Alan Mowbray

Alan Mowbray MM (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood.

Early life Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army in World War I, being awarded the Military Medal and the French Croix de Guerre for bravery in action. He applied for transfer to the Royal Air Force, which was granted just six days before the war ended. This placed him in London on Armistice Day. His service came to an end when the Royal Air Force wanted another seven years from him. More than sixty years later, in Julian Fellowes' Gosford Park (2001) the fictitious Hollywood film producer spending a weekend in an English country house tells an associate on a transatlantic telephone call that Alan Mowbray would be a good casting choice as a butler for a proposed Charlie Chan movie set in England, then goes on to say "These people here look like Alan Mowbray. I mean, they're sort of tall, and they don't say too much. And they have fucking British accents, right?"

Mowbray appeared in five more pictures in 1931, notably portraying George Washington in Alexander Hamilton. In 1935, he played one of the male leads in Becky Sharp, the first feature-length film in full-colour Technicolor, as well as playing the lead in the farcical Night Life of the Gods, based on a Thorne Smith novel. It was for another Thorne Smith–derived film, Topper (1937), that Mowbray may be best remembered; he played Topper's butler Wilkins, a role he reprised the following year in Topper Takes a Trip. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Mowbray worked steadily, appearing in over 120 films, including the Oscar-nominated My Man Godfrey (1936), That Hamilton Woman (1941), and John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946).

Unusually for a Hollywood star, Mowbray was less of a fan of seeing himself on the screen, but enjoyed working behind the scenes. In addition to helping found the Screen Actors Guild, he was among the founders of the Hollywood Cricket Club. He was a prominent early member of the Masquers Club, and donated to the group's long-time clubhouse at 1765 N. Sycamore Street in Hollywood. He also was a founder of the British United Services Club, a club for ex British Military members in Hollywood that met at the Masquers.

