George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

best remembered for the series of films he made with

Will Hay William Thomson Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film ''Oh ...

. His first appearance with Hay was in the film ''

Dandy Dick ''Dandy Dick'' may refer to: * ''Dandy Dick'' (play), an 1887 stage farce by Arthur W. Pinero * ''Dandy Dick'' (film), a 1935 film adaptation of the original play {{Disambiguation ...

'' (1935), but he was a significant supporting performer in Hay's films from 1936 to 1940, and while he starred with Hay during this period he played a character called "Harbottle" that was based on a character Marriott usually played. His character Harbottle was originally created by Hay when he used the character in his "The fourth form at St. Michael's" sketches in the 1920s.

Career

Marriott was born at Alpha Place, Yiewsley,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

, on 14 September 1885, the son of George Matthew Marriott (1859–1940), who was then a commercial traveller, and his wife, Edith Rousby, née Coleman (1864–1946). His parents were actors, and his father became a theatrical manager. Moore Marriott made his stage debut at the age of five. He had originally intended to train as an architect, but instead he became an actor in films. Rather like

Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...

and Wilfrid Brambell later, he became typecast as playing old men when he was still relatively young. He had a special set of artificial teeth which he would put in to play his 'old man' characters. He had no teeth in real life and took four different sets of false teeth with him to achieve variety in his characters. Although he made 131 film appearances from 1912, today he is probably best known as old "Harbottle" in a number of comedy films he made with

and Graham Moffatt, including ''

Oh, Mr Porter! ''Oh, Mr Porter!'' is a 1937 British comedy film starring Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel. While not Hay's commercially most successful (although it grossed £500,000 at the box office – equal to ...

'' (1937) and ''

Ask a Policeman ''Ask a Policeman'' is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt. The plot sees Will Hay playing a policeman at the Turnbotham Round police force. The force hasn't arrested ...

'' (1939), as well as Jerry the Mole in '' Convict 99'' (1938), again with Hay and Moffatt. During the filming of Hay's film ''

Dandy Dick ''Dandy Dick'' may refer to: * ''Dandy Dick'' (play), an 1887 stage farce by Arthur W. Pinero * ''Dandy Dick'' (film), a 1935 film adaptation of the original play {{Disambiguation ...

'' (1935), Marriott played an uncredited stableboy. During the filming of ''Dandy Dick'', Marriott said to Hay he thought he should be a straight man to him in his old-man character. His first role as a straight man using this character was in Hay's film ''

Windbag the Sailor ''Windbag the Sailor'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring Will Hay. The film marked the first appearance of Hay with Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott acting as his straight men, however both Moffatt and ...

'' (1936) along with Graham Moffatt. Following the dissolution of the Will Hay/Graham Moffatt/Moore Marriott partnership, he continued to play his Harbottle-type character in films with the comedian

Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation ...

and the Crazy Gang, e.g. '' I Thank You'' (1941) and ''

Back-Room Boy ''Back-Room Boy'' is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Herbert Mason, produced by Edward Black for Gainsborough Pictures and distributed by General Film Distributors. The cast includes Arthur Askey, Googie Withers, Graham Moffatt and M ...

'' (1942). His other film appearances included ''

Millions Like Us ''Millions Like Us'' is a 1943 British propaganda film, showing life in a wartime aircraft factory in documentary detail. It starred Patricia Roc, Gordon Jackson, Anne Crawford, Eric Portman and Megs Jenkins. It was co-written and co-direc ...

'' (1943) and '' Green for Danger'' (1946).

Death

In his later years, Marriott kept a grocer's store in

Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby to ...

, and it is where he died on 11 December 1949; only eight months after the death of his comedy partner,

. Cause of death was cardiac syncope, acute pulmonary oedema and chronic myocardiac degeneration caused by earlier pneumonia. He outlived his mother and his father by merely 3 years and 9 years respectively. Moore Marriott on the Will Hay Tribute Site He was cremated at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

, where his ashes were also interred.

