David Torrence
David Torrence (* 17th January 1864 in Edinburgh , Scotland as David Bryce Thomson , † 26 December 1951 in Los Angeles , California ) was a British actor.
life and career
David Torrence was born the second of eleven children. His exact date of birth is controversial, but the most likely year is 1864. His younger brother, Ernest Torrence , would become a famous character actor in the 1920s. David grew up in Germany and England. He began his career as a stage actor and made his film debut in middle age in 1913 in an early version of The Prisoner of Zenda and alongside theater star Minnie Maddern Fiske in the drama Tess of the D'Urbervilles . These two film appearances were his only until 1921, as he appeared in the meantime on Broadway and at times ran a ranch in Mexico . He continued his film career in 1921 and was regularly in front of the camera in the 1920s and 1930s, making over 100 film appearances.
During the silent film era , David Torrence took on some leading roles, but is now far better known for his sound film appearances. While his brother Ernest mostly played rough and brutal villains, David usually embodied more dignified and respected authority figures such as lawyers, judges, businessmen, bankers and politicians. Nevertheless, many of his characters were also unsympathetic and were often characterized by severity and lack of humor. In the Oscar-winning drama Disraeli (1929), for example, he played the anti-Semitic head of the English bank. David Torrence had his best-known appearances in 1935 in the adventure films Mutiny on the Bounty and Under Pirate Flag , as well as in the Laurel and Hardy comedy We Are From the Scottish Infantry Regiment , in which he embodied a trustee. At that time, his roles became increasingly smaller, even if they were mostly mentioned in the credits.
In 1939 Torrence retired from the film business. David Torrence died in Los Angeles at the age of 87 and was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery . He holds a star for his film work on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .
Filmography (selection)
- 1913: The Prisoner of Zenda ( The Prisoner of Zenda )
- 1922: Tess of the Storm Country
- 1922: Sherlock Holmes
- 1925: The Mystic
- 1925: The Tower of Lies
- 1926: Sensation in the circus (The Third Degree)
- 1927: Annie Laurie - A Hero Song of the Highlands (Annie Laurie)
- 1929: Disraeli
- 1929: Hearts in Exile
- 1930: Raffles
- 1930: Our daily bread (City Girl)
- 1932: The Mask of Fu Manchu (The Mask of Fu Manchu)
- 1933: Voltaire
- 1933: Queen Christine (Queen Christina)
- 1934: Mandalay
- 1934: Charlie Chan in London
- 1934: Jane Eyre
- 1935: We're from the Scottish Infantry Regiment (Bonnie Scotland)
- 1935: Mutiny on the Bounty (Mutiny on the Bounty)
- 1935: Under the pirate flag (Captain Blood)
- 1936: Mary of Scotland (Mary of Scotland)
- 1936: Quintuplets (The Country Doctor)
- 1937: In the Shackles of Shangri-La (Lost Horizon)
- 1939: Stanley and Livingstone (Stanley and Livingstone)
- 1939: Rulers of the Sea
Web links
- David Torrence in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Torrence, David |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Thomson, David Bryce (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 17, 1864 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Edinburgh , Scotland |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 26, 1951 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |