Sam Livesey

Life

Livesey's father Thomas had been a railway engineer before leaving the industry to establish a travelling theatre with his wife Mary. The two had six children who all grew up working in the theatre. In 1893, after Thomas's death, Mary opened a purpose built theatre, the Prince of Wales in Mexborough. The family performed frequently on the stage and in touring productions. Sam and his brother Joseph married actresses who were themselves sisters: Sam married Margaret Ann Edwards in 1900 and Joseph married Mary Catherine Edwards in 1905. Sam and Margaret had two children who subsequently followed their profession, the actors Jack and Barry Livesey. But by 1913 both Joseph and Margaret Ann had died. Sam now married Mary Catherine and adopted her son Roger (his nephew) as his own. Roger Livesey also went on to become a highly successful stage and screen actor. The couple had a daughter together in 1915 who they named Stella.

Film career

Livesey had a successful film career encompassing both the silent and sound era. He often appeared as authority figures; the cuckolded headmaster in Young Woodley, the dictatorial paterfamilias in Maisie's Marriage and a variety of Police inspectors and military officers. Alfred Hitchcock cast him as the Chief Inspector in the original silent version of Blackmail but in the subsequent sound version, the role went to Harvey Braban.

Livesey also worked with Anthony Asquith on Moscow Nights and Alexander Korda (appearing in Rembrandt with his stepson Roger, Dark Journey and cameoing in The Private Life of Henry VIII). Roger and Sam had previously appeared together playing father and son in the 1923 silent Maisie's Marriage. Virtually the whole family - Sam, Mary Catherine ('Cassie'), Jack and Barry - appear as the Boyd family in the 1935 film revue Variety directed by Adrian Brunel.

His final role was as Mr Tulliver, the owner of the titular Mill on the Floss, with James Mason portraying his son Tom.

Selected filmography