Legacy

''The Will Hay Appreciation Society'' was founded in 2009 by British artist Tom Marshall, and aims to preserve the legacy of Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and to bring their work to a new generation of fans. As of June 2019, the organisation has over 4200 members. ''The Will Hay Appreciation Society'' unveiled a memorial bench to Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt in October 2018, in Cliddesden,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

the filming location for

Oh, Mr. Porter! ''Oh, Mr Porter!'' is a 1937 British comedy film starring Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel. While not Hay's commercially most successful (although it grossed £500,000 at the box office – equal to a ...

. The bench was unveiled by

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterm ...

Selected filmography

* ''A Maid of the Alps'' (1912, Short) * '' By the Shortest of Heads'' (1915, Short) - Capt. Fields * ''

Grim Justice ''Grim Justice'' is a 1916 British silent drama film directed by Laurence Trimble and starring Florence Turner, Henry Edwards, Malcolm Cherry.Low p.288 Cast * Florence Turner as Chrystal Transom * Henry Edwards as Gideon Midhurst * Malcol ...

'' (1916) - Grandfather Transom * '' The Grip of Iron'' (1920) - Smiler * '' Mary Latimer, Nun'' (1920) - Dickey Stubbs * '' The Winding Road'' (1920) - Jed Sterrett * ''Three Men in a Van'' (1921) - Mudley * '' The Head of the Family'' (1922) - Mate * ''

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection ''The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with a ...

'' (1923) - John White * '' Lawyer Quince'' (1924, Short) - Quince * '' Dixon's Return'' (1924, Short) - Bob Dixon * ''

The Conspirators In the English language, a conspirator is a party to a conspiracy. In a criminal conspiracy, each alleged party is a "co-conspirator". Conspirator(s) may refer to: Books * ''The Conspirators'' (novel), 1843 French historical novel by Alexandre D ...

'' (1924) - Morris / Sydney Barnes * '' The Mating of Marcus'' (1924) - Reverend Cheffins * ''

Ordeal by Golf ''The Clicking of Cuthbert'' is a 1924 British silent comedy series of six 30-minute short films, all involving golf. The series, directed by Andrew P. Wilson and starring Harry Beasley, was based on short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. These sto ...

'' (1924, Short) - Reverend Heeza Jones * '' Not for Sale'' (1924) - Solicitor * '' Afraid of Love'' (1925) - Father * '' Confessions'' (1925) - Hardy * '' King of the Castle'' (1925) - Peter Coffin * '' The Gold Cure'' (1925) - Janbois * '' Every Mother's Son'' (1926) - Nobby * ''

The Qualified Adventurer ''The Qualified Adventurer '' is a 1925 British silent adventure film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Matheson Lang, Genevieve Townsend and Fred Raynham. It was based on the 1922 novel ''The Qualified Adventurer'' by Selwyn Jepson. Cast ...

'' (1926) - Bosun * '' London Love'' (1926) - Aaron Levinsky * '' Passion Island'' (1927) - Beppo * '' Second to None'' (1927) - Bill Hyde * '' The Silver Lining'' (1927) - Gypsy * '' Carry On'' (1927) - Mick Trevorn * '' Huntingtower'' (1927) - Speidel * ''

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a ...

'' (1928) - Seth Lee * ''

Toni Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name. In Spanish, Italian, Croatian and Finnish, it is a masculine given name used as a short form of the names derived from Antonius like Antonio, Ante or Anttoni. In Danish, English, Finnish, Norwe ...

'' (1928) - Meyer * ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'' (1928) - Sweeney Todd * ''

Widecombe Fair Widecombe Fair is an annual fair in England, held in the Dartmoor village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor on the second Tuesday of September. It is well known as the subject of the folk song of the same name, featuring Uncle Tom Cobley and his frien ...

