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Oh - Mr Porter!, Ask a Policeman, Where's That Fire?, Windbag the Sailor, Convict 99
Similar People
Graham Moffatt, Marcel Varnel, Marriott Edgar, Val Guest, Walter Forde
English Comedies Will Hay, Moore Marriott, G Moffatt et alia
George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English character actor best remembered for the series of films he made with Will Hay. His first appearance with Hay was in the film Dandy Dick (1935), but he was a significant supporting performer in Hay's films from 1936 to 1940, and while he starred with Hay during this period he played a character called "Harbottle" that was based on a character Marriott usually played. His character Harbottle was originally created by Hay when he used the character in his "The fourth form at St. Michael's" sketches in the 1920s.
Marriott was born at Alpha Place, Yiewsley, Middlesex, on 14 September 1885, the son of George Matthew Marriott (1859-1940), who was then a commercial traveller, and his wife, Edith Rousby, née Coleman (1864-1946). His parents were actors, and his father became a theatrical manager. Moore Marriott made his stage debut at the age of five. He had originally intended to train as an architect, but instead he became an actor in films. Rather like Clive Dunn and Wilfred Brambell later, he became typecast as playing old men when he was still relatively young. He had a special set of artificial teeth which he would put in to play his 'old man' characters. He had no teeth in real life and took four different sets of false teeth with him to achieve variety in his characters.
Although he made 131 film appearances from 1912, today he is probably best known as old "Harbottle" in a number of comedy films he made with Will Hay and Graham Moffatt, including Oh, Mr Porter! (1937) and Ask a Policeman (1939). During the filming of Hay's film Dandy Dick (1935), Marriott played an uncredited stableboy. During the filming of Dandy Dick, Marriott said to Hay he thought he should be a stuntman to him in his old-man character. His first role as a stuntman using this character was in Hay's film Windbag the Sailor (1936) along with Graham Moffatt.
Following the dissolution of the Will Hay/Graham Moffatt/Moore Marriott partnership, he continued to play his Harbottle-type character in films with the comedian Arthur Askey and the Crazy Gang, e.g. I Thank You (1941) and Back-Room Boy (1942). His other film appearances included Millions Like Us (1943) and Green for Danger (1946).
Death
In his later years, Marriott kept a grocer's store in Bognor Regis, and it is where he died on 11 December 1949; only eight months after the death of his comedy partner, Will Hay. Cause of death was cardiac syncope, acute pulmonary oedema and chronic myocardiac degeneration caused by earlier pneumonia. He outlived his mother and his father by merely 3 years and 9 years respectively. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, where his ashes were also interred.
Filmography
Actor
1949
High Jinks in Society as
Grandpa
1949
The History of Mr. Polly as
Uncle Pentstemon
1947
The Hills of Donegal as
Old Jake
1947
Green Fingers as
Pickles
1947
The Root of All Evil as
William Scholes
1946
Green for Danger as
The Patients: Joseph Higgins
1945
What's the Next Job? (Short) as
Harold Wright
1945
The Agitator as
Ben Duckett
1945
I'll Be Your Sweetheart as
George Le Brunn
1945
A Place of One's Own as
George
1944
Don't Take It to Heart! as
Granfer
1944
It Happened One Sunday as
Hospital Porter (as George Moore Marriott)
1944
Time Flies as
A Soothsayer
1943
Millions Like Us as
Jim Crowson
1942
Back-Room Boy as
Jerry
1941
Hi Gang! as
Uncle Jerry
1941
I Thank You as
'Pop' Bennett
1941
Gasbags as
Jerry Jenkins
1940
Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt as
Jerry
1940
Band Waggon as
Jasper
1939
The Frozen Limits as
Tom Tiddler
1939
Where's That Fire? as
Jeremiah Harbottle
1939
Cheer Boys Cheer as
Geordie
1939
Ask a Policeman as
Harbottle
1939
A Girl Must Live as
Bretherton Hythe
1938
Old Bones of the River as
Jerry Harbottle
1938
Convict 99 as
Jerry, The Mole
1938
To the Victor as
Samuel
1937
Intimate Relations as
Toomley
1937
