Stanley Charles Ridges (17 July 1890 – 22 April 1951) was an English-born American actor who made more than 100 appearances in theatre and movies from 1917 to 1951. After his American film debut in ''

Success Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. It may be viewed as the opposite of failure. The criteria for success depend on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person mi ...

'' (1923), he appeared in films such as '' Crime Without Passion'' (1934), '' The Scoundrel'' (1935), ''

If I Were King ''If I Were King'' is a 1938 American biographical and historical film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee. It is based on the 1901 play and novel, both of the same name, by ...

'' and '' The Mad Miss Manton'' (both 1938), '' Black Friday'' (1940), ''

Sergeant York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known by his rank as Sergeant York, was an American soldier who was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor fo ...

'' (1941), '' Wilson'' (1944) and '' No Way Out'' (1950). He also had the starring role in the B-picture '' False Faces'' (1943).

Early life

Stanley Charles Ridges was born on 17 July 1890, in Southampton, Hampshire. He later became a protégé of Beatrice Lillie, a star of musical stage comedies, and spent many years learning and honing his craft on the stage.

Career

Eventually making his way to America, Ridges began as a song-and-dance man on Broadway, but later turned to dramatic roles onstage, appearing in such plays as

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Anderson faced many challenges in his career, frequently losing jobs for expressing his opinions or supporting ...

's '' Mary of Scotland'' (as Lord Morton) and ''

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'' (as Lieutenant Colonel Lucifer Tench), becoming a romantic leading man. Ridges' silent film debut was in ''

'' (1923). With his excellent diction and rich voice, he easily made the transition into sound films, with his career taking off at age 43, in '' Crime Without Passion'' (1934), with

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

. Ridges found himself cast in character roles, as his greying hair put his romantic leading man days at an end. Edward Arnold - Stanley Ridges Eyes in the Night 1942

Edward Arnold - Stanley Ridges Eyes in the Night 1942

His better known roles were probably two different characters in one film, one of them the kindly Professor Kingsley and the other the murderous Red Cannon in the thriller '' Black Friday'' (1940). The Jekyll and Hyde transformations gave Ridges a chance to display his acting ability. Ridges often was cast in supporting roles in many classic films, and played the lead only once, in the B-picture '' False Faces'' (1943). Among Ridges's other film roles were as the

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inspector who is shadowing

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

in the film '' The Suspect'' (1944), as Major Buxton (

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

's commanding officer) in ''

'' (1941), as Professor Siletsky in '' To Be or Not to Be'' (also 1942), and as Cary Travers Grayson, the official physician for the president in '' Wilson'' (1944). By 1950, he had just begun an appearing in television anthologies such as '' Studio One'' and ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the ...

''. His last feature film, the

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

comedy '' The Groom Wore Spurs'', in which he played a mobster, was released a month before he died.

Death

Ridges died 22 April 1951 in Westbrook, Connecticut, aged 60.

Filmography

Broadway roles

Film

References

External links

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Stanley Ridges
at

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridges, Stanley 1890 births 1951 deaths 20th-century American male actors English emigrants to the United States Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from Southampton