Roger Livesey
Livesey in the 1943 filmThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Born	(1906-06-25)25 June 1906 Barry, Wales
Died	4 February 1976(1976-02-04) (aged 69) Watford, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1921–1975
Spouse	Ursula Jeans ​ ​ (m. 1937; died 1973)​

Roger Livesey (25 June 1906 – 4 February 1976) was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the threePowell & Pressburger films in which he starred:The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,I Know Where I'm Going! andA Matter of Life and Death. Tall and broad with a mop of chestnut hair, Livesey used his highly distinctive husky voice, gentle manner and athletic physique to create many notable roles in his theatre and film work.

Livesey was born inBarry, Wales, son of actor Joseph Livesey (1880-1911) and Mary Catherine ("Cassie"), née Edwards.^[1] It had previously been believed and reported that his father was in fact Joseph's brother, actorSamuel Livesey, to whom Mary Catherine Edwards was married after Joseph's death. Her sister was Samuel Livesey's first wife.^{[citation needed]} Roger Livesey was educated atWestminster City School,London.^[2]

Livesey studied underItalia Conti.^[3][4] His first stage role was as the office boy inLoyalty atSt James's Theatre in 1917.^[5] He then appeared in a wide range of productions fromShakespeare to modern comedies.^[6] He played various roles in theWest End from 1920 to 1926, toured theWest Indies and South Africa, and then returned to join theOld Vic/Sadler's Wells company from September 1932 until May 1934.^[7] In 1936 he appeared inNew York City inWycherley's comedyThe Country Wife.^[8] While in New York he married actressUrsula Jeans, whom he had known previously in England^[9] (Livesey's sister Maggie was already married to Ursula Jeans' brother Desmond).^[10]

At the outbreak of theSecond World War Livesey and Jeans were among the first volunteers to entertain the troops.^[11] He then applied for flying duties in theRoyal Air Force but due to his age was rejected.^[12] Instead he worked in an aircraft factory atDesford aerodrome nearLeicester to "do his bit for the war effort".^[13]

Livesey was chosen byMichael Powell to play the lead inThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) after Powell was denied his original choice,Laurence Olivier (Winston Churchill had objected to the film and theFleet Air Arm refused to release Olivier, who had been a Hollywood film star before returning to England to take aNavy commission).^[14][15] The film was shown in New York and established Livesey's international reputation as a talented character actor.^[16] In 1945, he was the first choice for the male lead role inBrief Encounter, which in the end went toTrevor Howard.^[17]

He toured Australia from 1956 to 1958 playing Jimmy Broadbent inThe Reluctant Debutante^[18] and continued playing many theatrical roles during his film career until 1969.^[19] One of his last roles was as the Duke of St Bungay inThe Pallisers television series.^[20] His final television appearance was in the seriesBenjamin Franklin in 1975.^[21]

Livesey died inWatford fromcolorectal cancer at the age of 69 on 4 February 1976. He shares a memorial plaque with his wifeUrsula Jeans in the actors' churchSt Paul's inCovent Garden.

Brothers Joseph and Samuel Livesey married, respectively, sisters Margaret Ann Edwards (in 1900) and Mary Catherine Edwards (in 1905).^[22] Following the deaths of Joseph in 1911 and Margaret Ann in 1913, Samuel Livesey married Mary Catherine.^[23] The four children from both first marriages, in addition to the daughter born in 1915 of the second marriage, were all raised as one large family.^[24]

The family tree was further complicated when Roger Livesey married the actressUrsula Jeans, whose brother, Desmond Jeans, was already married to Roger's sister, Maggie.^[25]

Many of the family formed a touring company of actors, performing in regional theatres and from the back of an old wagon, one side of which could be dropped to form a stage. This peripatetic lifestyle meant they did not regard themselves as particularly Welsh, or English.^[26]

In 1958, he,Judith Furse,Terry-Thomas,Rita Webb,Avril Angers andMiles Malleson, recordedIndian Summer of an Uncle, andJeeves Takes Charge for theCaedmon Audio record label, (Caedmon Audio TC-1137). It was re-released in stereo in 1964.

• Roger Livesey atIMDb
• Roger Livesey at theInternet Broadway Database
• Roger Livesey at theBFI'sScreenonline
• Performances in the University of Bristol Theatre Archive
• Collection of biography & reviews of Livesey
• From the Powell & Pressburger pages - dynasty of Roger Livesey
• other biographical notes from the same source
• Pages on Roger Livesey from Celebri
• BBC Wales Arts page. Top 10 Welsh actors: Roger Livesey
• Blockbuster page on Roger Livesey films
• Roger Livesey atPlaybill Vault (archive)

• 1906 births
• 1976 deaths
• 20th-century British male actors
• Actors from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
• Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
• British male stage actors
• British male film actors
• British male television actors
• Deaths from colorectal cancer in England
• People educated at Westminster City School
• Male actors from the Vale of Glamorgan

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