James Stephenson

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James Stephenson (born April 14, 1889 in Selby , North Yorkshire , † July 29, 1941 in Pacific Palisades , California , USA ) was a British theater and film actor .

life and career

James Stephenson was born the son of a drugstore and spent his youth in England with his two brothers. He worked as a bank clerk and businessman before getting into the acting business. At first he worked exclusively as a theater actor. It was only after Stephenson emigrated to the United States in the 1930s that he made his film debut in 1937 at the age of 48. He made a total of 39 films over the next four years, most of them for Warner Brothers . Mostly he embodied elegant villains and gentlemen in supporting roles. He played in The Devil's Island alongside Boris Karloff and in The Lord of the Seven Seas with Errol Flynn . In 1940 Stephenson was engaged in the role of a lawyer for The Secret of Malampur . For this role, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He received the lead role in the movie Shining Victory alongside Geraldine Fitzgerald and was well on the way to stardom, but he suffered a heart attack in July 1941, when he died at the age of 53 years.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Stephenson, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American theater and film actor of British descent
DATE OF BIRTH April 14, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Selby , North Yorkshire
DATE OF DEATH July 29, 1941
Place of death Pacific Palisades , California