Henry Daniell

Henry Daniell in The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)

Henry Daniell (March 5, 1894, Barnes, London, England – October 31, 1963, Santa Monica, California) was an English actor, best known for his villainous screen roles, but who had a long and prestigious career on stage as well as in films.

Early life

Educated at St Paul's School (London), and at Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk, he made his first appearance on the stage in the provinces in 1913, and on the London stage at the Globe Theatre (today called the Gielgud Theatre) on March 10, 1914, walking on in the revival of Edward Knoblock's Kismet.

In 1914 Henry Daniell joined the 2nd Battalion The Norfolk Regiment, but was invalided out the following year. Thereafter throughout World War I, he appeared in the theatres of London, firstly at the New Theatre in October 1915 as Police Officer Clancy in Stop Thief!, and notably in May 1916, and subsequently, at the famous Theatre Royal, Haymarket.

London and New York career

In April 1921, he appeared at the Empire, New York, as Prince Charles of Vaucluse in Clair de Lune, and subsequently toured for the next three years, reappearing in London at the Garrick Theatre in August 1925 as Jack Race in Cobra. He again went to New York for the first six months of 1929, appearing at the Morosco Theatre in January as Lord Ivor Cream in Serena Blandish, returning in July to London where he played John Carlton in Secrets at the Comedy Theatre. He again toured America in 1930-31, this time appearing on the Pacific Coast at Los Angeles as well as New York once more. He returned to London for another packed programme of stage performances, which he continued in Britain and the United States while also beginning his film career in 1929.

Hollywood

He is probably best-known for his film performance as Professor Moriarty in the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes film The Woman in Green. He appeared in countless other films such as Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (he played Garbitsch, a parody of Joseph Goebbels), and The Body Snatcher (with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi) - as well as two other movies in the Sherlock Holmes/Basil Rathbone series: The Voice of Terror and Sherlock Holmes in Washington with fellow Moriarty George Zucco.

He played the sleazy Count de Varville opposite Greta Garbo in Camille. Another early triumph was his portrayal of Cecil in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. But he is perhaps best remembered for his role as the treacherous Lord Wolfingham (no relation to Francis Walsingham) in The Sea Hawk. Here, he fought Errol Flynn in one of the most spectacular swordfighting duels ever filmed. When Michael Curtiz cast him in this film, Henry Daniell refused at first. He couldn't fence. Michael Curtiz accomplished the climactic duel by imaginative use of shadows from candle light with a double fencing Flynn with ingenious inter-cutting of their faces.

Towards the end of World War II, he appeared in one of his most memorable film roles, as the cruel Henry Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre, opposite Joan Fontaine who played Eyre. In the 1950s and 60s, he did much television, and memorably appeared as the malevolent Dr. Emil Zurich in Edward L. Cahn's The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959), and in perhaps the most famous episode of Maverick, "PAPPY," opposite James Garner the same year. An absolute professional, he was always on the set when needed, and impatient when delays in filming took place. Much in demand for his dry, sardonic delivery, Daniell moved easily from big-budget films, such as Mutiny on the Bounty, to television without difficulty. In 1957, Daniell appeared as King Charles II of England in the NBC anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show in the episode "The Trial of Colonel Blood", with Michael Wilding in the title role.

His last role was a small uncredited appearance as the British Ambassador in the 1964 movie My Fair Lady directed by his old friend George Cukor. Although it is often assumed that Daniell is merely a background player in the film and had no lines, he does speak and is, in fact, very noticeable, especially to fans who remember him from his old films. The scene in which he appears takes place at the Embassy Ball. Daniell presents Eliza to the Queen of Transylvania with the one line, "Miss Doolittle, ma'am." In the commentary on the DVD, at the moment he appeared onscreen in the role, it is mentioned that the day he shot the scene was "his last day on earth," as he died from a heart attack that very evening.

He married Ann Knox, and in the years following World War II gave his permanent address as 9259 Doheny Road, Los Angeles, California.

References

• Who's Who in the Theatre, edited by John Parker, tenth edition, revised, London, 1947, pps: 477-478.

External links

• Henry Daniell at the Internet Movie Database
• Henry Daniell at Find a Grave