Herbert Marshall | |
|---|---|
 Marshall in 1934 | |
| Born | Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall (1890-05-23)23 May 1890 London, England |
| Died | 22 January 1966(1966-01-22) (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1911–1965 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2, includingSarah Marshall |
Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall (23 May 1890 – 22 January 1966) was an English stage, screen, and radio actor who starred in many popular and well-regardedHollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. After a successful theatrical career in the United Kingdom and North America, he became an in-demand Hollywood leading man, frequently appearing in romantic melodramas and occasional comedies. In his later years, he turned to character acting.
The son of actors, Marshall is best remembered for roles inErnst Lubitsch'sTrouble in Paradise (1932),Alfred Hitchcock'sMurder! (1930) andForeign Correspondent (1940),William Wyler'sThe Letter (1940) andThe Little Foxes (1941),Albert Lewin'sThe Moon and Sixpence (1942),Edmund Goulding'sThe Razor's Edge (1946), andKurt Neumann'sThe Fly (1958). He appeared onscreen with many of the most prominent leading ladies ofHollywood's Golden Age, includingBarbara Stanwyck,Greta Garbo,Marlene Dietrich,Joan Crawford andBette Davis.
From 1944 to 1952, Marshall starred in his own radio seriesThe Man Called 'X'. Often praised for the quality of his voice, he made numerous radio guest appearances and hosted several shows. He performed on television as well. The actor, known for his charm, married five times and periodically appeared in gossip columns because of his sometimes turbulent private life. A leg amputee due to injuries sustained during the First World War, he worked for the rehabilitation of injured troops, especially aiding amputees like himself, during the Second World War. Marshall received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Marshall was born in London in 1890, as the only child of stage actors Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. Theatrical critics praised his father for his comic flair[1] and "rich voice".[2] In addition to acting, Percy wrote and directed some plays in which he appeared.[2][3] Most popular in the 1880s and 1890s, Marshall's father retired from acting in 1922 and died on 28 December 1927 at the age of 68.[4] Marshall later recalled: "My father was a grand actor—better than I could ever dream of being."[5] His mother was the sister[4] of journalist and drama critic, Leopold Godfrey-Turner (born Leopold McClintock Turner).[6] Marshall's grandfather, Godfrey Wordsworth Turner,[6] wrote several books and articles on art and travel.[7] In an article about his love of the theatre, he noted that one of his uncles was an actor.[8] Godfrey was also the grandnephew of influential businessmanEdward Wollstonecraft,[9] who was the nephew of women's rights activist and authorMary Wollstonecraft and first cousin ofMary Wollstonecraft Shelley, who wrote the horror classicFrankenstein.
As a boy, Herbert's mother gave him the nickname Bart because she feared he would be known as Bertie, "a name then in vogue that she disliked".[5] His family, friends and personal acquaintances continued to call him Bart for the rest of his life. He was also periodically referred to by his nickname in the press. While introduced by his given name, he was usually addressed as Bart on the radio.[10] His parents gave him the middle name Brough (pronounced/ˈbrʌf/BRUF) after his godfather, comedic Shakespearean actorLionel Brough.[5]
As a child, Marshall was brought up by his three maternal aunts while his parents toured in theatrical productions.[5] During school vacations, however, they took him with them. These early experiences initially gave him a negative view of the theatre:
I used to tour the provinces in England with my mother and father, you know, when I was a small lad. And I was often tired and cold, there seemed to me to be so much heartache and poverty and disappointment that the glamour and applause and tinsel of the theatre escaped me, quite...No, I had no reason to love the theatre...I spent most of my time trying to forget those tired faces which the footlights served only to illumine, mockingly.[5]
After education atSt Mary's College inHarlow, Essex, Marshall worked for a time as an accounting clerk. After being sacked for the slow speed of his calculations, he took a job as an assistant business manager of a theatre troupe run by a friend of his father's.[11] He later had a series of different backstage jobs at various theatres and acting companies.[12] When a troupe he worked for reformed, he was laid off.[13] He then tried his hand at acting. In a 1935 interview, he claimed that he only became an actor out of necessity because he did not know how to do anything else.[14] To another reporter, he recollected how he had initially vowed never to go on the stage.[15]
