Henry daniel

Henry Daniell (Charles Henry Daniell: London, March 5, 1894 - Santa Monica, California, October 31, 1963) was a British actor known for his villainous roles on the big screen, leading to a long and prestigious career both on stage and in movies. He had few opportunities to play a "good" man. man; one of these was in the Clarence Brown biopic Song of Love (1947).

Early Years

Henry Daniell was born in Barnes, London and educated at St Paul's School and Gresham School in Holt, Norfolk.
He made his first stage appearance in the provinces in 1913, and made his London stage debut at the Globe Theater on 10 March 1914. In that year he joined the 2nd Battalion, Norfolk Regiment, but was invalided out at next year.
Thereafter, throughout the First World War, he appeared on London theatres, first at the New Theatre, in October 1915, as Clancy's police officer in Stop thief!, and in particular in May 1916, and later, at the famous Theater Royal, in Haymarket.

In London and New York

In April 1921, he appeared at the Empire Theater in New York as Prince Charles of Vaucluse, in the play Clair de Lune, and later, after touring for the next three years, he returns to London, at the Garrick Theater, in August 1925 as Jack Raza in Cobra.
He returned to New York for the first six months of 1929, appearing at the Morosco Theater in January as Mr. Ivor Cream in Serena Blandish, and in July he returned to London, where he played John Carlton in Secrets in the Comedy Theater. He again toured America in 1930-1931, this time he appears on the west coast of the USA, in Los Angeles.
He returned to London for another fill-in program of stage performances, which continued in Britain and the United States, while he too began his film career in 1929, with The Awful Truth.

Hollywood

Daniell appeared as Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce The Woman in Green (1945). He has appeared in countless films, such as Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) (where he played Garbitsch, a parody of Joseph Goebbels), and The Body Snatcher (1945, with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi), as well as in two other Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone: Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) and Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943), with his Moriarty partner, George Zucco.
He played the Comte de Varville together with Greta Garbo in Camille (1936). Another early triumph of his was his portrayal of Cecil in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). But his most remembered role is perhaps as the treacherous Lord Wolfingham (no relation to Francis Walsingham) in The Sea Hawk (1940). Here, he fought Errol Flynn in one of the most spectacular sword duels ever filmed. When Michael Curtiz cast him in this film, Henry Daniell initially refused. Michael Curtiz ended the duel with the shadow of a candlelight.
Towards the end of World War II, he appeared in one of his most memorable roles, as the cruel Brocklehurst Henry in Jane Eyre (1944), opposite Joan Fontaine. In the 1950s and 1960s, he did much television, memorably appearing as the malevolent Dr. Emil Zurich in Edward L. Cahn's The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959), and in what may be the most famous episode of the series Maverick, "Pappy", opposite James Garner that same year. An absolute professional, he was always on set when his presence was needed and became impatient when there were delays in filming. Highly in demand for his dry, sardonic style and his dedication to the job, Daniell was able to easily move past big-budget films, such as Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). In 1957, he appeared as King Charles II of England in the NBC anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show in the episode The Trial of Colonel Blood, with Michael Wilding in the title role.

Last role and death

His last role was an uncredited cameo appearance as the British ambassador in the 1964 film My Fair Lady, directed by his old friend George Cukor. Although it is often assumed that Daniell is just a second-rate actor in the film and it didn't make sense, he talks himself and is, in fact, very noticeable, especially to fans who remember him from his old movies.. The scene in which he appears is precisely when the Embassy Ball is held, where Daniell introduces Eliza to the Queen of Transylvania saying: "Miss Doolittle, ma'am." In the commentary on the DVD, when Daniell appears onscreen it is mentioned that the day the scene was shot was "his last day in this world", as he died of a heart attack that same night on October 31, 1963 in Santa Monica (California).

Personal life

He married Ann Knox, and in the years after World War II they moved to 9259 Doheny Road, Los Angeles, California.

He and Ann were involved in a Hollywood sex scandal in the 1930s. P.G. Wodehouse wrote to his stepdaughter Leonora about the couple:

Selected filmography

• The Awful Truth (1929)
• The Great Dictator (1940)
• Philadelphia Stories (1941)
• Sinuhé the Egyptian (1954)
• Prosecution (1957)
• The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)
• My Fair Lady (1964)