Syd Courtenay was a South African-born British actor and screenwriter. He was a frequent collaborator with the comedian

Leslie Fuller Leslie Fuller (9 October 1888 – 24 April 1948) was a British comedy film actor. Early life Albert Leslie Fuller was born in 1888 at 14 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green, London.Some sources wrongly give his birthplace as Margate, as he had a lifelo ...

. Courtenay first met Fuller in 1919 in

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significant m ...

and they soon struck up a partnership with routines featuring their comedic character Bill.Sutton p.105 With the arrival of

sound films A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

they were signed to

British International Pictures Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appr ...

and made their first film '' Not So Quiet on the Western Front'' in 1930. They made a large number of films during the 1930s, generally featuring the character of Bill, with Courtenay writing and acting in many of them. He was married to

Lola Harvey Lola Harvey was a British screenwriter and film actress. She and her husband Syd Courtenay were employed by British International Pictures, the leading British film studio of the era, to write screenplays together. Their work provided a number o ...

, who co-wrote a number of films with him.

Selected filmography

Actor

* '' Why Sailors Leave Home'' (1930) * '' What a Night!'' (1931) * ''

Poor Old Bill ''Poor Old Bill'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Leslie Fuller, Iris Ashley and Syd Courtenay. It marked the film debut of a very young Peter Lawford, playing the child of the main character, Bill (Leslie Fu ...

'' (1931) * ''

Bill's Legacy ''Bill's Legacy'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Harry Revier and starring Leslie Fuller, Mary Clare and Syd Courtenay. It was made at Twickenham Studios as a quota quickie.Wood p.71 Cast * Leslie Fuller as Bill Smithers * Mary ...

'' (1931) * ''

Kiss Me Sergeant ''Kiss Me Sergeant'' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Leslie Fuller, Gladys Cruickshank and Gladys Frazin. It was based on a play by Syd Courtenay and was sometimes released under the alternative title ''Idol ...

'' (1932) * ''

Old Spanish Customers ''Old Spanish Customers'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Lupino Lane and starring Leslie Fuller, Binnie Barnes and Drusilla Wills. Plot British couple Bill and Martha (Leslie Fuller and Drusilla Wills) win a trip to Spain and enjoy ...

'' (1932) *''

Hawley's of High Street ''Hawley's of High Street'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Leslie Fuller, Judy Kelly, Francis Lister and Moore Marriott. Its plot concerns a butcher and a draper who stand for election to the local coun ...

'' (1933) * ''

Strictly Illegal ''Strictly Illegal'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Ralph Ceder and starring Leslie Fuller, Betty Astell and Georgie Harris. It was made at Cricklewood Studios.Wood p.84 Cast * Leslie Fuller as Bill the Bookie * Betty Astell as Mr ...

'' (1935) * ''

Boys Will Be Girls The Honeytraps was the 'girl band' featured in the 2006 reality TV show ''Boys Will Be Girls'', aired on E4. The programme starting by auditioning male singers (who'd all been in bands before) for a brand new band, to be managed by Olivier Beh ...

'' (1937) * '' Cotton Queen'' (1937) * ''

Sing as You Swing ''Sing as You Swing'' is a 1937 British musical film directed by Redd Davis and starring Charles Clapham, Bill Dwyer and Claude Dampier. It was made as a quota quickie and features turns from a variety of radio and revue stars with little ...

'' (1937)

Director

* ''

Darby and Joan Darby and Joan is a proverbial phrase for a married couple content to share a quiet life of mutual devotion. Usage ''The Nuttall Encyclopædia'' defined the phrase as "a married couple celebrated for their mutual attachment", the ''Random House ...

'' (1937)

Screenwriter

* ''

Old Soldiers Never Die ''Old Soldiers Never Die'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Leslie Fuller, Molly Lamont and Alf Goddard. It was made at Elstree Studios by British International Pictures. It was produced as a quota quickie fo ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Man Behind the Mask ''The Man Behind the Mask'' is a 1936 British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter Gawthorne. A man assaults and switches places ...

'' (1936)

References

External links

Bibliography

* Sutton, David R. ''A Chorus of Raspberries: British Film Comedy 1929-1939''. University of Exeter Press, 2000. British male film actors British male screenwriters {{UK-film-actor-stub