Career Highlights: Whispering Smith, Boys Town, Lady Killer
First Major Screen Credit: The Ancient Mariner (1925)
Biography
Liverpool native Leslie Fenton was raised in the U.S., where he secured work as a stage juvenile. In films from 1924, Fenton specialized in playing charming but slightly slimy rogues; one of his more memorable movie assignments was as dapper bootlegger Nails Nathan in The Public Enemy (1931). In 1939, Fenton switched from acting to directing, working on such brisk programmers as Tell No Tales (a truly accomplished 1939 crime melodrama), Tomorrow the World (1944), Saigon (1948) and Whispering Smith (1948). For many years, Leslie Fenton was the husband of film star Ann Dvorak, who moved to England with Fenton while he served the British military during World War II. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and film director. He appeared in 62 films between 1923 and 1945. He also directed 19 films between 1938 and 1951.
He was born in Liverpool, England and died in Montecita, California.