George Arliss | |
|---|---|
 Arliss in 1919 | |
| Born | Augustus George Andrews (1868-04-10)10 April 1868 London, England |
| Died | 5 February 1946(1946-02-05) (aged 77) London, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1887–1943 |
| Spouse | |
George Arliss (bornAugustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win anAcademy Award – which he won for his performance as Victorian-era British prime ministerBenjamin Disraeli inDisraeli (1929) – as well as the earliest-born actor of any category to win the honour. He specialized in successful biopics, such asDisraeli,Voltaire (1933), andCardinal Richelieu (1935), as well as light comedies, which includedThe Millionaire (1931) andA Successful Calamity (1932).
His career ranged from being a star of the legitimatetheatre, thensilent films, thensound films.
Arliss was born in London, and commonly listed as George Augustus Andrews. His relatives referred to him as Uncle Gus. He started work in the publishing office of his father, William Joseph Arliss Andrews, but left at age 18 to go on the stage. His brotherFred Andrews studied art, and is known for his work with SirAurel Stein.
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Arliss began his theatre career in the British provinces in 1887 and by 1900 was playing London's West End in supporting roles. He embarked for a tour of America in 1901 inMrs. Patrick Campbell's troupe, intending to remain in the United States only for the length of the tour.
Arliss stayed for twenty years, making his Broadway debut inMagda (1902).[1] He eventually became a star in 1908 inThe Devil. Producer George Tyler commissioned Louis Napoleon Parker in 1911 to write a play specifically tailored for Arliss, and the actor toured inDisraeli for five years, eventually becoming closely identified withthe 19th-century British prime minister.
Writing inVanity Fair in 1919, he outlined his plan for a nonprofit called the Theatre Annex, which would allow new plays to be tested under special conditions.[2]
He began his film career withThe Devil (1921), followed byDisraeli and four other silent films. Today, onlyThe Devil,Disraeli,$20 a Week, andThe Green Goddess (1923), based on the hitstage play in which he had starred, are known to have survived. He remade bothThe Green Goddess andDisraeli in sound in 1929 (and won theBest Actor Academy Award forDisraeli), converting successfully at the age of 61 from a star of the legitimate theatre, and thensilent films, to sound films.
Arliss made 10 sound films exclusively forWarner Bros. under a contract that gave the star an unusual amount of creative control for the time. Curiously, his casting of actors and rewriting of scripts were privileges granted him by the studio that are not even mentioned in his contract. One of these films,The Man Who Played God (1932), wasBette Davis's first leading role. Until the end of Davis's life, she credited Arliss for personally insisting upon her as his leading lady and giving her a chance to show her abilities. The two also co-starred inThe Working Man in 1933.
Arliss built a production unit at Warners' both in front of and behind the cameras.Maude T. Howell, his stage manager, became an assistant producer and was one of the few female film executives in Hollywood at that time. After his first three films, Arliss approvedJohn Adolfi, a capable Warners director who was open to collaboration with him. Adolfi soon was regarded as a successful director of the critically and financially acclaimed Arliss films. Arliss preferred to use the same reliable actors, such as Ivan Simpson (who was also a sculptor) and Charles Evans. He had an eye for discovering unknown talent, such asJames Cagney,Randolph Scott andDick Powell. Despite his extensive involvement in the planning and production of his films, Arliss claimed credit only for acting.
After having worked closely with Warners' production chief,Darryl F. Zanuck, Arliss left the studio when Zanuck resigned in April 1933 and set up 20th Century Pictures. A month later Adolfi died suddenly. Zanuck quickly signed Arliss to make new films at 20th Century, prompting Warners' to complain to theMotion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences that Zanuck had "stolen" their star.
He often appeared with his wifeFlorence Arliss.[3] Florence (or "Flo", as George called her) starred both on stage and in films, both silent and sound, with her husband and almost always played his character's spouse. However, that did not prevent Arliss from using another actress when Flo was not right for a role. Also, Flo turned down roles that George wanted her to play in some films.
Arliss is best remembered primarily for his witty series of historical biopics, such asAlexander Hamilton (1931),Voltaire (1933),The House of Rothschild (1934),The Iron Duke (1934), andCardinal Richelieu (1935). However, he also had a series of domestic comedies such asThe Millionaire (1931,A Successful Calamity (1932),The Working Man (1933), andThe Last Gentleman (1934).
