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John Loder | |
|---|---|
 Loder in 1949 | |
| Born | William John Muir Lowe (1898-01-03)3 January 1898 London, England |
| Died | 26 December 1988(1988-12-26) (aged 90) London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1925–1971 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Father | William Lowe |
| Relatives | Hilary Tindall (daughter-in-law) |
John Loder (bornWilliam John Muir Lowe;[citation needed] 3 January 1898 – 26 December 1988) was established as a British film actor in Germany and Britain before migrating to the United States in 1928 for work in the newtalkies. He worked in Hollywood for two periods, becoming an American citizen in 1947. After living also in Argentina, he became a naturalized Argentinian citizen in 1959.
Loder was born in 1898 inKnightsbridge, London.[1] His father wasW.H.M. Lowe, a careerBritish Armyofficer who achieved the rank ofgeneral.Patrick Pearse, the leader of the1916 Easter Rising inDublin,Ireland, surrendered to him.[2] Both were present at the surrender.[3] Loder's mother was Frances Broster Johnson (née de Salvo; 1857–1942), daughter of Francesco de Salvo ofPalermo, Sicily and his English wife, Emma Broster.[4]
Loder followed his father into theBritish Army, beingcommissioned into the15th Hussars as asecond lieutenant on 17 March 1915, during theFirst World War.[5]
He was takenprisoner by the Germans on 21 March 1918 at the village ofRoisel and transported toLe Cateau gaol and then by train to the first of severalprisoner-of-war camps,Rastatt, inBaden, Germany.[6][7]
Leaving the cavalry, Loder went into business with a German friend, Walter Becker, establishing a pickle factory inPotsdam. Later he began to develop an interest in acting. He appeared at the British Theatre Guild in Berlin and enjoyed success in productions ofThe Last of Mrs Cheyney, which had opened in London in 1925, andLoyalties.[8]
He began appearing in bit parts in a few German films produced at theTempelhof Film Studios[9] includingDancing Mad (1925). He had a good part inMadame Wants No Children (1926), directed byAlexander Korda before going on to appear in numerous films in the next two years:The Last Waltz,The White Spider,The Great Unknown, all in 1927; andAlraune,Fair Game,When the Mother and the Daughter,Casanova's Legacy,The Sinner, andAdam and Eve, all released in 1928.
Loder left Germany to return briefly to the United Kingdom. He had a support role inThe First Born (1928), playingMadeleine Carroll's love interest. That year he sailed to the United States on theSS Île de France, bound for Hollywood to try his luck in the new medium of "talkies".[citation needed]
Loder was signed byParamount Studios. He appeared inThe Case of Lena Smith (1929) directed by EuropeanJosef Von Sternberg. He madeThe Doctor's Secret (1929),Paramount's first talking picture, playingRuth Chatterton's leading man. He appeared oppositeJack Holt in a Western,Sunset Pass (1929).[10] But his very English persona in these roles did not win over viewers in the United States.[citation needed]
He also appeared inBlack Waters (1929), the first British talkie, which was made in the US by producerHerbert Wilcox, andThe Unholy Night (1929) atMGM. Loder made some forPathe:Her Private Affair (1929),The Racketeer (1929), andRich People (1930).
Alexander Korda had also moved to Hollywood and cast Loder inLilies of the Field (1930). This was produced by Warners studio, which also used Loder inThe Second Floor Mystery (1930),Sweethearts and Wives (1930),The Man Hunter (1931) (aRin Tin Tin film), andOne Night at Susie's (1931). He went to Fox studios forSeas Beneath (1931) directed by John Ford. That year he also appeared in a film forHal Roach at MGM,On the Loose (1931).
Loder returned to Britain. He starred in a comedy for Herbert Wilcox,Money Means Nothing (1932), and was reunited with Korda inWedding Rehearsal (1933).
Loder pursuedMerle Oberon inThe Battle (1933) and had the star role inMoney for Speed (1933) oppositeIda Lupino. He was inYou Made Me Love You (1933), and that year had a small part in Korda's hugely successfulThe Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), playing the love interest ofElsa Lanchester'sAnne of Cleeves.
Loder had lead roles in low-budget, quota quickies such asParis Plane (1933) andRolling in Money (1934) as well as the romantic male lead in theGracie Fields vehicle,Love, Life and Laughter (1934).
Loder specialised in leading man parts inWarn London (1934);Java Head (1934) withAnna May Wong;Sing As We Go (1934) with Fields again, and a big hit;My Song Goes Round the World (1934);[11]Lorna Doone (1934), as John Ridd; and18 Minutes (1935).
He was top billed inThe Silent Passenger (1935) andIt Happened in Paris (1935) and supported in theMozart biopic,Whom the Gods Love (1936). Loder was reunited with Gracie Fields inQueen of Hearts (1936) and starred in an IRA drama,Ourselves Alone (1936). He had a part inGuilty Melody (1936) and supportedBoris Karloff inThe Man Who Changed His Mind (1936).
