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Henry Stephenson
Actor

Henry Stephenson

15 Apr 1871Born
24 Apr 1956Died
85Age at death
88Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia

Henry Stephenson Garraway (16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956), sometimes credited as Harry Stephenson, was a British stage and film actor. He portrayed friendly and wise Gentleman in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles was Sir Joseph Banks in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Mr. Brownlow in Oliver Twist.

Stephenson was educated in Rugby in Warwickshire and started acting in his twenties. He appeared on British and American stages and made his Broadway debut in 1901, playing the messenger in A Message from Mars. In the following decades, he appeared in over 30 Broadway plays.

Read the full biography

Henry Stephenson made his film debut in 1917 and appeared in a few silent films, but made his mark mostly as an elder man in sound films. Between 1931 and 1932, he appeared in the successful Broadway play Cyanara with over 200 performances. He came to Hollywood for the film version of Cyanara, starring Ronald Colman and with Henry Stephenson in a supporting role.

In the same year year, he played the tycoon C.B. Gaerste in Red-Headed Woman and Doctor Alliott in A Bill of Divorcement. The following year, the English-born actor appeared as the intimidating yet warm-hearted Mr. Laurence in Little Women. The tall, white-haired actor specialized in portraying wise, dignified and friendly British gentlemans in supporting roles. He could be "both imposing and benevolent in his patrician portrayals, usually expounding words of wisdom or offering gentlemanly aid." He appeared overall in 90 films from 1917 to 1951, often as a doctor or professor, general, judge or aristocrat. He often played historical figures like Sir Joseph Banks in the oscar-winnig adventure film Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau in Marie Antoinette (1938).

Stephenson worked with film star Errol Flynn in the films Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex; often as Flynn's paternal friend and superior.

He portrayed Sir Thomas Lancing in Tarzan Finds a Son! in 1939 and playing an entirely different role as Sir Guy Henderson in Tarzan and the Amazons in 1945. He seldom played dark figures, among the exceptions was the snobbish Mr. Bryant in Mr. Lucky in 1943. Stephenson also appeared in literature adaptions, for example as the friendly lawyer Havisham in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) and as Mr. Brownlow in David Lean's literature adaption Oliver Twist (1948). He made his last film in 1949, but appeared in two TV-series in 1951 before the end of his career. In 1950, after finishing his role of Cardinal Gaspar de Quiroga in the drama play, That Lady, Stephenson retired from the stage.

He married actress Ann Shoemaker. They had one daughter.

Henry Stephenson died in 1956 at the age of 85 years. He was survived by Ann and his daughter.

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 88 credits.

