Samuel Livesey (14 October 1873 – 7 November 1936) was a Welsh stage and

film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Life

Livesey's father, Thomas, had been a railway engineer before leaving the industry to establish a travelling theatre with his wife Mary. The two had six children who all grew up working in the theatre. In 1893, after Thomas's death, Mary opened a purpose built theatre, the Prince of Wales in

Mexborough Mexborough is a town in the City of Doncaster, City of Doncaster District, South Yorkshire, England, between Manvers and Denaby Main, on the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don close to where it joins the River Dearne, and the A6023 road. It is co ...

. The family performed frequently on the stage and in touring productions. Sam and his brother Joseph married actresses who were themselves sisters: Sam married Margaret Ann Edwards in 1900 and Joseph married Mary Catherine Edwards in 1905. Sam and Margaret had two children who subsequently followed their profession, the actors Jack and Barry Livesey. But by 1913 both Joseph and Margaret Ann had died. Sam then married Mary Catherine and adopted her son Roger (his nephew) as his own.

Roger Livesey Roger Livesey (25 June 1906 – 4 February 1976) was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: ''The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'', '' ...

also went on to become a highly successful stage and screen actor. The couple had a daughter together in 1915 whom they named Stella.

Film career

Livesey had a successful film career encompassing both the silent and sound eras. He often appeared as authority figures; the cuckolded headmaster in '' Young Woodley'', the dictatorial paterfamilias in '' Maisie's Marriage'' and a variety of Police inspectors and military officers.

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

cast him as the Chief Inspector in the original silent version of ''

Blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

'' but in the subsequent sound version, the role went to Harvey Braban. Livesey also worked with

Anthony Asquith Anthony Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among other adaptations ...

on ''

Moscow Nights "Moscow Nights", originally titled "Leningrad Nights", is a Soviet patriotic song written by Mikhail Matusovsky and composed by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy. It was later covered as "Midnight in Moscow" by Kenny Ball. Composition and initial succ ...

'' and

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

(appearing in ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

'' with his stepson Roger, '' Dark Journey'' and cameoing in ''

The Private Life of Henry VIII ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British biographical drama film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur ...

''). Roger and Sam had previously appeared together playing father and son in the 1923 silent '' Maisie's Marriage''. Nearly the whole family – Sam, Mary Catherine ('Cassie'), Jack and Barry – appeared as the Boyds in '' Variety'' (1935), a film revue directed by

Adrian Brunel Adrian Brunel (4 September 1892 – 18 February 1958) was an English film director and screenwriter. Brunel's directorial career started in the Silent film, silent era, and reached its peak in the latter half of the 1920s. His surviving work fr ...

. One of Livesey's final roles was as Mr Tulliver, the owner of the titular Mill on the Floss, with

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...

portraying his son Tom.

Partial filmography

* ''The Lifeguardsman'' (1916) - Capt. Salzburg * '' One Summer's Day'' (1917) - Philip Marsden * ''Spinner o' Dreams'' (1918) - Reuben Hundred * '' Victory and Peace'' (1918, unreleased) - Capt. Schiff * ''The Sins of Youth'' (1919) * '' A Sinless Sinner'' (1919) - Sam Stevens * '' The Chinese Puzzle'' (1919) - Paul Markatel * '' The Black Spider'' (1920) - Reggie Cosway * ''Burnt Wings'' (1920) - Joseph Heron * ''All the Winners'' (1920) - Pedro Darondary * '' The Marriage Lines'' (1921) - Martin Muscroft * '' Married Love'' (1923) - Mr. Burrows * '' Wait and See'' (1928) - Gregory Winton * ''

Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...

'' (1928) - Monty Sterling * '' The Forger'' (1928) - Inspector Rouper * ''

'' (1929) - The Chief Inspector (silent version) (uncredited) * '' Raise the Roof'' (1930) - Mr. Langford * '' Young Woodley'' (1930) - Doctor Simmons * ''One Family'' (1930) - The Policeman * '' Dreyfus'' (1931) - Labori * '' The Girl in the Night'' (1931) - Ephraim Tucker * ''

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of Emotional insecurity, insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, he ...

'' (1931) - Inspector Thompson * '' Many Waters'' (1931) - Stanley Rosel * ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four Detective fiction, crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serial (literature), serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from ...

'' (1931) - Sir Hugo Baskerville * '' Up for the Cup'' (1931) - John Cartwright * '' The Wickham Mystery'' (1932) - Inspector Cobb * '' Mr. Bill the Conqueror'' (1932) - Dave Lannick * ''

Insult An insult is an expression, statement, or behavior that is often deliberately disrespectful, offensive, scornful, or derogatory towards an individual or a group. Insults can be intentional or unintentional, and they often aim to belittle, of ...

'' (1932) - Major Dubois * '' The Flag Lieutenant'' (1932) - Col. McLeod * '' The Wonderful Story'' (1932) - Doctor * ''

'' (1933) - The English Executioner * ''Commissionaire'' (1933) - Sergeant George Brown * '' Tangled Evidence'' (1934) - Inspector Drayton * '' The Great Defender'' (1934) - Sir Henry Linguard * '' Jew Süss'' (1934) - Harprecht * '' Regal Cavalcade'' (1935) - Drinker * '' Drake of England'' (1935) - Sir George Sydenham * '' Where's George?'' (1935) - Sir Richard Lancaster * '' Turn of the Tide'' (1935) - Henry Lunn * ''

'' (1935) - Fedor * '' Variety'' (1935) - Charlie Boyd * '' Men of Yesterday'' (1936) * '' Calling the Tune'' (1936) - Bob Gordon * ''

'' (1936) - Auctioneer * ''

The Mill on the Floss ''The Mill on the Floss'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans, first published in three volumes on 4 April 1860 by William Blackwood and Sons. The first American edition was published by Harper & Brothers, Pub ...

'' (1936) - Mr. Tulliver * '' Dark Journey'' (1937) - Major Schaeffer * '' Wings of the Morning'' (1937) - Angelo (final film role)

References

External links

* *
Sam Livesey at BFI Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livesey, Sam 1873 births 1936 deaths Welsh male film actors Welsh male silent film actors Male actors from Flintshire 20th-century British male actors