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Edmund Gwenn

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Cause of death
  
Pneumonia

Education
  
St. Olave's School

Occupation
  
Actor

Role
  
Actor

Nationality
  
British

Alma mater
  
Name
  
Edmund Gwenn

Edmund Gwenn 92833051jpgv8CC82CDC0EA89A0
Full Name
  
Edmund John Kellaway

Born
  
26 September 1877 (
1877-09-26
)
Wandsworth, London, England

Died
  
September 6, 1959, Woodland Hills, California, United States

Buried
  
Chapel of the Pines Crematory, Los Angeles, California, United States

Spouse
  
Minnie Terry (m. 1901–1901)

Siblings
  
Arthur Chesney, Elsie Kellaway

Movies
  
Miracle on 34th Street, The Trouble with Harry, Them!, Lassie Come Home, Sylvia Scarlett

Similar People
  
John Payne, George Seaton, Mildred Natwick, John Forsythe, Natalie Wood

Edmund gwenn winning best supporting actor for miracle on 34th street


Edmund Gwenn (26 September 1877– 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is perhaps best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. As a stage actor in the West End and on Broadway, he was associated with a wide range of works by modern playwrights, including Bernard Shaw, John Galsworthy and J. B. Priestley. After the Second World War, he lived in the United States where he had a successful career in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Contents

☛ Top 5 Quotes of Edmund Gwenn - Actor


Early years

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Gwenn was born Edmund John Kellaway in Wandsworth, London. His brother was the actor Arthur Chesney and his cousin, Cecil Kellaway. Gwenn was educated at St. Olave's School and later at King's College London. He began his acting career in the theatre in 1895, and learnt his craft as a member of Willie Edouin's company, playing brash comic roles. In 1901 he married Minnie Terry, niece of the famous actress Ellen Terry. In the same year he went to Australia and acted there for three years with the J. C. Williamson company. His wife accompanied him and when Gwenn was in a production of Ben Hur that was a disastrous failure, she restored the couple's fortunes by accepting an engagement from Williamson. Later, the couple appeared on stage together in London in a farce called What the Butler Saw in 1905 and, in 1911, when Irene Vanbrugh made her debut in variety, she chose Terry and Gwenn to join her in a short play specially written by J. M. Barrie.

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn

When he returned to London Gwenn appeared not in low comedy, but in what The Times called "a notably intellectual and even sophisticated setting" at the Court Theatre under the management of J. E. Vedrenne and Harley Granville-Barker. There, in 1905 to 1907, in the words of The Times, "he was invaluable in smaller parts [giving] every part he played its full worth", including Straker, the proletarian chauffeur to John Tanner in Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman, and Drinkwater, the cockney gangster in Captain Brassbound's Conversion. He also appeared in plays by Granville-Barker, John Galsworthy and other contemporaries. In Barrie's What Every Woman Knows (1908) in the role of the over-enthusiastic James Wylie he impressed the producer Charles Frohman, who engaged him for his repertory company at the Duke of York's Theatre. In 1912 Gwenn went into management in partnership with Hilda Trevelyan. His career was interrupted by his military service during World War I, serving as an officer in the British Army. During the war Gwenn's marriage broke up and was dissolved. His ex-wife remarried but remained on affectionate terms with him.

Leading roles on stage and screen

Edmund Gwenn Philip French39s screen legends Edmund Gwenn 18771959

After peace returned, Gwenn's leading roles in the West End during the 1920s included Old Bill in Bruce Bairnsfather's Old Bill, M.P. (1922); Christian Veit in Lilac Time (1922–23); the title role in A. A. Milne's The Great Broxoff (1923); Leo Swinburne in Good Luck by Seymour Hicks and Ian Hay (1923); and Hippolyte Gallipot in Lehar's Frasquita (1925). Looking back at Gwenn's career, The Times considered, "Out of scores of other parts which he played in England and in America, the best remembered are probably Hornblower in Galsworthy's The Skin Game, the Viennese paterfamilias in Lilac Time, and Samuel Pepys in Fagan's And So to Bed in 1926."

Gwenn began his film career in 1916. A notable early role was a recreation of his stage character Hornblower in a silent fim of The Skin Game. His debut in a talking picture was in an adaptation of Shaw's How He Lied to Her Husband, made at Elstree in 1931. Of Gwenn's many British film roles, The Times considered his best-known to be Jess Oakroyd in The Good Companions with Sir John Gielgud and Jessie Matthews (1933) and Radfern in Carol Reed's Laburnum Grove with Sir Cedric Hardwicke (1936). His final British film role, as a capitalist trying to take over a family brewery in Cheer Boys Cheer (1939) is credited with being the first authentic Ealing comedy.

Gwenn appeared in more than eighty films, including Pride and Prejudice (1940), Cheers for Miss Bishop, Of Human Bondage, and The Keys of the Kingdom. George Cukor's Sylvia Scarlett (1935) was his first appearance in a Hollywood film, as Katharine Hepburn's father. He settled in Hollywood in 1940 and became part of its British colony. He had a small role as a Cockney assassin in a Hitchcock film, Foreign Correspondent in 1940. For his Father Christmas role in Miracle on 34th Street he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He received a second Oscar nomination for his role in Mister 880 (1950). Near the end of his career he played one of the main roles in Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955).