Marshall had a long and varied stage career, appearing withSir Nigel Playfair,Sir Gerald du Maurier,Noël Coward,Gertrude Lawrence,Edna Best (his second wife),Cathleen Nesbitt,Mabel Terry-Lewis,Marie Löhr,Madge Titheradge,Edmund Gwenn (his future film and radio co-star) and others.[16][17]
While his stage debut is usually listed asThe Adventure of Lady Ursula (1911),[18] some sources place it in 1909.[19][20] Furthermore, Marshall remembered playing a footman alongsideEric Blore inRobert Courtneidge'sThe Arcadians;[21][22] his mention of Blore added an appearance in November 1910.[23][24]
In 1913, Marshall made his London debut in the role of Tommy inBrewster's Millions. Actor-managerCyril Maude was so impressed with his performance that he recruited Marshall for his U.S. and Canadian tour ofGrumpy. When war was declared, the company returned to London, and the 24-year-old enlisted in theLondon Regiment.[25]
"[Leopold 'Bogey' Godfrey-Turner] had a lavish joy in life, an embattled mind, keen wit, sensitive appreciations and a gallant soul...Uncle Bogey had lost his first-born son in the war...He proved to me that a man may face utter desolation without whimpering. By his fine courage and by his gorgeous humour, which not even grief could crucify, he showed me how a man may know irreparable loss and still inherit the earth. When I learned to walk again, I returned to London, healed in spirit if not in body, and all because of Uncle Bogey".[26]
Marshall served with the 14th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Scottish). He recalled his time on theWestern Front: "I knew terrific boredom. There was no drama lying in the trenches 10 months. I must have felt fear, but I don't remember it. I was too numb to recall any enterprise on my part."[11] On 9 April 1917 he was shot in the left knee by a sniper at theSecond Battle of Arras in France.[27] After a succession of operations, doctors were forced to amputate his leg. Marshall remained hospitalised for 13 months.[28] He later recalled in private that after his injury, he had initially over-dramatised his loss and was wrapped up in self-pity and bitterness. Before long, however, he decided he wanted to return to the theatre and learned how to walk well with a prosthetic leg in order to do so.[29] While he was recovering atSt Thomas' in London,King George V visited the hospital. When asked to pick which of the actor's legs he thought was artificial, the king chose the wrong one.[30] Throughout his career, Marshall largely managed to hide the fact that he had a prosthetic limb, although it was occasionally reported in the press.
Marshall suffered from his war injury for the rest of his life, both fromphantom pain[31] common to amputees and from the prosthesis.[32] One friend remembered that he kept holes in his trouser pocket so that he could inconspicuously loosen a strap on his prosthetic leg in order to ease sudden discomfort.[33] The pain in his leg became more pronounced later in life, including bothering him on film shoots in ways noticeable to others and exacerbating his usually very slight limp.[34]
Following the Armistice, Marshall joined Nigel Playfair's repertory troupe, appearing inMake Believe (December 1918),The Younger Generation (1919) andAbraham Lincoln (1919).[35] In 1920, he made his first known appearance opposite Edna Best inBrown Sugar.[36] He also appeared inJohn Ferguson and theShakespearean playsThe Merchant of Venice andAs You Like It. Marshall recalled "Jacques inAs You Like It has given me more pleasure than any part I have played".[26] The following year, he toured North America with Australian star Marie Löhr[37] and starred inA Safety Match in London.[38][39] By 1922, Marshall was making regular appearances on both sides of the Atlantic, debuting on Broadway inThe Voice from the Minaret and starring in Coward'sThe Young Idea (with then-wife Maitland)[40][41] andThe Queen Was in the Parlour.[42] Among his other successes wereAren't We All? (1923),The Pelican (1924–25),Lavender Ladies (1925),Interference (1927–28),S.O.S. (1928) andTomorrow and Tomorrow (1931). His greatest hits with Edna Best were the aforementionedBrown Sugar,The Charming People (1925–26),The High Road (1928–29),Michael and Mary (1930),The Swan (1930) andThere's Always Juliet (1931–1932).[43][44][45]
In 1927, Marshall debuted onscreen oppositePauline Frederick in the British silent filmMumsie (1927).[46] He made his first American film appearance as the lover ofJeanne Eagels's character in the first version ofThe Letter (1929), produced atParamount Pictures' Astoria studios two years later.
AfterThe Letter, in Britain once again, he notably starred inAlfred Hitchcock'sMurder! (1930). The following year, he returned to Paramount to makeSecrets of a Secretary.[47]
In Britain he made three films withEdna Best:Michael and Mary (1931), forVictor Saville,The Calendar (1931) andThe Faithful Heart (1931) again for Saville.
Marshall returned to Broadway to star inTomorrow and Tomorrow thenThere's Always Juliet. He primarily made films in the United States for the remainder of his life.
