Philip Merivale

Philip Merivale (2 November 1886 – 12 March 1946) was an English film and stage actor and screenwriter.

Early years Left to right: Edward G. Robinson, Richard Long, Loretta Young, Martha Wentworth, Orson Welles, Merivale, Byron Keith, and an unidentified actress in The Stranger (1946)Merivale was born on 2 November 1886 in Rehutia, Manickpur, India, to railway engineer Walter Merivale (1855–1902) and Emma Magdalene Merivale ("Maggie"; née Pittman; 1854–1940); his father's profession meant the family lived in India, Costa Rica, and Barbados (where he was Manager of the Barbados Railway) before settling at Chiswick. Philip's sister, Dorothea, was married to the civil servant Sir Henry Bunbury, Accountant-General of the Post Office.

Merivale graduated from St Edward's School, Oxford.

Career Merivale was a respected stage actor who entered the cinema during the silent era. Merivale appeared in 20 films and also scripted one.

Merivale's professional stage debut came in 1906 in the F. R. Benson company's production of the Orestean Trilogy of Aeschylus.

Merivale's career was interrupted by his service in the Canadian Air Force during World War I, after which he came back to the United States in 1919, touring with George Arliss. After a return to England, he performed again in the United States, this time portraying Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice. the actress Gladys Cooper (30 April 1937 – 12 March 1946). He died from a heart ailment aged 59.

Broadway roles After creating the role of Col. Pickering in the London production of Pygmalion, Philip Merivale (second from right) played Henry Higgins opposite Mrs. Patrick Campbell (right) when Shaw's play was taken to Broadway (1914)

Pygmalion (1914) – Henry Higgins Pollyanna (1916) – John Pendleton The Swan (1923) – Prince Albert The Road to Rome (1927) – Hannibal Mary of Scotland (1933) – James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell Valley Forge (1934) – George Washington

Filmography Trilby (1914) – Taffy Wynne Whispering Shadows (1921) – Stephen Pryde I Loved You Wednesday (1933) – (uncredited) Give Us This Night (1936) – Marcello Bonelli All In (1936, Writer) Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) – Mr. Ashley Custer Rage in Heaven (1941) – Mr. Higgins Pacific Blackout (1941) – John Runnel Lady for a Night (1942) – Stephen Alderson This Above All (1942) – Dr. Roger Cathaway Crossroads (1942) – Commissaire Hangmen Also Die! (1943) – Policeman (uncredited) This Land Is Mine (1943) – Professor Sorel Lost Angel (1943) – Professor Peter Vincent The Hour Before the Dawn (1944) – Sir Leslie Buchanon Nothing But Trouble (1944) – Prince Saul Tonight and Every Night (1945) – Reverend Gerald Lundy Adventure (1945) – Old Ramon Estado The Stranger (1946) – Judge Adam Longstreet Sister Kenny (1946) – Dr. Brack (final film role)