On Broadway Gwenn starred in a 1942 production of Chekhov's Three Sisters, with Judith Anderson and Ruth Gordon; it was produced by and co-starred Katharine Cornell. Time proclaimed it "a dream production by anybody's reckoning – the most glittering cast the theatre has seen, commercially, in this generation."

Later years

Gwenn remained a British subject all his life. When he first moved to Hollywood, he lived at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. His home in London had been reduced to rubble during the bombings by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Only the fireplace survived. What Gwenn regretted most was the loss of the memorabilia he had collected of the actor Henry Irving. Eventually Gwenn bought a house at 617 North Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills, which he later shared with the former Olympic athlete Rodney Soher. At the age of 78 he travelled from his home in California for a reunion with his ex-wife in London. He told a reporter, "I never married again because I was very happy with my wife. I simply stayed faithful to the memory of that happiness."

Gwenn died from pneumonia after suffering a stroke, in Woodland Hills, California, twenty days before his 82nd birthday. He was cremated and his ashes stored in the vault at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles. Gwenn has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street for his contribution to motion pictures.

Radio appearances

  • Audition program for the Suspense radio program.
  • Filmography

    Actor
    1957
    Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) as
    Joe Saunders
    - Father and Son (1957) - Joe Saunders
    1957
    Playhouse 90 (TV Series) as
    Jack Baldwin
    - The Greer Case (1957) - Jack Baldwin
    1956
    The Rocket from Calabuch as
    Prof. Jorge Serra Hamilton
    1955
    Matinee Theatre (TV Series)
    - Santa Is No Saint (1955)
    1955
    It's a Dog's Life as
    Jeremiah Nolan
    1955
    The Trouble with Harry as
    Capt. Albert Wiles
    1955
    Science Fiction Theatre (TV Series) as
    Dr. Pliny / Dr. Lorenz
    - A Visit from Dr. Pliny (1955) - Dr. Pliny
    - The Strange Doctor Lorenz (1955) - Dr. Lorenz
    1955
    The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater (TV Series) as
    Tweedy
    - Man Who Liked Little People (1955) - Tweedy
    1955
    The Millionaire (TV Series) as
    Walter Clinton Carter
    - The Walter Carter Story (1955) - Walter Clinton Carter
    1955
    The Star and the Story (TV Series) as
    Paddy
    - The Great Shinin' Saucer of Paddy Faneen (1955) - Paddy
    1954
    Them! as
    Dr. Harold Medford
    1954
    The Student Prince as
    Professor Juttner
    1952
    The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series) as
    Red / The Snowman
    - Come On, Red (1954) - Red
    - Heart of Gold (1952) - The Snowman
    1953
    The Bigamist as
    Mr. Jordan
    1953
    Mister Scoutmaster as
    Dr. Stone
    1952
    Something for the Birds as
    'Admiral' Johnnie Adams
    1952
    Bonzo Goes to College as
    Ted 'Pop' Drew
    1952
    Les Miserables as
    Bishop Courbet
    1952
    Sally and Saint Anne as
    Grandpa Pat Ryan
    1951
    Peking Express as
    Father Joseph Murray
    1950
    For Heaven's Sake as
    Arthur
    1950
    Mister 880 as
    William 'Skipper' Miller
    1950
    Pretty Baby as
    Cyrus Baxter
    1950
    Louisa as
    Mr. Hammond
    1950
    A Woman of Distinction as
    Mark 'J.M.' Middlecott
    1949
    Challenge to Lassie as
    John Traill
    1948
    Hills of Home as
    Dr. William MacLure
    1948
    Apartment for Peggy as
    Prof. Henry Barnes
    1947
    Green Dolphin Street as
    Octavius Patourel
    1947
    Life with Father as
    Rev. Dr. Lloyd
    1947
    Thunder in the Valley as
    Adam MacAdam
    1947
    Miracle on 34th Street as
    Kris Kringle
    1946
    Undercurrent as
    Prof. David 'Dink' Hamilton
    1946
    Of Human Bondage as
    Athelny
    1945
    She Went to the Races as
    Dr. Homer Pecke
    1945
    Bewitched as
    Dr. Bergson
    1945
    Dangerous Partners as
    Albert Richard Kingby
    1944
    The Keys of the Kingdom as
    Father Hamish MacNabb
    1944
    Between Two Worlds as
    Scrubby
    1943
    Lassie Come Home as
    Rowlie
    1943
    The Meanest Man in the World as
    Frederick P. Leggitt
    1943
    Forever and a Day as
    Stubbs
    1942
    A Yank at Eton as
    Headmaster Justin
    1942
    The Greatest Gift (Short) as
    Bartolomé - the Juggler
    1941
    Charley's Aunt as
    Stephen Spettigue
    1941
    One Night in Lisbon as
    Lord Fitzleigh
    1941
    Scotland Yard as
    Inspector Cork
    1941
    The Devil and Miss Jones as
    Hooper
    1941
    Cheers for Miss Bishop as
    President Corcoran
    1940