'' (1928) - Uncle Tom Cobleigh * '' Kitty'' (1929) - Workman (uncredited) * '' Mr. Smith Wakes Up'' (1929, Short) - Mr. Smith * '' The Lady from the Sea'' (1929) - Old Roberts * ''

The Flying Scotsman LNER Class A3 4472 ''Flying Scotsman'' is a 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. It was employed on long-distance express East Coast ...

'' (1929) - Bob White * '' Kissing Cup's Race'' (1930) - Joe Tricker * '' Aroma of the South Seas'' (1931, Short) - The King * '' The Speckled Band'' (1931) - Member of Jury (uncredited) * '' The Lyons Mail'' (1931) - Choppard * ''

Dance Pretty Lady ''Dance Pretty Lady'' is a 1931 British drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Ann Casson, Carl Harbord, Michael Hogan, Moore Marriott and Flora Robson. It was based on the 1912 novel ''Carnival'' by Compton Mackenzie. The novel ...

'' (1931) - Mr. Raeburn * '' Up for the Cup'' (1931) - James Hardcastle * '' The Crooked Lady'' (1932) - Crabby * '' The Water Gipsies'' (1932) - Mr. Pewtar * ''

Nine till Six ''Nine till Six'' is a 1932 British drama film directed by Basil Dean and starring Louise Hampton, Elizabeth Allan and Florence Desmond. Produced by Basil Dean's Associated Talking Pictures, it was the first film made at Ealing Studios af ...

'' (1932) - Doorman * '' Mr. Bill the Conqueror'' (1932) - Tom Turtle * '' The Sign of Four'' (1932) - Mordecai Smith (uncredited) * '' Heroes of the Mine'' (1932) - Gaffer * '' The Wonderful Story'' (1932) - Zacky Richards * '' Little Waitress'' (1932) - Baron Halfsburg * '' The Crime at Blossoms'' (1933) - Driver * '' Money for Speed'' (1933) - Shorty * ''

A Moorland Tragedy A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (1933, Short) - The Old Man * '' Dora'' (1933, Short) - Thomas Henry Jones * '' The House of Trent'' (1933) - Ferrier * '' Lucky Blaze'' (1933) - Sir James Benson * '' Love's Old Sweet Song'' (1933) - Old Tom * '' Hawley's of High Street'' (1933) - Mr. Busworth * '' A Political Party'' (1934) - Jim Turner * '' Faces'' (1934) - Robert Pelham * '' Girls, Please!'' (1934) - Oldest Inhabitant * '' Nell Gwynn'' (1934) - Robin * ''

The Scoop The Scoop is an outdoor amphitheatre situated on the south side of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in London, located next to City Hall, providing seating for approximately 800 people. Designed by Townshend Landscape Architects Townshend L ...

'' (1934) - Jim Stewart * '' The Feathered Serpent'' (1934) - Harry Hugg * ''

Dandy Dick ''Dandy Dick'' may refer to: * ''Dandy Dick'' (play), an 1887 stage farce by Arthur W. Pinero * ''Dandy Dick'' (film), a 1935 film adaptation of the original play {{Disambiguation ...

'' (1935) - Stableboy (uncredited) * '' Drake of England'' (1935) - Bright * '' The Man Without a Face'' (1935) - Tinker John * ''

Turn of the Tide ''Turn of the Tide'' (1935) is a British drama film directed by Norman Walker and starring John Garrick, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Wilfrid Lawson. It was the first feature film made by J. Arthur Rank. Lacking a distributor for his film, Rank ...

'' (1935) - Tindal Fosdyck * '' Gay Old Dog'' (1935) - George Bliss * '' It's a Bet'' (1935) - Farmer (uncredited) * '' When Knights Were Bold'' (1936) - The Tramp * '' Strange Cargo'' (1936) - Captain Burch * '' Wednesday's Luck'' (1936) - Nobby * ''

The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss ''The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss'' is a 1936 British romantic comedy film directed by Alfred Zeisler and starring Cary Grant. It is a remake of the 1920 film '' The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss'', based on ''The Curious Quest'', a 1919 n ...