As a Hollywood leading man, the suave, gentlemanly actor played romantic roles opposite such stars as Claudette Colbert,Marlene Dietrich,Greta Garbo,Barbara Stanwyck,Katharine Hepburn,Joan Crawford andBette Davis throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s.
The 1932 filmBlonde Venus brought Marshall to fame among the general American public. Later the same year, he played Gaston Monescu, a sophisticated thief involved in a love triangle inErnst Lubitsch's suggestive, light comedyTrouble in Paradise (1932). In interviews, Marshall expressed a preference for playing this sort of witty comedy role.[48] He discussed his two early films in a 1935 interview:
I am strongly of the belief that if there had been another 'Blond Venus'—my first picture (sic), with the acute direction ofvon Sternberg—I would have been thrown off the screen! By the grace of God and Lubitsch, against the wishes of his company, I was next cast in a good role in 'Trouble in Paradise' for which Lubitsch seemed to think me peculiarly suited and would have been very unhappy if he had had anyone else.[11]
He was suave inEvenings for Sale (1932) then returned to England briefly to makeI Was a Spy (1933) with Saville. He was in a play in LondonAnother Man which flopped.[49]
Back in Hollywood MGM cast him inThe Solitaire Man (1933) then forCecil B. De Mille he appeared oppositeClaudette Colbert inFour Frightened People (1934).
MGM used him forRiptide (1934) withNorma Shearer,Outcast Lady (1934) withConstance Bennett andThe Painted Veil (1934) withGreta Garbo. Marshall, who often played kind and proper husbands betrayed by their wives, told several reporters that he was tired of such "gentleman" roles.[11][48] Although another cuckolded husband, he appreciated his part inThe Painted Veil (1934) with Garbo because his character was able to show "intestinal fortitude".[50]
The Good Fairy (1935) had him asMargaret Sullavan's leading man; he madeThe Flame Within (1935) withAnn Harding,Accent on Youth (1935) withSylvia Sidney,The Dark Angel (1935) withFredric March andMerle Oberon,If You Could Only Cook (1935) withJean Arthur, andThe Lady Consents (1936) with Harding.
He did three films withGertrude Michael,Till We Meet Again (1936),Forgotten Faces (1936) andMake Way for a Lady (1936), then madeGirls' Dormitory (1936) withRuth Chatterton andA Woman Rebels (1936) withKatharine Hepburn.
Marshall was reunited with Dietrich and Lubtisch inAngel (1937). He madeBreakfast for Two (1937),Always Goodbye (1938) with Barbara Stanwyck, and supportedDeanna Durbin inMad About Music (1938).
By mid-decade, the press noted how popular he was as a romantic actor.[51][52][53] Syndicated columnist Edwin Schallert wrote: "The demand for Herbert Marshall's talents continues to spread far and wide. Even the newer and younger leading women, it is felt, need to have his proficient romanticism displayed in their pictures."[52] Another reporter referred to him as the current "vogue in leading men" and noted that the top actresses often asked for him to appear with them.[11]
AfterWoman Against Woman (1938), Marshall was reunited with Colbert inZaza (1938).
During the 1940s, Marshall was less associated with romantic leading man parts. He supportedMaureen O'Hara inA Bill of Divorcement (1940) and played a villain for Hitchcock inForeign Correspondent (1940). Marshall had one of his more famous roles when cast asBette Davis' cuckolded husband inThe Letter (1940), directed by William Wyler with Bette Davis; Marshall previously appeared in a silent film version of this play.
After makingAdventure in Washington (1941) Marshall starred as maltreated, principled husband Horace Giddens inThe Little Foxes, again with Davis and Wyler, which received nineAcademy Award nominations including one for Best Picture. The film's review inVariety noted "Marshall turns in one of his top performances in the exacting portrayal of a suffering, dying man."[54]
During the Second World War, Marshall made numerous appearances on theArmed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), hostingThe Globe Theatre[55][56] and guest-starring onCommand Performance andMail Call, among other programmes. He was also one of the leaders of a Hollywood British committee that helped organise the community's contributions to British war relief.[57] In 1940, Marshall co-starred with Rosalind Russell inNoël Coward'sStill Life (fromTonight at 8.30) at theEl Capitan. The proceeds went to the British Red Cross.[58][59] In 1943, he appeared briefly in the RKO film,Forever and a Day. The profits from the film funded a variety of war charities.[60] The same year, Marshall wrote a public letter of encouragement to his Hollywood colleagues serving overseas.[61] He also performed in the short film,The Shining Future (1944), later condensed and renamedRoad to Victory, which was intended to sell Canadian war bonds. Marshall and twenty-five other actors each received a plaque from a representative of the Canadian government for their participation in the film.[62]
Marshall continued to act in films through the war, increasingly as a supporting actor:When Ladies Meet (1941),Kathleen (1941) withShirley Temple, andThe Moon and Sixpence (1942) where he played a character based onW. Somerset Maugham.
