' Love in Exile'' (1936) * '' For Valour'' (1937) * '' A Spot of Bother'' (1938) * ''

Second Best Bed ''Second Best Bed'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Tom Walls and starring Walls, Jane Baxter and Veronica Rose. The screenplay was by Ben Travers, based on an earlier story of his. The screenplay concerns a newly married couple who ...

'' (1938) * '' Saloon Bar'' (1940) * ''Now You're Talking'' * '' The Young Mr. Pitt'' (1942)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Gordon 1878 births Male actors from Manchester English male stage actors English male film actors 20th-century English male actors 1949 deaths