Oh, Mr. Porter! as
Jeremiah Harbottle
1937
Victoria the Great as
Train Driver (as G. Moore Marriott)
1937
Night Ride as
Miner (scenes deleted)
1937
The Fatal Hour as
Dixon
1937
Fifty-Shilling Boxer as
Tim Regan
1937
Feather Your Nest as
Mr. Jenkins
1936
What the Puppy Said (Short) as
Sir John
1936
Accused as
Dubec (as George Moore Marriott)
1936
Talk of the Devil as
Dart Thrower (uncredited)
1936
Windbag the Sailor as
Jeremiah Harbottle
1936
Luck of the Turf as
Mr. Jackson
1936
As You Like It as
Denis (uncredited)
1936
The Amazing Adventure as
Edwards (uncredited)
1936
Wednesday's Luck as
Nobby
1936
Strange Cargo as
Captain Burch
1936
When Knights Were Bold as
The Tramp
1935
It's a Bet as
Farmer (uncredited)
1935
The Half-Day Excursion (Short) as
Captain
1935
What the Parrot Saw (Short)
1935
Gay Old Dog as
George Bliss
1935
Turn of the Tide as
Tindal Fosdyck
1935
The Man Without a Face as
Tinker John
1935
Drake the Pirate as
Bright (as George Moore-Marriott)
1935
Dandy Dick as
Stableboy (uncredited)
1934
The Feathered Serpent as
Harry Hugg
1934
The Scoop as
Jim Stewart
1934
Nell Gwyn as
Robin
1934
Girls Please! as
Oldest Inhabitant
1934
Faces as
Robert Pelham
1934
A Political Party as
Jim Turner
1933
Love's Old Sweet Song as
Old Tom
1933
Lucky Blaze as
Sir James Benson
1933
The House of Trent as
Ferrier
1933
Hawley's of High Street as
Mr. Busworth
1933
Dora (Short) as
Thomas Henry Jones
1933
A Moorland Tragedy (Short) as
The Old Man
1933
Money for Speed as
Shorty
1933
The Crime at Blossoms as
Driver
1932
Little Waitress as
Baron Halfsburg
1932
The Wonderful Story as
Zacky Richards
1932
Heroes of the Mine as
Gaffer
1932
The Sign of Four: Sherlock Holmes' Greatest Case as
Mordecai Smith (uncredited)
1932
The Man Who Won as
Tom Turtle
1932
Nine Till Six as
Doorman
1932
The Water Gipsies as
Mr. Pewtar
1932
The Crooked Lady as
Crabby
1931
Dance Pretty Lady as
Mr. Raeburn
1931
Up for the Cup as
James Hardcastle
1931
The Lyons Mail as
Choppard
1931
The Speckled Band as
Member of Jury (uncredited)
1931
Aroma of the South Seas (Short) as
The King
1930
Kissing Cup's Race as
Joe Tricker
1929
The Flying Scotsman as
Bob White
1929
The Lady from the Sea as
Old Roberts
1929
Mr. Smith Wakes Up (Short) as
Mr. Smith
1929
Kitty as
Workman (uncredited)
1928
Widecombe Fair as
Uncle Tom Cobleigh
1928
Sweeney Todd as
Sweeney Todd
1928
The King's Breakfast (Short) as
The King
1928
Toni as
Meyer
1928
The Burglar and the Girl (Short) as
The Burglar
1928
Victory as
Seth Lee
1927
Huntingtower as
Speidel
1927
Carry On! as
Mick Trevorn
1927
The Silver Lining as
Gypsy
1927
Passion Island as
Beppo
1926
Cash on Delivery (Short) as
Mr. Popple
1926
The Greater War (Short) as
Lucas
1926
Second to None as
Bill Hyde
1926
Goose and Stuffing (Short) as
Orace
1926
Mined and Counter-Mined (Short) as
Orace
1926
Regaining the Wind (Short)
1926
The Happy Rascals (Short) as
Orace
1926
The Little Shop in Fore Street (Short) as
Orace
1926
London Love as
Aaron Levinsky
1926
The Qualified Adventurer as
Bosun
1926
Every Mother's Son as
Nobby
1925
The Gold Cure as
Janbois
1925
The Only Man (Short) as
The Husband
1925
King of the Castle as
Peter Coffin
1925
There's Many a Slip (Short)
1925
Confessions as
Hardy
1925
Afraid of Love as
Father
1925
A Madonna of the Cells (Short)
1924
Not for Sale as
Solicitor
1924
Ordeal by Golf (Short) as
Reverend Heeza Jones
1924
The Clicking of Cuthbert (Short) as
Vladimir Brusiloff
1924
The Long Hole (Short) as
Grocer
1924
The Affair at the Novelty Theatre (Short)
1924
The Mating of Marcus as
Reverend Cheffins
1924
The Conspirators as
Morris / Sydney Barnes
1924
Dixon's Return (Short) as
Bob Dixon
1924
Lawyer Quince (Short) as
Quince
1923
An Odd Freak (Short) as
Beauty
1923
The Monkey's Paw as
John White
1922
The Head of the Family as
Mate
1921
Three Men in a Van as
Mudley
1920
The Winding Road as
Jed Sterrett
1920
Mary Latimer, Nun as
Dickey Stubbs
1920
The Grip of Iron as
Smiler
1916
Grim Justice as
Grandfather Transom (as George Moore)
1915
By the Shortest of Heads (Short) as
Capt. Fields
1914
His Sister's Honour (Short)
1912
A Maid of the Alps (Short)(as George Moore Marriott)
Writer
1912
A Maid of the Alps (Short) (play - as George Moore Marriott)
