Stringer Davis

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James Buckley Stringer Davis (born June 4, 1899 in Birkenhead , Cheshire , England , † August 29, 1973 in Chalfont St Giles , Buckinghamshire , England) was an English actor. Stringer Davis was married to character actress Margaret Rutherford , seven years her senior, from 1945 until her death in 1972 . At her side he played in various adaptations of the Miss Marple novels by Agatha Christie the role of Mr. (Jim) Stringer , the confidante Miss Marples, who does not appear in the literary originals. Margaret Rutherford had insisted that her husband be in the films, so a role was added for him.

Life

Stringer Davis was born on June 4, 1899 in the northern English city of Birkenhead. His father, George Davis, was a bank clerk and his mother was a housewife. Davis attended Uppingham Public School, where he received basic military training. Immediately after his eighteenth birthday he enlisted for military service and was sent to the front as a lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion South Lancashire Regiment in August 1918. In this final phase of World War I he was still involved in fighting and was discharged from military service in September 1919, around ten months after the peace agreement.

Davis' parents split up shortly after returning from military service. His mother lived in a spacious house in Reading , a town at the confluence of the Kennet and Thames halfway between Oxford and London. Davis lived near her above a boathouse on the Thames. Since his discharge from the military, Stringer Davis has worked as an actor and director and was a member of the Oxford Repertoire Company's drama group. In 1930 Davis met his future wife Margaret Rutherford - an actress who was little known at the time. Davis and Rutherford had a platonic relationship over the next 15 years that varied in intensity, but was very close at times. Director and actor Frith Banbury is one of the group of people who knew both of them better and, like other people close to the two actors, was convinced that the very slowly developing relationship was due, among other things, to the fact that Davis was bisexual. Another role, however, was that Davis' mother, Ethel, was hostile to the relationship.

When Great Britain entered the Second World War, the now 40-year-old Davis returned for military service. On October 15, 1939, he was made a lieutenant in the East Yorkshire Regiment and drafted immediately. Rutherford and Davis remained in close correspondence; Among other things, she sent him Turkish cigarettes, which he preferred to smoke, and handkerchiefs because he repeatedly suffered from colds. On April 25, 1940 Davis was part of the British Expeditionary Force , which was deployed in France. He was a participant in the Battle of Dunkirk and was among the British soldiers who were evacuated by June 4, 1940. A misunderstanding between Davis and Rutherford prevented them from meeting during his frontline vacation, which for a short while resulted in Rutherford breaking off contact with him. Davis served until the end of World War II and did his military service in North Africa and northwest Europe, among other places. Only in the last months of the war did he get extended leave from the front.

Stringer Davis and Margaret Rutherford were married on March 26, 1945. The couple's honeymoon was short: Rutherford was appearing in one of Ivor Novello's musicals at the time of their wedding , and Davis was still doing military service. Davis was not released from military service until October 8, 1945.

Davis made his first film appearance in 1948 in the film Miranda , in which he played a museum attendant. He had received the role at Rutherford's request, which also starred in the film. In total, Davis appeared in more than 20 films in which Rutherford took a role. In later years she made it a condition of her engagement that her husband also get a role in her films. After Rutherford's death in 1972, Davis only appeared in one episode of a television series. Davis died peacefully in his sleep on August 29, 1973.

The couple took the early 1960s, the writer Gordon Langley Hall (either born on 15 October 1937 or in 1922 † 18 September 2000) with you to the end of the 1960s by one of the world's first sex reassignment surgery a Wife and then under the name Dawn Langley Simmons wrote numerous books, including a biography of Rutherford.

After Stringer's death, her long-time housekeeper forged Davis's will and got hold of the couple's valuables, including porcelain, the Rutherford Oscar and Golden Globe, silverware, jewelry and paintings, which in the ensuing court hearing amounted to 1,031 British pounds (13,720 euros according to today's value) were estimated. Some of the items were found at an antique dealer in Fulham , and the Rutherford Orders were at Sotheby's. The housekeeper was initially released on bail. She did not appear at the scheduled court date. The sentence was never carried out against them.

Stringer Davis was buried in the cemetery of St. James Church at Gerrards Cross , Buckinghamshire next to Margaret Rutherford. In German, Stringer Davis was dubbed by actor Walter Bluhm , who also lent his voice to Stan Laurel .

Filmography (selection)

literature

More detailed descriptions of the life of Stringer Davis can be found in biographies of his wife Margaret Rutherford , who achieved greater fame than him, such as:

  • Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. Aurum, London 2009, ISBN 978-1-84513-445-7 (English).

Web links

Single receipts

  1. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 30.
  2. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 32.
  3. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 84.
  4. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 30.
  5. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 62.
  6. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 64.
  7. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 30.
  8. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 92.
  9. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 96.
  10. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 88.
  11. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 268.
  12. ^ Andy Merriman: Margaret Rutherford. Dreadnought with Good Manners. P. 268.
  13. ^ Knerger.de: The grave of Margaret Rutherford and Stringer Davis.
personal data
SURNAME Davis, stringer
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Davis, James Buckley Stringer (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 4, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH Birkenhead , Cheshire , England
DATE OF DEATH 29th August 1973
Place of death Chalfont St Giles , Buckinghamshire , England