'' (1936) - Edwards (uncredited) * ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has ...

'' (1936) - Denis (uncredited) * '' Luck of the Turf'' (1936) - Mr. Jackson * '' Talk of the Devil'' (1936) - Dart Thrower (uncredited) * '' Accused'' (1936) - Dubec * ''

'' (1936) - Jeremiah Harbottle * '' Feather Your Nest'' (1937) - Mr. Jenkins * '' Fifty-Shilling Boxer'' (1937) - Tim Regan * '' The Fatal Hour'' (1937) - Dixon * '' Night Ride'' (1937) - Miner (scenes deleted) * '' Victoria the Great'' (1937) - Train Driver * ''

'' (1937) - Jeremiah Harbottle * '' Intimate Relations'' (1937) - Toomley * ''

Owd Bob ''Owd Bob: The Grey Dog of Kenmuir'', also titled ''Bob, Son of Battle'' for US editions, is a children's book by English author Alfred Ollivant. It was published in 1898 and became popular in the United Kingdom and the United States, though ...

'' (1938) - Samuel * '' Held for Ransom'' (1938) - Hathaway * '' Convict 99'' (1938) - Jerry, The Mole * ''

Old Bones of the River ''Old Bones of the River'' is a comedy film released in 1938 starring British actor Will Hay with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and directed by Marcel Varnel, based on the characters created by Edgar Wallace. The film is a spoof of the 1935 m ...

'' (1938) - Jerry Harbottle * '' A Girl Must Live'' (1939) - Bretherton Hythe * ''

'' (1939) - Harbottle * ''

Cheer Boys Cheer ''Cheer Boys Cheer'' is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Nova Pilbeam, Edmund Gwenn, Jimmy O'Dea, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott and Peter Coke. Plot Edward Ironside (Edmund Gwenn), the head of Ironside Brewery ...

'' (1939) - Geordie * '' Where's That Fire?'' (1939) - Jeremiah Harbottle * '' The Frozen Limits'' (1939) - Tom Tiddler * '' Band Waggon'' (1940) - Jasper * '' Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt'' (1940) - Jerry * '' Gasbags'' (1941) - Jerry Jenkins * '' I Thank You'' (1941) - 'Pop' Bennett * '' Hi Gang!'' (1941) - Uncle Jerry * ''

'' (1942) - Jerry * ''

'' (1943) - Jim Crowson * '' Time Flies'' (1944) - A Soothsayer * '' It Happened One Sunday'' (1944) - Hospital Porter * '' Don't Take It to Heart'' (1944) - Granfer * '' A Place of One's Own'' (1945) - George * '' I'll Be Your Sweetheart'' (1945) - George Le Brunn * '' The Agitator'' (1945) - Ben Duckett * '' Green for Danger'' (1946) - The Patients: Joseph Higgins * ''

The Root of All Evil Root of all evil or Root of evil may refer to: Music * The Root of All Evil (album), ''The Root of All Evil'' (album), a 2009 album by Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy * The Root of All Evil (EP), ''The Root of All Evil'' (EP), Japanese work by ...

'' (1947) - William Scholes * '' Green Fingers'' (1947) - Pickles * '' The Hills of Donegal'' (1947) - Old Jake * ''

The History of Mr. Polly ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is a 1910 comic novel by H. G. Wells. Plot summary The protagonist of ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is an antihero inspired by H. G. Wells's early experiences in the drapery trade: Alfred Polly, born circa 1 ...

'' (1949) - Uncle Pentstemon * '' High Jinks in Society'' (1949) - Grandpa (final film role)

References

External links

* *
Moore Marriott
at BFI
Moore Marriott
at AllMovie {{DEFAULTSORT:Marriott, Moore 1885 births 1949 deaths English male film actors English male silent film actors People from West Drayton 20th-century English male actors Golders Green Crematorium British male comedy actors