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Henry Stephenson

From Wikipedia Henry Stephenson Garraway (16 April 1871 – 24 April 1956), sometimes credited as Harry Stephenson, was a British stage and film actor. He portrayed friendly and wise Gentleman in many films of the 1930s and 1940s. Among his roles was Sir Joseph Banks in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Mr. Brownlow in Oliver Twist. Stephenson was educated in Rugby in Warwickshire and started acting in his twenties. He appeared on British and American stages and made his Broadway debut in 1901, playing the messenger in A Message from Mars. In the following decades, he appeared in over 30 Broadway plays. Henry Stephenson made his film debut in 1917 and appeared in a few silent films, but made his mark mostly as an elder man in sound films. Between 1931 and 1932, he appeared in the successful Broadway play Cyanara with over 200 performances. He came to Hollywood for the film version of Cyanara, starring Ronald Colman and with Henry Stephenson in a supporting role. In the same year year, he played the tycoon C.B. Gaerste in Red-Headed Woman and Doctor Alliott in A Bill of Divorcement. The following year, the English-born actor appeared as the intimidating yet warm-hearted Mr. Laurence in Little Women. The tall, white-haired actor specialized in portraying wise, dignified and friendly British gentlemans in supporting roles. He could be "both imposing and benevolent in his patrician portrayals, usually expounding words of wisdom or offering gentlemanly aid." He appeared overall in 90 films from 1917 to 1951, often as a doctor or professor, general, judge or aristocrat. He often played historical figures like Sir Joseph Banks in the oscar-winnig adventure film Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau in Marie Antoinette (1938). Stephenson worked with film star Errol Flynn in the films Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex; often as Flynn's paternal friend and superior. He portrayed Sir Thomas Lancing in Tarzan Finds a Son! in 1939 and playing an entirely different role as Sir Guy Henderson in Tarzan and the Amazons in 1945. He seldom played dark figures, among the exceptions was the snobbish Mr. Bryant in Mr. Lucky in 1943. Stephenson also appeared in literature adaptions, for example as the friendly lawyer Havisham in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) and as Mr. Brownlow in David Lean's literature adaption Oliver Twist (1948). He made his last film in 1949, but appeared in two TV-series in 1951 before the end of his career. In 1950, after finishing his role of Cardinal Gaspar de Quiroga in the drama play, That Lady, Stephenson retired from the stage. He married actress Ann Shoemaker. They had one daughter. Henry Stephenson died in 1956 at the age of 85 years. He was survived by Ann and his daughter.


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Born:
Apr 16, 1871 In Granada - British West Indies
Movie/TV Credits:
82
First Appeared:
In the movie Men and Women 1925-03-23
Latest Project:
Movie Challenge to Lassie 1949-10-31
Known For
Poster of Secrets of Scotland Yard
Poster of Walking on Air
Poster of The Mystery of Mr. X
Poster of Men and Women
Filmography
Movie Challenge to Lassie Sir Charles Loring 1949-10-31
Movie Oliver Twist Mr. Brownlow 1948-06-28
Movie Julia Misbehaves Lord Pennystone 1948-08-08
Movie Enchantment General Fitzgerald 1948-12-25
Movie The Homestretch Don Humberto Balcares 1947-05-04
Movie Dark Delusion Evans Biddle 1947-06-24
Movie Time Out of Mind Wellington Drake 1947-05-03
Movie Ivy Judge 1947-06-26
Movie Song of Love King Albert 1947-10-09
Movie The Green Years Blakely 1946-07-04
