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Russell Thorndike

Russell Thorndike

Actor, Writer

Born February 6, 1885 in Rochester, Kent, England, UK

Died November 7, 1972

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Biography

Lesser known than sister Dame Sybil Thorndike but just as versatile, Russell Thorndike was a British actor who later turned author and novelist. Of the two, Russell had natural talent but lacked the fire. His first love was for the pen and, following WWI, devoted himself more and more to writing. He was born Arthur Russell Thorndike on February 6, 1885, at Rochester, where his father had recently taken the position of canon at Rochester Cathedral. A student at St Georges School, Windsor Castle, he was a chorister of the Chapel Royal. At his suggestion, both Russell and Sybil (who once aspired to be a concert pianist) tried acting as a career in 1903. They became students at Ben Greets Academy and two years later fellow-members of his company on a North American tour, including New York. He remained in all three-and-a-half years with the company, once giving three performances as Hamlet in three different versions of the text on the same day. He also toured in South Africa and Asia.

At around this time he completed his first novel of romantic adventure on Romney marsh entitled "Dr Syn." In 1914 he entered military service. Brother Frank, who once performed on stage, was killed in action and Russell was severely wounded at Gallipoli and discharged. He rejoined Ben Greet's theatre company and his sister at the Old Vic in 1916 in which he played the classics -- King John, Richard II, and King Lear (Sybil portrayed The Fool) He also acted with Sybil and her husband, Lewis Casson, in their touring repertory of melodramas. In 1922 he earned applause for his performance in Henrik Ibsen's first professional production of "Peer Gynt" at the Old Vic.

As for film, Russell's appearances were infrequent. He did portray Macbeth (1922) in a silent version of the play opposite Sybil's Lady Macbeth and also played leads in silent versions of other classic plays including A Christmas Carol (1923) as Old Ebenezer, and The School for Scandal (1923) as Sir Peter Teazle. He ended his career in minor priest roles for Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). Although Russell continued on the stage for four more decades (including playing his own Dr Syn character and entertaining audiences as Smee in ten revivals of "Peter Pan"), he felt a deeper fulfillment for writing, which would include the later work "The House of Jeffreys." Thorndike married Rosemary Dowson, a daughter of the well-known actress Rosina Filippi, in 1918. He died on November 7 1972 at the age of 87.

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Filmography

Actor

33

Type

Year

Fredric March Presents Tales from Dickens Poster

Fredric March Presents Tales from Dickens TV Series1959Mr. Dick

Richard III Poster

Richard III Feature Film1955First Priest

This Is Your Life Poster

This Is Your Life TV Series1955Self

The Brown Man's Servant TV Movie1953Solomon Hyams

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre Poster

BBC Sunday-Night Theatre TV Series1950Stephano

Hamlet Feature Film1948Priest

Ten-Shilling Doll TV Movie1948Simeon Barr

A Midsummer Night's Dream TV Movie1946Quince

Caesar and Cleopatra Poster

Caesar and Cleopatra Feature Film1945Harpist's Master

Henry V Feature Film1944Duke of Bourbon

While Nero Fiddled Poster

While Nero Fiddled Feature Film1944High Priest

Fame Feature Film1936Judge

Whispering Tongues Feature Film1934Fenwick

Shot in the Dark Poster

Shot in the Dark Feature Film1933Dr. Stuart

The Roof Poster

The Roof Feature Film1933Clive Bristow

Wolves of the Underworld Poster

Wolves of the Underworld Feature Film1933Dr. Orton Munroe

Human Desires Poster

Human Desires Feature Film1924Paul Perot

Miriam Rozella Feature Film1924Crewe Stevens

A Christmas Carol Poster

A Christmas Carol Short Film1923Ebenezer Scrooge

Heartstrings Feature Film1923Tom Openshaw

Henrietta Maria; or, The Queen of Sorrow Short Film1923Charles I

Love in an Attic Short Film1923The Producer

Lucrezia Borgia; Or, Plaything of Power Short Film1923Cesare Borgia

The Audacious Mr. Squire Feature Film1923Harry Smallwood

The Bells Short Film1923Mathias

The Dream of Eugene Aram Short Film1923Eugene Aram

The Fair Maid of Perth Feature Film1923Dwining

The School for Scandal Short Film1923Sir Peter Teakle

The Sins of a Father Short Film1923

The Test Short Film1923De Bourbonne

It's Never Too Late to Mend Short Film1922Squire Meadows

Macbeth Short Film1922Macbeth

Tense Moments from Great Plays Feature Film1922Macbeth

Writer

4

Type

Year

Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow Poster

Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow Feature Film1963

Night Creatures Poster

Night Creatures Feature Film1962

The Magical World of Disney Poster

The Magical World of Disney TV Series1954

Doctor Syn Poster

Doctor Syn Feature Film1937

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