Bertram Burleigh

Bertram Burleigh (1890 – 1961) was a British actor of the silent era. After early theatrical roles, Burleigh performed in leading roles in British films from 1914 to 1927. He retired from acting in the late 1920s, after which he managed cinemas and hotels in the West Midlands area.

Biography

Charles Bertram Burleigh was born on 15 February 1890 in Birmingham, England, the son of Charles and Lucy Burleigh. His father was the proprietor of a steam laundry. He was educated at the Whitgift School in South Croydon, London.

Burleigh "was intended for the law" but commenced his acting career in a non-speaking role in a travelling theatre production. After taking on a speaking role, he was noticed by a London manager who hired him for a production in London. Burleigh later played lead roles in plays such as The Dawn of a Tomorrow, Priscilla Runs Away, The Second in Command and Magda. He was also a conjuror, "though conjuring is his hobby and an effective sideline".

On 20 September 1912 Burleigh married Dorothy Margaret Green, who was an actress and dancer in Brentford, Middlesex. It was the beginning of a film acting career, during which he "was lost to the stage for many years". In January 1916 Burleigh commented that he "considers acting in pictures a higher art than on the stage because the story one has to tell must be told without the aid of the voice".

During the 1915 post-Christmas pantomime season, Burleigh performed in Red Riding Hood at the Wimbledon Theatre, playing the role of Richard Coeur-de-Lion.

In late May 1921 Burleigh and the actress Amy Verity travelled to Paris to appear in lead roles in the film L'Amour de Mort (A Dead Man's Love) produced by La Société d'Editions Cinématographiques. Burleigh played the role of Hyde and Miss Verity played Débora.

In about 1923 Burleigh took on a theatrical role in Partners Again at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End. In July 1928 Burleigh was appointed as the Midland Circuit manager for the Gaumont-British Corporation, with his headquarters at the Villa Gross Cinema in Handsworth, Birmingham. He worked as a manager for Wolverhampton Theatre Cinemas until 1935 and afterwards as a manager of hotels and inns in the Birmingham area.