Franklin Dyall
Dyall as Emilio Diaz inSacred and Profane Love (1920)
Born	(1870-02-03)3 February 1870 Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Died	8 May 1950(1950-05-08) (aged 80) Worthing, Sussex, England
Occupation	Actor
Spouse(s)	Mary Phyllis Logan (1907–1929; divorced) Mary Merrall (1929–1950; his death)
Children	Valentine Dyall

Frank Poole Dyall (3 February 1870^{[n 1]}– 8 May 1950), professionally known asFranklin Dyall, was an English actor. In his early years he was a member of the companies of theactor-managersGeorge Alexander,Ben Greet,John Martin-Harvey andJohnston Forbes-Robertson. During a 50-year stage career he played a wide range of parts in plays fromShakespeare to modern comedy,grand guignol, swashbuckling costume drama and the works ofIbsen. He broadcast on radio and television and made more than 20 films. He was the father of the actorValentine Dyall.

Dyall was born inLiverpool on 3 February 1870,^{[n 1]} the youngest of four sons of Charles Dyall, first curator of theWalker Art Gallery, and his wife Margaret Oliphantnée Robertson. He was educated at theLiverpool Institute High School for Boys.^[2] He made his professional stage debut in April 1894 inGeorge Alexander's company at theSt James's Theatre, London, inThe Masqueraders byHenry Arthur Jones.^[3] In his early career he appeared under his real name, and as Frank Dyall he played a servant in Alexander's production ofHenry James'sGuy Domville in January 1895^[4] and created the role of Merriman inThe Importance of Being Earnest the following month.^[5]

Dyall's first Shakespearean roles were Claudius inHamlet, and the Duke inThe Merchant of Venice inBen Greet's company at theOlympic Theatre in May 1897.^[3][6] Claudius was a role to which he returned during his career, playing it to the Hamlet ofJohn Martin-Harvey in 1911 andJohn Gielgud in 1935.^[7] He joinedJohnston Forbes-Robertson at theLyceum later in that year, playing Guildenstern inHamlet and Second Witch inMacbeth the following year ("satisfactory, though we should prefer female witches", saidThe Era).^[8] He appeared at thePrince of Wales’s Theatre in June 1898 as the Doctor inMrs Patrick Campbell's production ofPelléas and Mélisande.^[9]

In the early years of the 20th century Dyall appeared inLewis Waller's company, and played a variety of roles, both Shakespearean and modern.^[3] In 1905–06 he toured the US inE. S. Willard's company.^[3] After returning to England, he married the actressMary Phyllis Logan, known professionally as Concordia Merrel. They had one child,Valentine, who followed his parents into the acting profession.^[10] At about the same time Dyall changed his stage name from Frank Dyall to Franklin Dyall,^{[11][n 2]} He acted in a wide range of roles, including severalIbsen parts, playing the title role inJohn Gabriel Borkman (1910), Dr Rank inA Doll's House and Judge Brack inHedda Gabler (both 1911).^[3] Of the first of these the reviewer ofThe Illustrated London News called Dyall's performance "splendid ... the actor has done nothing half so good heretofore and his was ... the best performance we have ever had in London of his role".^[13] In 1913, he originated the role of the Stranger/Conjurer, inG.K. Chesterton's first play,Magic.^[14]

In 1914 Dyall returned to North America, touring Canada and the US withMarie Tempest's company, playing roles including Richard Whichello inMary Goes First and James Crane in At the Barn.The New York Tribune found his performances "easy, natural and enjoyable".^[15] He remained in the US in early 1915, playing the paterfamilias in a new comedy,The Younger Generation, byStanley Houghton.^[16] After returning to London he appeared with Martin-Harvey atHis Majesty's in 1916, as Laertes in Hamlet, Lucentio inThe Taming of the Shrew, Richmond inRichard III, and the Duke of Exeter inHenry V.^[7] In 1918, in partnership with the actressMary Merrall, he ran theAbbey Theatre, Dublin, for the summer season.^[7]

In his middle years Dyall had many successes playing whatThe Times called "saturnine villains in modern melodramas":^[10]

Between 1918 and 1939 Dyall played five Shakespearean roles: Friar Lawrence inRomeo and Juliet (1919), Pistol inHenry V, Cassius inJulius Caesar, Shylock inThe Merchant of Venice (all 1934), and Claudius with Gielgud (1935). Between these his appearances ranged fromgrand guignol (1922), to another Ibsen lead (Solness inThe Master Builder (1931) as well as swashbuckling roles such as Duke Michael inThe Prisoner of Zenda and Captain Hook inPeter Pan (both 1923).^[7]In 1928 he and his first wife were divorced, and the following year he married Mary Merrall, with whom he had been living for several years.^[17]

At theShaftesbury Theatre in 1940 Dyall played Andrew Bevan inBehind the Scenes. The following year he played Sir Valentine inThe Devil's Sanctuary, and forENSA he toured for five months as Weston inWhite Cargo. He toured in 1943, inThe Strange Case of Margaret Wishart, and was back in theWest End later that year as Vasin inThe Russians at the Playhouse, and, in the Christmas season, the Caterpillar and the King of Hearts inAlice in Wonderland at the Scala. His final stage appearances were on tour in 1944 and 1945, inThe Case of the Frightened Lady,The Frog, andThe Ringer, and finally as Svengali inTrilby.^[3]

Dyall died at his home inHigh Salvington,Worthing, Sussex on 8 May 1950 at the age of 80.^[18] He was buried in the churchyard atThaxted Parish Church in Essex.

Dyall was an early broadcaster in both radio and television. For2LO, London, he and Forbes-Robertson gave a Shakespearean recital in May 1925, and in August 1939 he headed the cast in two live television transmissions ofThe Ringer. Other than these, he made few broadcasts until the 1940s, when he appeared frequently in the seriesAppointment with Fear.^{[n 3]} When television resumed after wartime suspension Dyall once again made two live broadcasts inThe Ringer, and in the late 1940s he played a wide range of parts on radio, including John Gabriel Borkman, the Dream Chronicler inA Yank at the Court of King Arthur,Joseph Haydn inPapa Haydn, Anselm inThe Miser, Jaggers inGreat Expectations, Don Fernando inHenry de Montherlant'sThe Master of Santiago and, his final role, Gardiner, the Lord Chancellor, inTyrone Guthrie's adaptation ofTennyson'sQueen Mary, broadcast in July 1950 after his death.^[19]

Dyall appeared in, produced or directed 26 films between 1916 and 1948.

• Parker, John (1922).Who's Who in the Theatre (fourth ed.). London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons.OCLC 10013159.
• Parker, John (1978).Who Was Who in the Theatre. Detroit: Gale Research.OCLC 297602022.

• Franklin Dyall atIMDb

• 1870 births
• 1950 deaths
• Male actors from Liverpool
• English male film actors
• English male silent film actors
• 20th-century English male actors
• People educated at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys

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