Clarence Derwent

Derwent, Clarence (1884–1959), actor. Born in England, he made his first New York appearance as Stephen Undershaft in Major Barbara in 1915 and for the next thirty‐one years played important supporting roles in a wide variety of works, including The Letter of the Law (1920), Love for Love (1925), The Woman of Bronze (1927), The Three Musketeers (1928), Serena Blandish (1929), Topaze (1930), The Late Christopher Bean (1932), Kind Lady (1940), The Doctor's Dilemma (1941), The Pirate (1942), and Rebecca (1945). His last appearance was as the President in The Madwoman of Chaillot (1948). Derwent served two terms as president of the Actors' Equity and for many years was president of the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA). In 1945 he established the annual Clarence Derwent Awards to be given for the best performances in supporting roles in both London and New York. Autobiography: The Derwent Story, 1953.