Mowbray cooperated heavily with the FBI in the investigation of Japanese spy Frederick Rutland, keeping it secret for the rest of his life, even though he ironically played a spy in the original The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Mowbray died of a heart attack in 1969 in Hollywood, survived by his wife and children. His body is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Filmography Year Film Role Director Notes 1931 God's Gift to Women Auguste, Toto's Butler Michael Curtiz 1931 The Man in Possession Sir Charles Cartwright Sam Wood (uncredited) 1931 Guilty Hands Gordon Rich Lionel Barrymore 1931 Alexander Hamilton George Washington John G. Adolfi 1931 Left Over Ladies Jerry Erle C. Kenton 1931 Honor of the Family Tony Revere Lloyd Bacon 1931 Nice Women Mark Chandler Edwin H. Knopf 1932 Lovers Courageous Lamone Robert Z. Leonard 1932 The Silent Witness Arthur Drinton Marcel Varnel 1932 Hotel Continental Walter Underwood Christy Cabanne 1932 The World and the Flesh Dimitri John Cromwell 1932 Man About Town Ivan Boris John Francis Dillon 1932 The Man from Yesterday Dr. Waite Berthold Viertel 1932 Winner Take All the Etiquette Teacher Roy Del Ruth 1932 The Man Called Back King's Counsel Robert Florey 1932 Jewel Robbery Detective Fritz William Dieterle 1932 Two Against the World George 'Georgie' Walton Archie Mayo 1932 The Phantom President George Washington Norman Taurog uncredited 1932 Sherlock Holmes Colonel Gore-King William K. Howard 1933 Our Betters Lord George Grayston George Cukor 1933 A Study in Scarlet Inspector Lastrade Edwin L. Marin 1933 Peg o' My Heart Capt. Christopher 'Chris' Brent Robert Z. Leonard (uncredited) 1933 The Midnight Club Arthur Bradley Alexander Hall, George Somnes 1933 Voltaire Count De Sarnac John G. Adolfi 1933 Berkeley Square Major Clinton Frank Lloyd 1933 The World Changes Sir Phillip Ivor Mervyn LeRoy 1933 Roman Scandals Majordomo Frank Tuttle 1933 Her Secret Nils Norton Warren Millais 1934 Long Lost Father Sir Tony Gelding Ernest B. Schoedsack 1934 The House of Rothschild Prince Metternich Alfred L. Werker 1934 Where Sinners Meet Nicholas J. Walter Ruben 1934 Little Man, What Now? Franz Schluter Frank Borzage 1934 Cheaters Paul Southern Phil Rosen 1934 The Girl from Missouri Lord Douglas Jack Conway 1934 One More River Forsythe James Whale 1934 Embarrassing Moments Aheam Edward Laemmle 1934 Charlie Chan in London Geoffrey Richmond Eugene Forde 1935 Night Life of the Gods Hunter Hawk Lowell Sherman 1935 Becky Sharp Rawdon Crawley Rouben Mamoulian 1935 Lady Tubbs Elyot Wembsleigh Alan Crosland 1935 The Gay Deception Lord Clewe William Wyler 1935 She Couldn't Take It Alan Bartlett Tay Garnett 1935 In Person Jay Holmes James Anderson 1936 Rose-Marie Premier W. S. Van Dyke 1936 Muss 'em Up Paul Harding Charles Vidor 1936 Give Us This Night Forcellini Alexander Hall 1936 Desire Dr. Maurice Pauquet Frank Borzage 1936 The Case Against Mrs. Ames Lawrence Waterson William A. Seiter 1936 Fatal Lady Uberto Malla Edward Ludwig 1936 Mary of Scotland Throckmorton John Ford 1936 My Man Godfrey Tommy Gray Gregory La Cava 1936 Ladies in Love Paul Sandor Edward H. Griffith 1936 Four Days' Wonder Archibald Fenton Sidney Salkow 1936 Rainbow on the River Ralph Layton George Sherman 1937 On the Avenue Frederick Sims William Seiter (fill-in) 1937 The King and the Chorus Girl Donald Taylor Mervyn LeRoy 1937 As Good as Married Wally Edward Buzzell 1937 Marry the Girl Dr. Hayden Stryker William C. McGann 1937 Topper Wilkins Norman Z. McLeod 1937 Walter Wanger's Vogues of 1938 Henry Morgan Charles Kerr 1937 On Such a Night Professor Ricardo Montrose Candle Ewald André Dupont 1937 Music for Madame Leon Rodowsky John G. Blystone 1937 Stand-In Koslofski Tay Garnett 1937 Hollywood Hotel Alexander Duprey Busby Berkeley 1938 Merrily We Live Butler Norman Z. McLeod 1938 There Goes My Heart Pennypepper E. Pennypepper Norman Z. McLeod 1938 Topper Takes a Trip Wilkins Norman Z. McLeod 1939 Never Say Die Prince Smirnov Elliott Nugent 1939 Way Down South Jacques Bouton Bernard Vorhaus 1939 The Llano Kid John Travers Edward Venturini 1940 Music in My Heart Charles Gardner Joseph Santley 1940 Curtain Call Donald Avery Frank Woodruff 1940 Scatterbrain J.R. Russell Gus Meins 