He could be seen inFlight for Freedom (1943),Young Ideas (1944),Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944),The Enchanted Cottage (1945) andThe Unseen (1945).
In 1936, Marshall began lending his talents to radio, appearing onLux Radio Theatre (at least 19 appearances),The Screen Guild Theatre (at least 16 appearances),The Jell-O Program (three appearances, including one as host),The Burns and Allen Show (two appearances),Birds Eye Open House,The Pepsodent Show andHollywood Star Time (taking over as host in October 1946). He made radio history in July 1940 as the narrator of "The Lodger", the first audition show of theSuspense series (making 20 appearances on the program). His most famous role was as globetrotting intelligence agent Ken Thurston inThe Man Called 'X' (1944–52).[63] The series, first aired on CBS as a summer replacement for theLux Radio Theatre, introduced Thurston as an employee of an agency known only as "The Bureau". His boss, dubbed "The Chief", tasked him with dealing with some of the world's most hardened, sophisticated criminals, including smugglers, murderers, black marketeers, saboteurs, kidnappers, various types of thieves, corrupt politicians and rogue scientists.[64] Thurston's sidekick/nemesisEgon Zellschmidt was played by character actorHans Conried during the first season. From 1945 to 1952, Russian comic and musicianLeon Belasco appeared in the same role asPegon Zellschmidt. The show was broadcast not only for the sake of entertainment but it also "alerted an anxious war-weary world to the inherent dangers of peace after war."[65]
Using his own money for travel, Marshall visited many military hospitals during the war. In particular, he focused on encouraging soldiers with amputations to keep a positive attitude and not to think of themselves as handicapped or limited. Despite his usual reluctance to discuss his own injury, he talked freely about his personal experiences in order to give these amputees tips on how to use and adjust to their new artificial limbs.[29][60] Although mostly kept private, a 1945 article inMotion Picture Magazine reported, against Marshall's wishes, on his work at military hospitals. The author Patty De Roulf insisted that his story needed to be told to help injured veterans and their families and to show that "Marshall is doing one of the finest war jobs any human being can do." She interviewed one young officer, who recalled:
Herbert Marshall gave me back my life. When I found out I had a metal claw instead of a hand, I was completely broken...Then one day, while I was in the hospital, we were told Herbert Marshall, the film star, was coming to talk to us. I was disgusted with the idea. A collar ad, I thought, coming to give us a Pollyanna speech!
It turned out to be anything but that. Mr. Marshall talked real sense into us. He followed it up with demonstrations, actually showing us what he could do. Before he left, we were convinced that if he had been able to lead a normal life, we could do the same.
The article also quoted a veteran with a double amputation (left leg and right foot), who praised Marshall for showing him how to dance with a prosthetic leg. He considered the actor's advice and example to be his Ten Commandments.[29] GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower, Head of the Allied Forces in Europe, noted in private that, of all the film stars he met in Europe during the war, he was most impressed with Marshall andMadeleine Carroll (who worked as a nurse at field hospitals).[66]
After the war, Marshall worked almost exclusively as a supporting actor in films:Crack-Up (1946), a noir;The Razor's Edge (1946), playing Somerset Maugham;Duel in the Sun (1946), the epic Western;Ivy (1947), with Joan Fontaine;High Wall (1947), another noir;The Secret Garden (1949) with Margaret O'Brien at MGM;The Underworld Story (1950);Black Jack (1950), billed second toGeorge Sanders; andAnne of the Indies (1951).
Beginning in 1950, Marshall performed periodically on television, starting with a production ofAn Inspector Calls forRobert Montgomery Presents. He was inThe Ford Television Theatre. He appeared as the "mystery guest" on an episode of the popular game showWhat's My Line? in November 1954.
Marshall continued to appear in films such asAngel Face (1953), a film noir;Riders to the Stars (1954), his first sci fi;Gog (1954), another sci-fi in 3-D;The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) withTony Curtis;The Virgin Queen (1955) with Davis;Wicked as They Come (1956) withArlene Dahl; andThe Weapon (1956). He received acclaim for his performances inStage Struck (1958) andThe Fly (1958).