Movie Heartbeat Minister 1946-05-01
Movie Night and Day Omar Cole 1946-07-02
Movie Of Human Bondage Dr. Tyrell 1946-07-05
Movie Her Sister's Secret Mr. DuBois 1946-09-23
Movie The Locket Lord Wyndham 1946-12-20
Movie The Return of Monte Cristo Prof. Duval 1946-12-19
Movie Tarzan and the Amazons Sir Guy Henderson, the Archeologist 1945-04-29
Movie Two Girls and a Sailor John Dyckman Brown I 1944-06-14
Movie The Hour Before the Dawn Gen. Hetherton 1944-05-10
Movie Secrets of Scotland Yard Sir Reginald Meade 1944-07-26
Movie Reckless Age J. H. Wadsworth 1944-08-01
Movie The Mantrap Sir Humphrey Quilp 1943-04-13
Movie Mr. Lucky Mr. Bryant 1943-07-01
Movie Rings on Her Fingers 1942-03-20
Movie Half Way to Shanghai Col. Algernon Blimpton 1942-09-18
Movie This Above All General Cathaway 1942-05-12
Movie Lady from Louisiana General Anatole Mirbeau 1941-04-22
Movie Little Old New York Robert R. Livingston 1940-02-09
Movie It's a Date Capt. Andrew 1940-03-22
Movie Spring Parade Emperor Franz Joseph 1940-09-27
Movie Down Argentine Way Don Diego Quintana 1940-10-11
Movie Tarzan Finds a Son! Sir Thomas Lancing 1939-06-16
Movie The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Sir Ronald Ramsgate 1939-09-01
Movie The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Lord Burghley 1939-11-11
Movie The Baroness and the Butler Count Albert Sandor 1938-02-18
Movie The Young in Heart Felix Anstruther 1938-07-06
Movie Dramatic School Pasquel Sr. 1938-12-09
Movie Marie Antoinette Count de Mercey 1938-08-26
Movie Suez Count Mathieu de Lesseps 1938-10-28
Movie The Prince and the Pauper Duke of Norfolk 1937-04-30
Movie When You're in Love Walter Mitchell 1937-02-12
Movie Conquest Count Anastas Walewski 1937-10-22
Movie Wise Girl Mr. Fletcher 1937-12-31
Movie The Emperor's Candlesticks Prince Johann 1937-07-02
Movie Half Angel Prof. Jerome Hargraves 1936-05-22
Movie Little Lord Fauntleroy Havisham 1936-03-06
Movie Walking on Air Mr. Horace Bennett 1936-09-11
Movie Hearts Divided Charles Patterson 1936-06-20
Movie The Charge of the Light Brigade Sir Charles Macefield 1936-10-20
Movie Beloved Enemy Lord Athleigh 1936-12-25
Movie Give Me Your Heart Edward, Lord Farrington 1936-09-17
Movie Reckless Colonel Harrison Sr. 1935-04-19
Movie Vanessa: Her Love Story Barney Newmark 1935-03-01
Movie The Night Is Young Emperor Franz Josef 1935-01-11
Movie The Flame Within Dr. Jock Frazier 1935-05-17
Movie Mutiny on the Bounty Joseph Banks 1935-11-22
Movie The Perfect Gentleman Bishop 1935-11-22
Movie Captain Blood Lord Willoughby 1935-12-26
Movie Rendezvous Russian Ambassador Gregory 1935-10-25
Movie O'Shaughnessy's Boy Maj. Winslow 1935-09-27
Movie Thirty Day Princess King Anatol XII 1934-05-18
Movie All Men Are Enemies 1934-04-26
Movie Man of Two Worlds Sir Basil Pemberton 1934-01-13
Movie Stingaree Mr. Hugh Clarkson 1934-05-24
Movie The Mystery of Mr. X Frensham 1934-02-23
Movie Outcast Lady Sir Maurice 1934-09-28
Movie What Every Woman Knows Charles Venables 1934-10-18
Movie One More River Sir Laurence Mont 1934-08-06
Movie The Richest Girl in the World John Connors 1934-09-21
Movie She Loves Me Not Dean Mercer 1934-08-31
Movie Double Harness Colonel Sam Colby 1933-07-21
Movie Tomorrow at Seven Thornton Drake 1933-06-01
Movie Blind Adventure Major Thorne 1933-08-18
Movie My Lips Betray De Conti 1933-11-04
Movie If I Were Free Hector Stribling 1933-12-01
Movie Little Women Mr. Laurence 1933-11-24
Movie Red-Headed Woman Charles B. 'Charlie' / 'C.B.' Gaerste 1932-06-25
Movie Guilty as Hell Dr. Ernest S. Tindal 1932-08-05
Movie Cynara John Tring 1932-12-24
Movie A Bill of Divorcement Doctor Alliot 1932-09-28
Movie The Animal Kingdom Rufus Collier 1932-12-28
Movie Men and Women Arnold Kirke 1925-03-23