  1. 1949Challenge to LassieFilm: Sir Charles Loring
  2. 1948EnchantmentFilm: General Fitzgerald
  3. 1948Julia MisbehavesFilm: Lord Pennystone
  4. 1948Oliver TwistFilm: Mr. Brownlow
  5. 1947Song of LoveFilm: King Albert
  6. 1947IvyFilm: Judge
  7. 1947Dark DelusionFilm: Evans Biddle
  8. 1947The HomestretchFilm: Don Humberto Balcares
  9. 1947Time Out of MindFilm: Wellington Drake
  10. 1946The LocketFilm: Lord Wyndham
  11. 1946The Return of Monte CristoFilm: Professor Duval
  12. 1946Her Sister's SecretFilm: Mr. DuBois
  13. 1946Of Human BondageFilm: Dr. Tyrell
  14. 1946The Green YearsFilm: Blakely
  15. 1946Night and DayFilm: Omar Cole
  16. 1946HeartbeatFilm: Minister
  17. 1945Tarzan and the AmazonsFilm: Sir Guy Henderson, the Archeologist
  18. 1944Reckless AgeFilm: J. H. Wadsworth
  19. 1944Secrets of Scotland YardFilm: Sir Reginald Meade
  20. 1944Two Girls and a SailorFilm: John Dyckman Brown I
  21. 1944The Hour Before the DawnFilm: Gen. Hetherton
  22. 1943Mr. LuckyFilm: Mr. Bryant
  23. 1943The MantrapFilm: Sir Humphrey Quilp
  24. 1942Half Way to ShanghaiFilm: Col. Algernon Blimpton
  25. 1942This Above AllFilm: General Cathaway
  26. 1942Rings on Her FingersFilm: Colonel Prentiss
  27. 1941Lady from LouisianaFilm: General Anatole Mirbeau
  28. 1941The Man Who Lost HimselfFilm: Frederick Collins
  29. 1940Down Argentine WayFilm: Don Diego Quintana
  30. 1940Spring ParadeFilm: Emperor Franz Joseph
  31. 1940It's a DateFilm: Capt. Andrew
  32. 1940Little Old New YorkFilm: Robert R. Livingston
  33. 1939The Private Lives of Elizabeth and EssexFilm: Lord Burghley
  34. 1939The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesFilm: Sir Ronald Ramsgate
  35. 1939Tarzan Finds a Son!Film: Sir Thomas Lancing
  36. 1938Dramatic SchoolFilm: Pasquel Sr.
  37. 1938SuezFilm: Count Mathieu de Lesseps
  38. 1938Marie AntoinetteFilm: Count de Mercey
  39. 1938The Young in HeartFilm: Felix Anstruther
  40. 1938The Baroness and the ButlerFilm: Count Albert Sandor
  41. 1937Wise GirlFilm: Mr. Fletcher
  42. 1937ConquestFilm: Count Anastas Walewski
  43. 1937The Emperor's CandlesticksFilm: Prince Johann
  44. 1937The Prince and the PauperFilm: Duke of Norfolk
  45. 1937When You're in LoveFilm: Walter Mitchell
  46. 1936Beloved EnemyFilm: Lord Athleigh
  47. 1936The Charge of the Light BrigadeFilm: Sir Charles Macefield
  48. 1936Give Me Your HeartFilm: Edward, Lord Farrington
  49. 1936Walking on AirFilm: Mr. Horace Bennett
  50. 1936Hearts DividedFilm: Charles Patterson
  51. 1936Half AngelFilm: Professor Jerome Hargraves
  52. 1936Little Lord FauntleroyFilm: Havisham
  53. 1935Captain BloodFilm: Lord Willoughby
  54. 1935Mutiny on the BountyFilm: Joseph Banks
  55. 1935The Perfect GentlemanFilm: Bishop
  56. 1935RendezvousFilm: Russian Ambassador Gregory
  57. 1935O'Shaughnessy's BoyFilm: Maj. Winslow
  58. 1935The Flame WithinFilm: Dr. Jock Frazier
  59. 1935RecklessFilm: Colonel Harrison Sr.
  60. 1935Vanessa: Her Love StoryFilm: Barney Newmark
  61. 1935The Night Is YoungFilm: Emperor Franz Josef
  62. 1934What Every Woman KnowsFilm: Charles Venables
  63. 1934Outcast LadyFilm: Sir Maurice
  64. 1934The Richest Girl in the WorldFilm: John Connors
  65. 1934She Loves Me NotFilm: Dean Mercer
  66. 1934One More RiverFilm: Sir Laurence Mont
  67. 1934StingareeFilm: Mr. Hugh Clarkson
  68. 1934Thirty Day PrincessFilm: King Anatol XII
  69. 1934All Men Are EnemiesFilm
  70. 1934The Mystery of Mr. XFilm: Sir Herbert Frensham
  71. 1934Man of Two WorldsFilm: Sir Basil Pemberton
  72. 1933If I Were FreeFilm: Hector Stribling
  73. 1933Little WomenFilm: Mr. Laurence
  74. 1933My Lips BetrayFilm: De Conti
  75. 1933Blind AdventureFilm: Major Thorne
  76. 1933Double HarnessFilm: Colonel Sam Colby
  77. 1933Tomorrow at SevenFilm: Thornton Drake
  78. 1932The Animal KingdomFilm: Rufus
  79. 1932CynaraFilm: John Tring
  80. 1932A Bill of DivorcementFilm: Doctor Alliot

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.