However he was more likely to be found on television inThe Best of Broadway (a version ofThe Philadelphia Story),The Elgin Hour,Celebrity Playhouse,Lux Video Theatre (including an adaptation ofThe Browning Version andNow, Voyager),The Loretta Young Show,Playhouse 90,Studio One in Hollywood,Alfred Hitchcock Presents, andAdventures in Paradise.
Marshall's final performances include the feature filmsCollege Confidential (1960),Midnight Lace (1960),A Fever in the Blood (1961),Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962),The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) andThe Caretakers (1963). He guest starred on episodes ofHong Kong,Michael Shayne,Zane Grey Theater, and77 Sunset Strip. "They don't seem to make my kind of pictures any more," he said in 1964.[67]
His last performance was in the filmThe Third Day (1965).
Marshall, a soft-spoken man who was one of the pillars of the Hollywood British community,[68] was widely respected and well-liked due to his talent and professionalism,[69][70] pleasant and easygoing demeanor,[71][72] sensitivity,[73][74] gentlemanly and courteous manner,[75][76] witty sense of humour,[77][78] and his "very great personal charm".[79] Among the actor's many friends in the British community wereEdmund Goulding, Eric Blore,Ronald Colman,Clive Brook,Merle Oberon,C. Aubrey Smith,David Niven,Basil Rathbone,Sir Cedric Hardwicke andBrian Aherne. Other friends includedRaymond Massey,Rod La Rocque,Vilma Bánky,Kay Francis,Mary Astor,Irving Thalberg,Norma Shearer,Joan Crawford,Melvyn Douglas,Bette Davis andGrace Moore. Although popular and likeable, Marshall suffered from bouts of depression through much of his life.[31][80] In his free time, he especially enjoyed sketching[29] and fishing.[48]
"His first charm is that he is a thoroughly nice, reasonable Englishman. He has a peculiarly easy, unaffected manner. He is tallish and dresses with exceptional taste and discretion. Also he gives an impression of hidden reserves, a sort of enticing withdrawal...And manners. The man has every charming trick of engaging manners known to masculinity".[81]
Marshall was married five times and divorced three. In 1914, he appeared with Mollie Maitland (whose real name was Hilda Lloyd Bosley) inThe Headmaster;[82] the following year, they were married.[83] Five years later, he first appeared withEdna Best, who became his most frequent stage co-star; they also made three films together (The Calendar,Michael and Mary andThe Faithful Heart).[84] Marshall and Best were married in November 1928, following their respective divorces (they had been cohabiting for the previous three years).[85][86][87] In 1931, Best broke a lucrative contract withMGM and walked off the filming ofThe Phantom of Paris withJohn Gilbert in order to be with Marshall in New York, where he was performing in a play.[11][88][89] In response to a press inquiry, he said: "I'm sorry if Hollywood is annoyed, but Edna and I happen to be in love with each other and we want to be together."[89]
During a return trip to London in late November 1932, Marshall and a pregnant Best gave an interview in which they stated their intention to briefly return to Hollywood the following summer.[90] They would bring a nanny to help look after their daughter.[91] At some point, Best and youngSarah returned to London while Marshall received more film offers. They continued making trips to see each other. In late 1933, actressPhyllis Barry had tea with Marshall and Claudette Colbert after they returned from Hawaii, where they had been filmingFour Frightened People. She remembered that Marshall "insisted on my talking all the time because he said I sounded just like his wife".[92] By the time Marshall was filmingRiptide in early 1934, he reportedly was drinking heavily due to his problems with Best and increased phantom pain. (Director Goulding and co-star Norma Shearer successfully convinced him to curb his consumption of alcohol.) Not long after, Goulding introduced him to Gloria Swanson.[93]
In 1940, after a long separation from her husband and wanting to marry someone else, Best divorced Marshall on grounds of desertion (he lived in Hollywood, and she lived in Britain). She remarried almost immediately.[94] Twenty days later, he married actress and model Elizabeth Roberta "Lee" Russell,[94][95] a sister of film starRosalind Russell.[96] Two years prior to their marriage, Russell's recently divorced ex-husband, songwriter Eddy Brandt, initiated an alienation of affection suit for $250,000 against Marshall, whom he accused of stealing his wife.[88] Brandt later told the press that he and the actor settled out of court for $10,000. Marshall publicly denied this claim.[97] In 1947, Russell divorced him in Mexico. They parted on amiable terms.[98] Instead of explaining the reasons for her divorce, she told the press at the time: "I will never say anything against Bart. He is one of the most charming people I have ever known."[99]
He was married to his fourth wife, formerZiegfeld girl and actressPatricia "Boots" Mallory, from 1947 until her death in 1958. They were wed in August 1947, withNigel Bruce acting as best man.[100] After a 16-month illness, Mallory died of a throat ailment at age 45. Marshall was deeply troubled by her death and had to be hospitalised for pneumonia and pleurisy less than two months later.[101] He married Dee Anne Kahmann, his final wife, on 25 April 1960 when he was almost 70 years old. She was a twice-divorced, 38-year-old department store buyer.[102][103][104] They remained married until his death.
