C. Aubrey Smith

Sir Charles Aubrey Smith was a Hollywood actor who before his acting career had played cricket in England, even earning one Test cap. As an impersonator, he is known primarily as someone who would play roles of either an officer or a gentleman. He appeared in several famous films alongside renowned Hollywood personalities of the time. During his stint in county cricket, Smith played exclusively for Sussex, spending 14 years at the side. He was a fast bowler who could also bat well in the lower order and was also an effective slip fielder.

He was considered by many players to be among the best bowlers in England. In his one international Test match, he captained a below-standard England side to a win against South Africa. In that match, he bowled out five batsmen for nineteen runs, becoming only the 4th English player at the time to take five wickets in his debut game. What’s interesting was that at the time, most people weren’t even aware that the Test would be played as an official tournament. He began his acting career in London itself in the play The Prisoner of Zenda as the lead.

In an interesting twist of fate, he would be cast in the Hollywood sound version of this film in a role the learned old man advisor. This led to him eventually establishing himself as an actor who would play roles of either an officer or a gentleman. His theater career also saw him do an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s book Pygmalion. Besides The Prisoner of Zenda, he appeared in other classic films of the time such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Rebecca, a movie directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock.

His overall filmography spans to more than eighty films. Aside from theater and acting, Smith had a cartoon character created based on him; it was called Commander McBragg and appeared in Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, an animated show. The cartoon character was popular enough to appear in an episode of the animated sitcom The Simpsons.

Smith was popular enough as a niche actor to earn himself a star in the Hollywood film industry. He was also Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), having been appointed as such in 1938. In 1944, he was knighted by King George IV. He passed away at age 85 after a battle with pneumonia.