Captain Reginald Graham Davis (7 November 1890 – 1 December 1951), known as Rex Davis, was a British soldier, silent film actor and sportsman.

Biography

Davis was born in Keymer,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, in 1890. According to one source, he got his start in films because he was a good amateur

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. He also played field hockey for the Richmond Hockey Club. Davis had done several movies by the time the First World War broke out in August 1914. In July 1918, he was awarded the Military Cross "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty." He was the Conservative candidate in the by-election of 1932 for Wednesbury, but was defeated by Labour politician John Banfield. Davis stayed in the military and was promoted to Captain. In the

1943 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1943 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by people of the British Empire. They were published on 2 June 1943 for the United Kingdom and Canada. The re ...

, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. He died in East Wittering, Sussex, in 1951, after a painful illness.

Selected filmography

* ''

The House of Temperley ''The House of Temperley'' is a 1913 British silent drama film directed by Harold M. Shaw and starring Charles Maude, Ben Webster and Lillian Logan. It is based on the 1896 novel ''Rodney Stone'' by Arthur Conan Doyle and is sometimes known by ...

'' (1913) * '' The Fool'' (1913) * ''

For Her People ''For Her People'' is a 1914 British silent drama film directed by Laurence Trimble and starring Florence Turner, Rex Davis and Franklyn Bellamy.Low p.286 Cast * Florence Turner as Joan * Clifford Pembroke as Leslie Calder * Rex Davis as Tom ...

'' (1914) * '' The Shepherd Lassie of Argyle'' (1914) * ''

Won by a Head ''Won by a Head'' is a 1920 British silent sports film directed by Percy Nash and starring Rex Davis, Frank Tennant and Vera Cornish. It was set in the horseracing world. Cast * Rex Davis as Chester Lawton * Frank Tennant as Milton Bell * V ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Pride of the Fancy ''The Pride of the Fancy'' is a British silent motion picture of 1920 directed by Richard Garrick and Albert Ward, produced by G. B. Samuelson, and starring Rex Davis, Daisy Burrell and Tom Reynolds. A drama, it was based on a novel by George ...

'' (1920) * ''

Uncle Bernac An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal re ...

'' (1921) * '' Mord Em'ly'' (1922) * '' All Sorts and Conditions of Men'' (1921) * '' The Crimson Circle'' (1922) * ''

The Lion's Mouse ''The Lion's Mouse'' ( nl, De leeuw en de muis) is a 1923 British-Dutch silent crime film directed by Oscar Apfel. Cast * Wyndham Standing as Dick Sands * Mary Odette as Mouse * Rex Davis as Justin O'Reilly * Marguerite Marsh as Olga Beverley ...

'' (1923) * ''

A Couple of Down and Outs ''A Couple of Down and Outs'' is a 1923 British silent drama film directed by Walter Summers and starring Edna Best, Rex Davis and George Foley. Production It was made at Isleworth Studios.Harris p.67 The film sought to raise public sympathy ...

'' (1923) * '' The Knockout'' (1923) * '' Married Love'' (1923) * '' Every Mother's Son'' (1926) * '' Motherland'' (1927)

References

Bibliography

* Bamford, Kenton. ''Distorted Images: British National Identity and Film in the 1920s''. I.B. Tauris, 1999.

External links

* * 1890 births 1951 deaths English male silent film actors 20th-century English male actors 20th-century British male actors Members of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross People from Hassocks British Army personnel of World War I British Army officers {{UK-film-actor-stub