Russell Thorndike
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Russell Thorndike | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 7 November 1972 London, England | (aged 87)
Education | King's School, Rochester St George's School, Windsor Castle |
Occupation(s) | Actor, novelist |
Notable work | Doctor Syn novels |
Spouse |
Rosemary Dowson
(m. 1918) |
Relatives | Sybil Thorndike (sister) Christopher Casson (nephew) Mary Casson (niece) Ann Casson (niece) |
Military career | |
Battles/wars | World War I
|
Arthur Russell Thorndike (6 February 1885 – 7 November 1972) was a British actor and novelist, best known for the Doctor Syn of Romney Marsh novels. Less well-known than his sister Sybil but equally versatile, Russell Thorndike's first love was writing and, after serving in World War I, he devoted himself to it.
Background
He was born in Rochester, Kent, where his father had recently become a
Acting
At his suggestion, both he and Sybil (who once aspired to be a
In 1914 he enlisted. His brother Frank, who once performed on stage, was killed in action. Russell was severely wounded at
In film, Thorndike's appearances were infrequent. He played Macbeth (1922) in a silent version of the play opposite Sybil's Lady and also played leads in silent versions of other classic plays, including Scrooge (1923) as Old Ebenezer, and The School for Scandal (1923) as Sir Peter Teazle. He ended his film career in minor priest roles for Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955). Although Thorndike appeared on the stage over four decades (including playing his own Dr. Syn character and entertaining audiences as Smee in ten revivals of Peter Pan, including the famous Scala Theatre version where Donald Sinden doubled the roles of Mr Darling and Captain Hook), he felt a deeper fulfilment in writing, which would include the later work The House of Jeffreys.
Writing
Published in the
Personal life
Thorndike and his wife had five children: Daniel (1920-2016), an actor; Dickon (1921-2016); Jill (1924-2013); Georgia (born 1927), who married the theatre administrator David Peacock; and Rhona (1929-2016).
He died in 1972, aged 87, and is buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul, Dymchurch, made famous by his Dr Syn novels.[1]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1922 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Short |
1922 | It's Never Too Late to Mend | Squire Meadows | Short, directed by George Wynn[2] |
1922 | Tense Moments from Great Plays | Macbeth / Squire Meadows | (segments "Macbeth", and "It's Never Too Late to Mend") |
1923 | The Bells | Mathias | Short[3] |
1923 | The Audacious Mr. Squire | Harry Smallwood | |
1923 | Heartstrings | Tom Openshaw | |
1923 | The Fair Maid of Perth | Dwining | |
1924 | Miriam Rozella | Crewe Stevens | |
1924 | Human Desires | Paul Perot | |
1933 | A Shot in the Dark | Dr. Stuart | |
1933 | The Roof | Clive Bristow | |
1933 | Puppets of Fate | Dr. Orton Munroe | |
1934 | Whispering Tongues | Fenwick | |
1936 | Fame | Judge | |
1944 | Fiddlers Three | High Priest | |
1944 | Henry V | Duke of Bourbon | |
1945 | Caesar and Cleopatra | Harpist's Master | Uncredited |
1948 | Hamlet | Priest | |
1955 | Richard III | First Priest |
Selected writings
- Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh (1915)
- The Slype (1927)
- Jet And Ivory (1934)
- Doctor Syn on the High Seas (1935)
- Doctor Syn Returns (1936)
- Further Adventures of Doctor Syn (1936)
- Courageous Exploits of Doctor Syn (1938)
- Amazing Quest of Doctor Syn(1939)
- Shadow of Doctor Syn(1944)
- Children Of The Garter
- The House Of Jeffreys
- Herod's Peal (1931)
- The Vandekkers
- Sybil Thorndike
- The Master Of The Macabre (1946)
- In the Steps of Shakespeare (1950)
References
- ^ "Find a Grave: Russell Thorndike". Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Keith Swallow, The Book of Syn: Russell Thorndike, Dr. Syn and the Romney Marsh (pub. Edgerton, 2013)
External links
- Works by Russell Thorndike in eBook form at Standard Ebooks
- Works by or about Russell Thorndike at Internet Archive
- Russell Thorndike at IMDb
- Works by Russell Thorndike at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)