Loder played the heroic investigator inAlfred Hitchcock'sSabotage (1936), replacingRobert Donat[12] before taking on the role of Sir Henry Curtis, the male romantic interest in the 1937 original film version ofKing Solomon's Mines, romancingAnna Lee.[13][14]
He romancedMargaret Lockwood inDoctor Syn (1937), supportingGeorge Arliss. He and Anna Lee were reunited inNon-Stop New York (1937), and he took onErich von Stroheim inUnder Secret Orders (1937).
Loder and Lockwood romanced again in support of a crusty old actor inOwd Bob (1938), before he went to France to appear inKatia (1938) withDanielle Darrieux, in which he playedAlexander II of Russia.
He returned to Britain and starred in thrillersAnything to Declare? (1939),The Silent Battle (1939) withRex Harrison, andMurder Will Out (1939). He had the title role inMeet Maxwell Archer (1940).
After Britain entered theSecond World War, Loder returned to the United States. He coasted into a career inB movie roles, usually playing upper-crust characters. He also played one role onstage onBroadway, in 1947'sFor Love or Money oppositeJune Lockhart.[citation needed]
He was inAdventure in Diamonds (1940) andDiamond Frontier (1940). At20th Century Fox he madeTin Pan Alley (1940),Scotland Yard (1941), andHow Green Was My Valley (1941), in which he played a brother ofRoddy McDowall's character.
He also worked in such war films asConfirm or Deny (1941),One Night in Lisbon (1941), andEagle Squadron (1941).
InNow, Voyager (1942), he played a wealthy widower engaged toBette Davis's character. That was made by Warners who used Loder inGentleman Jim (1942) asErrol Flynn's love rival. Warners gave him a then-rare lead in a B move,The Gorilla Man (1943),The Mysterious Doctor (1943),Murder on the Waterfront (1943), andAdventure in Iraq (1943).
He was back with Bette Davis inOld Acquaintance (1943) and supportedHumphrey Bogart inPassage to Marseille (1944).
In the early 1940s, Loder was host ofSilver Theater, a dramatic anthology onCBS radio.[15] He also starred in the programme's 11 June 1944 episode.[16]
Loder freelanced as an actor. He had support roles inThe Hairy Ape (1944), andAbroad with Two Yanks (1944), then had a lead part in some B films:The Brighton Strangler (1945),Jealousy (1945),A Game of Death (1945) (a remake ofThe Most Dangerous Game), andThe Wife of Monte Cristo (1946).
He supported in an A film,One More Tomorrow (1946) and appeared opposite then-wifeHedy Lamarr inDishonored Lady (1947). Loder then appeared in a minor Broadway hit inFor Love or Money (1947–48). Around this time he began to focus increasingly on business as opposed to acting.[17]
Loder's later film appearances included British filmsThe Story of Esther Costello (1957),Small Hotel (1957), andGideon's Day (1958). His last film wasThe Firechasers (1971).
He was unmarried when he fathered his first son.[18] The boy followed his father to Eton and served in theGrenadier Guards. He later became a theatrical and literary agent, and was married three times. Loder's son, Robin Lowe, was married to British actressHilary Tindall (1938–1992). She played Ann Hammond in the 1970s BBC TV seriesThe Brothers.[19]
In 1932 Loder was named in the divorce proceedings ofWanda Holden andCharles Baillie-Hamilton, a former MP.[20]
Loder was married five times; two of his wives were actresses.
Loder's other wives were Sophie Kabel, Evelyn Auff Mordt, and finally, in 1958, the heiress Alba Julia Lagomarsino of Argentina. After their marriage, he lived on her 25,000-acre cattle ranch and spent much time at theJockey Club inBuenos Aires.[24]
After they divorced in 1972, Loder returned to London.[25] He resided for some years in a house oppositeHarrods department store.[citation needed]
In 1947, Loder had become an American citizen. In 1959, he became a naturalised citizen of the United Kingdom. Given his varied residencies, he had been considered of "uncertain nationality" by that time.[26]
He published his autobiography,Hollywood Hussar, in 1977. Loder's general health deteriorated in his eighties, and he was admitted in 1982 to theDistressed Gentlefolks Aid Association's Nursing Home inVicarage Gate, Kensington. He went weekly by taxi to his London club, 'Bucks', inMayfair, for luncheon. He died in London, aged 90, in 1988.[27]
Loder is the focus of the playThe Private View: Fairytales of Ireland 1916–2016, written byTrevor White and directed byGerard Stembridge. The play was staged byThe Little Museum of Dublin as part of theDublin Theatre Festival in October 2015, and was performed at theAmerican Irish Historical Society in November of the same year.[28]
