Henry Daniell

He is a veteran English actor who is famous for his villainous roles. Henry Daniell went to St. Paul’s School and Gresham’s School in Norfolk. His debut in showbiz was in the 1914 production of “Kismet” by Edward Knoblock in The Globe Theatre in London. The next year, he enlisted for services in the war. He was, however, released in 1915 with medical discharge.

Since most men were in the war during WWI, he easily found roles in stage productions and continued performing in theatres. He immigrated across the Atlantic in 1921. The first role was a Broadway production of “Claire de Lune”. His first Hollywood movie was in 1934 opposite Ina Claire in “The Awful Truth”. He very easily slipped into wealthy, entitled roles and presented a Grinch like meanness to the characters he played. In 1936, he played the heinous blackmailer to Loretta Young Born as Gretchen Young in Salt Lake City, Utah, sh >> Read More... in “The Unguarded Hour”. The same year, he gave an iconic performance of the sleazy, possessive lover/benefactor, Baton de Varville, opposite Greta Garbo in the classic, ‘Camille’.

Although there was much debate about his sexuality over the years, mostly owing to finicky and exacting characters he played on screen, he had a definite screen presence and a way with his brusque and scathing deliveries. He was in three films in the year 1937; “Madam X”, “The Thirteenth Chair” with Dame May Whitty, and “Marie Antoinette”. He appeared in the Columbia production alongside Cary Grant Cary Grant was a British-American actor, one from >> Read More... and Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on 12th May in >> Read More... , which was a comedy called ‘ Holiday Click to look into! >> Read More... ’, that released in 1938. The next year he starred in “Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex” opposite Bette Davis and Errol Flynn He was born in 1909 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia >> Read More... . In 1940, he appeared in the movie, “The Seahawk”. This movie had the iconic sword fight sequence, also with Errol Flynn. The sequence has been most famous for the videography and the cut-to-cut sequences, as well as the close up shots of the actors. Henry was initially reluctant, because he did know fencing, but he agreed to do it.

In the same year, he appeared in “The Great Dictator” with Charlie Chaplin Charles Chaplin popularly known as Charlie Chaplin >> Read More... , a movie which was a huge hit in Chaplin’s career. But the actors later regretted making such a light-hearted movie about a serious issue as Nazi tyranny. Daniell’s character was a parody of Joseph Goebbels and was called ‘Garbitsch’ (pronounced Garbage). He has also played the role of James Moriarty in the 1945 Sherlock Holmes flick, “The Woman in Green”, and also appeared in two subsequent movies of the series Sherlock Holmes/Basil Rathbone. Another one of his packed performances was in ‘Jane Eyre’ for the role of Henry Brocklehurst, the orphanage overseer. One of the greatest scenes was when he cut Elizabeth Taylor’s lock of hair in the film, and punishes her to stay out in the open until she falls critically ill.

Henry married Ann Knox in the mid-1930s. P. G. Wodehouse cited once about them being involved in a sex scandal. He wrote that the couple were into watching and occasionally participating in orgies in downtown Los Angeles. He acted in an episode of the NBC anthology series, “The Joseph Cotten Show”, as King Charles II in the year 1957. He also appeared in several episodes of ‘Thriller’, directed by Boris Karloff.

His last role was as the unaccredited British Ambassador in “My Fair Lady” in 1964. In one scene, he shakes Eliza’s hand and introduces her to the Queen of Transylvania. He had just one line, “Miss Doolittle, ma’am”. He supposedly died on set the very same day in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 69.