    Foreign Correspondent as
    Rowley
    1940
    Pride and Prejudice as
    Mr. Bennet
    1940
    The Doctor Takes a Wife as
    Dr. Lionel Sterling
    1940
    Mad Men of Europe as
    Tom Brown
    1940
    The Earl of Chicago as
    Munsey
    1939
    Cheer Boys Cheer as
    Edward Ironside
    1938
    Penny Paradise as
    Capt. Joe Higgins
    1938
    A Yank at Oxford as
    Dean of Cardinal
    1938
    Thank You, Mr. Pepys (TV Movie) as
    Mr. Samuel Pepys
    1938
    Theatre Parade (TV Series) as
    Pepys
    - Thank You Mr. Pepys (1938) - Pepys
    1938
    South Riding as
    Alfred Huggins
    1937
    Parnell as
    Campbell
    1936
    Mad Holiday as
    Williams
    1936
    All American Chump as
    Jeffrey Crane
    1936
    Anthony Adverse as
    John Bonnyfeather
    1936
    Laburnum Grove as
    Mr. Radfern
    1936
    The Walking Dead as
    Dr. Evan Beaumont
    1935
    Sylvia Scarlett as
    Henry Scarlett
    1935
    The Bishop Misbehaves as
    Bishop
    1934
    Spring in the Air as
    Franz
    1934
    Father and Son as
    John Bolton
    1934
    The Admiral's Secret as
    Admiral FitzPorter
    1934
    Java Head as
    Jeremy Ammidon
    1934
    Warn London as
    Dr. Herman Krauss
    1934
    Passing Shadows as
    David Lawrence
    1934
    Strauss' Great Waltz as
    Johann Strauss, the Elder
    1933
    Friday the Thirteenth as
    Mr Wakefield
    1933
    Marooned as
    Tom Roberts
    1933
    Early to Bed as
    Kruger
    1933
    Smithy as
    John Smith
    1933
    Channel Crossing as
    Trotter
    1933
    I Was a Spy as
    Burgomaster
    1933
    For Love or Money as
    Edmund Gilbert
    1933
    The Good Companions as
    Jess Oakroyd
    1932
    Be Mine Tonight as
    Mayor Pategg
    1932
    Love on Wheels as
    Philpotts
    1932
    Condemned to Death as
    Banting
    1932
    Money for Nothing as
    Sir Henry Blossom
    1932
    Frail Women as
    The Bookmaker
    1931
    Hindle Wakes as
    Chris Hawthorne
    1931
    The Skin Game as
    Mr. Hornblower
    1931
    How He Lied to Her Husband (Short) as
    Teddu Bompas
    1921
    The Skin Game as
    Hornblower
    1920
    Unmarried as
    Simm Vandeleur
    1916
    The Real Thing at Last (Short) as
    Rupert K. Thunder / Macbeth
    Soundtrack
    1947
    Miracle on 34th Street (performer: "To Market, to Market, to Buy a Fat Pig", "Sinterklaas, Kapoentje" - uncredited)
    1943
    Lassie Come Home (performer: "I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls" (1843) - uncredited)
    1935
    Sylvia Scarlett (performer: "Hello ! Hello ! Who's your Lady Friend ?" (uncredited), "HELLO! HELLO!" (uncredited), "I DO LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE")
    Self
    1953
    The 25th Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) as
    Self - Presenter
    1953
    Schlitz Playhouse (TV Series) as
    Self - Narrator
    - Guardian of the Clock (1953) - Self - Narrator
    1951
    The Frank Sinatra Show (TV Series) as
    Self - Sketch Actor
    - Episode #2.12 (1951) - Self - Sketch Actor
    1939
    Happy Family (Documentary short) as
    Dad
    Archive Footage
    2022
    My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock (Documentary) as
    Self
    2020
    Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (TV Movie documentary) as
    Self (uncredited)
    2019
    The Movies (TV Mini Series documentary) as
    Self
    - The Golden Age (2019) - Self
    2011
    A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! (TV Movie documentary) as
    Kris Kringle
    2005
    Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (TV Movie documentary) as
    Dr. Harold Medford
    2001
    The Trouble with Harry Isn't Over (Video documentary short)
    1998
    The Great Christmas Movies (TV Movie documentary) as
    Kris Kringle in 1947 "Miracle on 34th Street"
    1997
    Sobbin' Women: The Making of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' (TV Movie documentary) as
    Self
    1997
    Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years (TV Movie documentary) as
    Self (uncredited)
    1982
    Hollywood's Children (TV Movie documentary) as
    Self
    1979
    The Horror Show (TV Movie documentary)
    1971
    The Dick Cavett Show (TV Series) as
    Self
    - Gov. Ronald Reagan/Bob Newhart/James Wong Howe (1971) - Self
    1955
    MGM Parade (TV Series documentary) as
    Bartholomew the Juggler
    - Episode #1.14 (1955) - Bartholomew the Juggler
    1953
    Footlights Theater (TV Series) as
    The Snowman
    - Heart of Gold (1953) - The Snowman
    1949
    Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership (Documentary short) as
    Self (uncredited)

    References

    Edmund Gwenn Wikipedia


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