1940 The Boys from Syracuse Angelo A. Edward Sutherland 1940 The Villain Still Pursued Her Silas Cribbs Edward F. Cline 1940 The Quarterback Professor Hobbs H. Bruce Humberstone 1941 Footlight Fever Mr. Don Avery Irving Reis 1941 That Hamilton Woman Sir William Hamilton Alexander Korda 1941 That Uncertain Feeling Dr. Vengard Ernst Lubitsch 1941 The Cowboy and the Blonde Phineas Johnson Ray McCarey 1941 Ice-Capades Pete Ellis Joseph Santley 1941 Moon Over Her Shoulder Grover Sloan Alfred L. Werker 1941 I Wake Up Screaming Robin Ray H. Bruce Humberstone 1941 The Perfect Snob Freddie Browning Ray McCarey 1942 Yokel Boy Movie Producer Joseph Santley 1942 We Were Dancing Grand Duke Basil Robert Z. Leonard 1942 The Mad Martindales Hugo Martindale Alfred L. Werker 1942 Panama Hattie Jay Jerkins, Dick's Butler Norman Z. McLeod 1942 A Yank at Eton Mr. Duncan Norman Taurog 1942 Isle of Missing Men Dr. Henry Brown Richard Oswald 1942 The Devil with Hitler Gesatan Gordon Douglas 1943 The Powers Girl John Robert Powers Norman Z. McLeod 1943 Slightly Dangerous English Gentleman Buster Keaton 1943 Stage Door Canteen Alan Mowbray Frank Borzage 1943 So This Is Washington Chester W. Marshall Ray McCarey 1943 Holy Matrimony Mr. Pennington John M. Stahl 1943 His Butler's Sister Buzz Jenkins Frank Borzage 1944 The Doughgirls Breckenridge Drake James V. Kern 1944 Ever Since Venus J. Webster Hackett Arthur Dreifuss 1944 My Gal Loves Music Rodney Spoonyer Edward C. Lilley 1945 Bring on the Girls August Sidney Lanfield 1945 Earl Carroll Vanities Grand Duke Paul Joseph Santley 1945 The Phantom of 42nd Street Cecil Moore Albert Herman 1945 Where Do We Go from Here? General George Washington Gregory Ratoff, George Seaton 1945 Tell It to a Star Colonel Ambrose Morgan Frank McDonald 1945 Men in Her Diary Douglas Crane Charles Barton 1945 Sunbonnet Sue Jonathan Ralph Murphy 1946 Terror by Night Major Duncan-Bleek Roy William Neill 1946 Idea Girl J.C. Crow Will Jason 1946 My Darling Clementine Granville Thorndyke John Ford 1947 The Pilgrim Lady Clifford Latimer Lesley Selander 1947 Lured Lyle Maxwell Douglas Sirk 1947 Merton of the Movies Frank Mulvaney Robert Alton 1947 Captain from Castile Prof. Botello Henry King 1948 The Main Street Kid The Great Martine R. G. Springsteen 1948 The Prince of Thieves The Friar Howard Bretherton 1948 An Innocent Affair Ken St. Clair Lloyd Bacon 1948 My Dear Secretary Deveny Charles Martin 1948 Every Girl Should Be Married Mr. Spitzer Don Hartman 1949 The Lone Wolf and His Lady Jamison, Lanyard's Valet John Hoffman 1949 The Lovable Cheat Justin Richard Oswald 1949 You're My Everything Joe Blanton Walter Lang 1949 Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff Melton Charles Barton 1950 Wagon Master Dr. A. Locksley Hall John Ford 1950 The Jackpot Leslie Walter Lang 1951 Dick Turpin's Ride Lord Charles Willoughby Ralph Murphy 1951 Crosswinds Sir Cecil Daubrey Lewis R. Foster 1952 Just Across the Street Davis Joseph Pevney 1952 Androcles and the Lion Editor of Gladiators Chester Erskine, Edward Killy (uncredited) 1952 Blackbeard the Pirate Noll Raoul Walsh 1954 Ma and Pa Kettle at Home Alphonsus Mannering Charles Lamont 1954 The Steel Cage Lee Filbert Walter Doniger segment "The Chef" 1955 The King's Thief Sir Gilbert Talbot Robert Z. Leonard, Hugo Fregonese (uncredited) 1956 The Man Who Knew Too Much Val Parnell Alfred Hitchcock 1956 The King and I Sir John Hay Walter Lang 1956 Around the World in 80 Days the British Consul at Suez Michael Anderson 1956 Once Upon a Honeymoon Gordon Gower Champion Short 1961 A Majority of One Captain Norcross Mervyn LeRoy

TV appearances Four Star Playhouse in Dick Powell's episode "The House Always Wins" (1955) Whispering Smith, in the "Poet and Peasant Case" episode (1960) Maverick with James Garner and Kathleen Crowley, in "The Misfortune Teller" episode as Luke Abigor (1960) The Investigators with James Franciscus and James Philbrook, in the episode "Quite a Woman" as Cranshaw The Patty Duke Show, as Strassman, the director of the high school play in which both Patty and Cathy appeared (1963) The Beverly Hillbillies, in the episode "A Bundle for Britain" as Montrose, hired by Mr Drysdale to pretend to be the Queen of England's financial servant (1968)