In 1934, British film goers named Arliss their favourite male star.[4]
Arliss was approaching 70 when he completed the British-madeDoctor Syn in 1937.[5] He and Flo returned to America later that year to visit old friends, including famed astronomerEdwin Hubble in California. Producer-directorCecil B. DeMille arranged for the Arlisses to re-enact their roles inDisraeli onLux Radio Theatre, DeMille's popular radio show, in January 1938. The occasion was heralded as "a new page in radio history". George and Flo subsequently appeared on Lux in radio adaptations ofThe Man Who Played God in March 1938 and inCardinal Richelieu in January 1939, which was apparently their final dramatic appearance anywhere.
Returning to their home in London in April 1939, the onset of the Second World War prevented their return to America during Arliss's remaining years. The only taint of scandal involved charges by the British Government in September 1941 that Arliss had not complied with a recent requirement to report bank accounts he maintained in the U.S. and Canada (similar charges were also brought against actor-playwrightNoël Coward around the same time). Both men claimed ignorance of the new law, but they were fined and publicly humiliated by the experience.
On 14 September 1899, Arliss marriedFlorence Arliss (née Florence Kate Montgomery Smith) (1870–1950),[3] to whom he was married until his death. (Leslie Arliss, who became a prolific producer-director forGainsborough Pictures, is erroneously referred to as their son in some reference works – he was in fact their nephew.)
Arliss was a prominentanti-vivisectionist who founded the National Anti-Vivisection Society of Chicago. He was president of the Episcopal Actors' Guild of America from 1921 to 1938.[6]
He was a strict vegetarian, stating that "I eat nothing I can pat".[7] Arliss walked four miles each day and took interest in aerobics.[7] His dogs are buried at thePine Ridge Pet Cemetery.[8]
In retirement Arliss settled at Pangbourne in Berkshire. Film producer Darryl F. Zanuck tried to interest him in returning to Hollywood to star inThe Pied Piper in 1942. Instead, Arliss lived out theLuftwaffe'sBlitz on London and died in Maida Hill in London of a bronchial ailment on 5 February 1946, aged 77.[9] His gravestone spurns his success in the performing arts in favor of the one achievement of which he was apparently most proud: an honorary Master of Arts degree he received from Columbia University in 1919.
Arliss wrote the autobiographyUp the Years from Bloomsbury in 1927.[10]
He has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6648-1/2 Hollywood Boulevard.[11] He was a member of theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | The Devil | Dr. Muller | |
| Disraeli | Benjamin Disraeli | ||
| 1922 | The Man Who Played God | Montgomery Royle | |
| The Ruling Passion | James Alden | ||
| The Starland Review | Himself | archive | |
| 1923 | The Green Goddess | Rajah of Rukh | |
| 1924 | Twenty Dollars a Week | John Reeves | |
| 1929 | Disraeli | Benjamin Disraeli | Academy Award for Best Actor |
| 1930 | The Green Goddess | Raja of Rukh | Nominated –Academy Award for Best Actor |
| Old English | Sylvanus Heythorp | ||
| 1931 | Alexander Hamilton | Alexander Hamilton | |
| The Millionaire | James Alden | ||
| 1932 | A Successful Calamity | Henry Wilton | |
| The Man Who Played God | Montgomery Royle | Released asThe Silent Voice in the United Kingdom | |
| 1933 | Voltaire | Voltaire | |
| The Working Man | John Reeves | ||
| The King's Vacation | Phillip, the King | ||
| 1934 | The Iron Duke | Duke of Wellington | |
| The Last Gentleman | Cabot Barr | ||
| The House of Rothschild | Mayer Rothschild /Nathan Rothschild | Finale filmed inTechnicolor | |
| 1935 | The Tunnel | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | Released asTransatlantic Tunnel in the United States |
| Cardinal Richelieu | Cardinal Richelieu | ||
| The Guv'nor | The Guv'nor | Released asMister Hobo in the United States | |
| 1936 | His Lordship | Richard Fraser/Lorimer, Lord Duncaster | Released asMan of Affairs in the United States |
| East Meets West | Sultan of Rungay | ||
| 1937 | Doctor Syn | Dr. Syn | |
| 1939 | Land of Liberty | archive footage | |
| 1943 | The Voice That Thrilled the World | Himself | segment Disraeli – archive footage, uncredited |
The 1931 short filmImpressions of Disraeli was made in England for the Tory Party and was introduced by Stanley Baldwin. The film is extant.