Marshall had a daughterSarah by Edna Best and another daughter Ann by Lee Russell. Sarah Marshall followed her parents and grandparents into the acting profession,[105] appearing in many of the most popular television shows of the 1960s, includingStar Trek,The Twilight Zone,Perry Mason,F Troop andDaniel Boone. Herbert and Sarah Marshall acted together in a television version ofJ.B. Priestley's playAn Inspector Calls in 1951. His younger daughter, Ann Marshall (often called Annie), worked for many years asJack Nicholson's personal assistant.[106] He also had at least four step-children, two from his marriage to Best[107] and two from his marriage to Mallory.[108] His grandson Timothy M. Bourne, Sarah Marshall's only child, is an independent film producer. Bourne was the executive producer of the Academy Award-winning filmThe Blind Side (2009).
In the early 1930s, Marshall was commonly rumoured within Hollywood social circles to have had affairs with both hisTrouble in Paradise co-starsKay Francis andMiriam Hopkins.[109][110] In January 1934, Marshall, while still married to Best, began a serious affair with actressGloria Swanson, who recounted their relationship in her memoirs,Swanson on Swanson (1980). She described Marshall at the time of their first meeting as "a handsome man in his early forties with a gentle face and soft brown eyes", who had "one of the most perfect musical voices I had ever heard". Swanson also wrote that the actor was "sweet beyond belief" and "a nice man", who "utterly charmed" her and her children.[111] He constantly wrote her love notes, and when she was out of town, he sent her romantic telegrams almost hourly.[112] (Many of these personal documents now reside at the University of Texas at Austin'sHarry Ransom Center archives, as part of theGloria Swanson Papers.)[113][114] Newspapers and film fan magazines widely discussed his affair with Swanson at the time, which he made little attempt to keep secret.[115][116][117]
In November 1936, Swanson left him once she accepted that he would not divorce Edna Best to marry her. Although insisting they were "madly in love," she believed that he would not demand a divorce because of his typically docile nature, reluctance to deliberately hurt people, and guilt over his separation from his young daughter. "He would always turn to alcohol rather than face a painful scene," she remembered.[118] Despite an emotional parting, near the end of her life Swanson, who was married six times, wrote: "I was never so convincingly and thoroughly loved as I was by Herbert Marshall."[119]
A few months into their relationship, Marshall became a subject of media gossip after a confrontation atEl Morocco in New York City.[120][121][122] A photographer snapped pictures of the couple dining together. When Marshall saw that Swanson was annoyed by the photographer,[120] he "went into one of the most spectacular rages of all times," according toModern Screen.[122] In a syndicated column,Ed Sullivan wrote that he watched Marshall "rise violently" from his seat and chase the cameraman down the aisles between the nightclub's tables.[121]
Around two months after this incident, Marshall again received substantial publicity after screenwriterJohn Monk Saunders (husband of actressFay Wray) punched him in the face and knocked him to the floor at a dinner party given by director Ernst Lubitsch. According to a wire report, Marshall took exception to something Saunders said about Gloria Swanson. Later that night, after Marshall called Saunders a derogatory name, Saunders hit him while he was, in his own words, "seated...and looking in an opposite direction".[123] Wray later added details unreported at the time. According to her, Marshall referred to Saunders as a "bestial bastard" after the screenwriter ogled Swanson'sdécolletage.[124] Articles about the incident commonly mentioned Marshall's prosthetic leg, which had only very rarely been talked about in the press up to that point.[125][126]
