Frederick Randle Ayrton (9 August 1869 – 28 May 1940) was a British actor of stage and screen, and was also a producer and director.

Early life

Ayrton was born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

to William Frances Ayrton, a wealthy wine-merchant who was a partner and co-founder of the firm of Ayrton & Groome, and his second wife Pauline (Fleischmann). Two of Randle's full brothers also gained prominence. The eldest, William Ayrton (1861-1916), was an artist based in Suffolk. The youngest,

Maxwell Ayrton Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton Royal Institute of British Architects, FRIBA (1874 – 18 February 1960), known as Maxwell Ayrton, was an England, English architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, ...

(1874-1960), was a leading architect. The Ayrton family originated in Yorkshire. Randle's forebear Edward Ayrton was mayor of

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

in 1760, and laid the foundations for the family's subsequent prominence. Ayrton was educated at The King's School, Chester and

Geneva University The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology unti ...

Career

Ayrton made his stage debut in 1890, at the Old Avenue Theatre in London and was successful on stage in London and in America into the late 1930s.In 1918 he appeared in the comedy '' The Freedom of the Seas'' at the

Theatre Royal, Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

. In 1913, he began his film career with the old London Film Company. He made a successful transition from silents to talkies, working for a number of film studios during his screen career. Randle Ayrton was also the producer, and director, of several films.

Selected filmography

* '' Profit and the Loss'' (1917) * '' My Sweetheart'' (1918) * '' The Hanging Judge'' (1918) * '' The Wonderful Year'' (1921) * '' No. 5 John Street'' (1921) * '' Chu-Chin-Chow'' (1923) * '' Southern Love'' (1924) * ''The Little People'' (1926) * ''

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (also spelled Gwynn, Gwynne; 2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687) was an English people, English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances ...

'' (1926) * '' One of the Best'' (1927) * '' His House in Order'' (1928) * ''

High Seas The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regiona ...

'' (1929) * '' The Feather'' (1929) * '' The Hate Ship '' (1929) * '' A Romance of Seville'' (1929) * '' The Manxman'' (1929) * '' Glorious Youth'' (1929) * ''

The Great Game The Great Game was a rivalry between the 19th-century British and Russian empires over influence in Central Asia, primarily in Afghanistan, Persia, and Tibet. The two colonial empires used military interventions and diplomatic negotiations t ...

'' (1930) * '' Two Worlds'' (1930) * '' Dreyfus'' (1931) * '' Jew Suss'' (1934) * '' Me and Marlborough'' (1935) * '' Debt of Honour'' (1936) * '' Talk of the Devil'' (1936)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayrton, Randle 1940 deaths 1869 births Male actors from Chester People educated at The King's School, Chester English male film actors English male silent film actors 19th-century English male actors English male stage actors 20th-century English male actors