With the increasing public demand for grittier films after the Second World War, the remaining members of the Hollywood British "colony" began to part ways, with some returning to Britain while others stayed in Hollywood. Marshall, like many of his contemporaries who stayed in Hollywood, began to receive far fewer acting offers[127] and, especially toward the end of his life, had to take whatever he could get due to financial reasons.[128] In May 1951, while in the hospital recuperating from corrective surgery, he suffered a "pulmonary embolism around his heart".[129][130] After NBC aired three episodes ofThe Man Called 'X' that were previously transcribed, Marshall's friendsVan Heflin,John Lund andJoseph Cotten filled in (one episode each) until Marshall's return in June 1951.[131]Marshall appeared in his last significant film role inThe Caretakers (1963) withJoan Crawford, who was happy to act with him again 22 years after they madeWhen Ladies Meet together. Noting his poor health and heavy drinking, she worked with the film's director to minimise the time Marshall had to be on the set.[132]
In late 1965, after his final brief film appearance in the thrillerThe Third Day, Marshall was admitted to theMotion Picture Relief Fund Hospital for severe depression.[128] Eight days after his release, he died on 22 January 1966 in Beverly Hills, California of heart failure at the age of 75.[128]
He was interred atChapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.[133][134]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Mumsie | Colonel Armytage | Lost film |
| 1929 | The Letter | Geoffrey Hammond | |
| 1930 | Murder! | John Menier | |
| 1931 | Secrets of a Secretary | Lord Danforth | |
| The Calendar | Gerry Anson | Released asBachelor's Folly in US | |
| Michael and Mary | Michael Rowe | ||
| 1932 | The Faithful Heart | Waverly Ango | Released asFaithful Hearts in US |
| Blonde Venus | Edward 'Ned' Faraday | ||
| Trouble in Paradise | Gaston Monescu | ||
| Evenings for Sale | Count Franz von Degenthal | ||
| 1933 | I Was a Spy | Stephan | |
| The Solitaire Man | Oliver Lane | ||
| 1934 | Four Frightened People | Arnold Ainger | |
| Riptide | Lord Rexford | ||
| Outcast Lady | Napier | ||
| The Painted Veil | Dr. Walter Fane | ||
| 1935 | The Good Fairy | Dr. Max Sporum | |
| The Flame Within | Doctor Gordon Philips | ||
| Accent on Youth | Steven Gaye | ||
| The Dark Angel | Gerald Shannon | ||
| If You Could Only Cook | Jim Buchanan | ||
| 1936 | The Lady Consents | Dr. Michael J. Talbot | |
| Till We Meet Again | Alan Barclay | ||
| Forgotten Faces | Harry Ashton | ||
| Girls' Dormitory | Doctor Stephen Dominik | ||
| A Woman Rebels | Thomas Lane | ||
| Make Way for a Lady | Christopher 'Chris' Drew | ||
| 1937 | Angel | Sir Frederick Barker | |
| Breakfast for Two | Jonathan Blair | ||
| 1938 | Mad About Music | Richard Todd / Mr Harkinson | |
| Woman Against Woman | Stephen Holland | ||
| Always Goodbye | Jim Howard | ||
| 1939 | Zaza | Dufresne | |
| 1940 | A Bill of Divorcement | Gray Meredith | |
| Foreign Correspondent | Stephen Fisher | ||
| The Letter | Robert Crosbie | ||
| 1941 | Adventure in Washington | John Coleridge | |
| The Little Foxes | Horace Giddens | ||
| When Ladies Meet | Rogers Woodruff | ||
| Kathleen | John Davis | ||
| 1942 | The Moon and Sixpence | Geoffrey Wolfe | |
| 1943 | Forever and a Day | Curate in Air Raid Shelter | |
| Flight for Freedom | Paul Turner | ||
| Young Ideas | Michael Kingsley | ||
| 1944 | Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble | Doctor M.J. Standish | |
| The Shining Future | Himself | Short, Uncredited | |
| 1945 | The Enchanted Cottage | Major John Hillgrove | |
| The Unseen | Doctor Charles Evans | ||
| 1946 | Crack-Up | Traybin | |
| The Razor's Edge | W. Somerset Maugham | ||
| Duel in the Sun | Scott Chavez | ||
| Monuments of the Past | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 1947 | Ivy | Miles Rushworth | |
| High Wall | Wilard I. Whitcombe | ||
| 1949 | The Secret Garden | Archibald Craven | |
| 1950 | The Underworld Story | E. J. Stanton | |
| Black Jack | Doctor James Curtis | Released asCaptain Blackjack | |
| 1951 | Anne of the Indies | Doctor Jameson | |
| 1953 | Angel Face | Mr. Charles Tremayne | |
| 1954 | Riders to the Stars | Doctor Don Stanton | |
| Gog | Doctor Van Ness | ||
| The Black Shield of Falworth | William, Earl of Mackworth | ||
| 1955 | The Virgin Queen | Robert Dudley | |
| 1956 | Wicked as They Come | Stephen Collins | |
| The Weapon | Inspector Mackenzie | ||
| 1957 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Judge Connors | Season 2 Episode 19: "A Bottle of Wine" |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Colin Bragner | Season 3 Episode 39: "Little White Frock" |
| Stage Struck | Robert Harley Hedges | ||
| The Fly | Inspector Charas | ||
| 1960 | College Confidential | Professor Henry Addison | |
| Midnight Lace | Charles Manning | ||
| 1961 | A Fever in the Blood | Governor Oliver P. Thornwall | |
| 1962 | Five Weeks in a Balloon | The Prime Minister | |
| 1963 | The List of Adrian Messenger | Sir Wilfrid Lucas | |
| The Caretakers | Doctor Jubal Harrington | ||
| 1964 | The Presidency: A Splendid Misery | George Washington | TV documentary |
| 1965 | The Third Day | Austin Parsons |
| Year | Programme | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Forecast* | The Lodger[135] |
| 1941 | The Jell-O Program | 2 February episode; substitutes forJack Benny as master of ceremonies[136] |
| 1946 | Hollywood Star Time | Intermezzo[137] |
| Hollywood Star Time | Bedelia[138] | |
| 1951 | The Jell-O Program | 16 February episode; at surprise birthday party forJack Benny[139] |
| 1953 | Suspense | The Mystery of Edwin Drood[140] |
| Suspense | The Dead Alive[141] |
'I didn't really want to go on the stage. My poor old father hadn't an awful lot of funds, and I really wasn't educated to do much else.'
Something one cannont get Herbert to talk about is his war experience in the Scottish Rifles—the same regiment Ronald Colman served with. But he will tell about having been a very minor accountant in London, of the difficulty he had in making an impression on the stage. How, in fact, he had an actor father and had vowed never, never to go on the stage—and then weakened.
He complained constantly of 'phantom pain' in his amputated right leg, and he suffered from depression.
The central figure in the film is 'Mumsie,' in which Miss Frederick gives a very convincing display of highly emotional acting. She receives splendid support from Donald McCardle as the son 'Noel' and Herbert Marshall as Colonel Armytage.
He was the man killed by Jean Eagels (sic) in that first talkie, 'The Letter'. He also did a part withClaudette Colbert [inSecrets of a Secretary], 'which I am sorry to say was not very good,' he admits. He was also the hero of a British picture, 'Murder'. 'Which made quite a pleasant stir in Europe, but none whatever in the United States,' he smiles.
'I'm sick and tired of being a gentleman,' said Herbert Marshall...'I don't know how this all started, but since I've played in pictures they're determined to brand me as a suave gentleman. It's a compliment I disapprove of...I don't mind playing the suave gentleman, or the polished gentleman, so long as he has revealing moments when he can show that basically he can burst through to show, let us say, intestinal fortitude. One reason why I like my present role with Garbo is that, though the character is a nice gentle fellow, he can, and does, become beautifully angry.' Now what really is at the bottom of it all is that Mr. Marshall would like a crack at some roles that aren't routine...In short, contemplation of his various motion picture heroes is so all of a sameness that Mr. Marshall is seized with a great ennui.
Herbert Marshall and Boots Mallory seen dining with Lee Marshall a few nights ago. When Lee's divorce is final, Bart will marry Boots. These friendly divorces always puzzle me.
I soon learned that I was not the first woman to be involved with him since his arrival in Hollywood. Everyone seemed to know, for example, that he had had affairs with Kay Francis and Miriam Hopkins...[Recounting her meeting with Edna Best:] She knew Bart loved me, she said. Did I love him? Yes. That did not altogether shock her, did it? Surely she had been aware of previous infidelities on his part, hadn't she? She had.
Hollywood is wondering if Gloria Swanson, once free of [husband] Michael Farmer, will make Herbert husband Number Five
Now the Marshalls are separated by more than an ocean and continent. Since their separation, gossip has romantically linked the names of Gloria Swanson and Herbert Marshall. They are constantly seen together.
...Swanson, whose name has been linked romantically with Mr. Marshall's prior to and since her separation from Michael Farmer. Mr. Marshall is likewise separated from Edna Best, English actress.
Some people strenuously object to the idea of Marshall being struck by anybody, because of his infirmity due to the loss of a leg during the war.
It is said Marshall has an artificial leg.
