Reginald Gardiner

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William Reginald Gardiner (born February 27, 1903 in London , England , † July 7, 1980 in Westwood , California ) was a British actor.

life and career

Reginald Gardiners was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his film debut in 1927 with an extra role in Alfred Hitchcock's silent film The Tenant . In the following years, the black-haired actor worked regularly in British film, and he also appeared on the London theater stages. Here Gardiner was soon able to show his first successes with his appearances in musicals , which he achieved a certain prominence. In the mid-1930s, Gardiner emigrated to the United States, where he was first seen in two plays on Broadway . Gardiner then moved to the film industry in Hollywood , where he quickly became a popular supporting actor. With his pencil-thin mustache and tall stature, Gardiner caricatured mainly British butlers, aristocrats and officers. He had one of his first more important roles in 1937 in the film musical A Misses in Need at the side of Fred Astaire . Two years later he formed the counterpart to Laurel and Hardy in the military comedy In the Foreign Legion .

Gardiner's probably best-known film role was Commander Schultz in Charlie Chaplin's famous Hitler parody The Great Dictator from 1940, in which his character changes from a Nazi helper to a resistance fighter in the course of the film. Until the late 1960s, Gardiner appeared regularly in Hollywood films and also had some television appearances. He was also known in the 1950s for his imitations and lectures on trains in British children's programs. His train imitations are even said to be George VI. so impressed that he ordered it to Buckingham Palace . Reginald Gardiner died at the age of 77 of a heart attack associated with pneumonia. His first marriage to Wyn Richmond had been divorced before he married the Russian Nadia Petrova (1913-2000) in 1942. The marriage, which resulted in a child, lasted until Gardiner's death.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Reginald Gardiner ACTOR ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / matineeclassics.com
  2. ^ Reginald Gardiner
  3. ^ Full Biography
  4. ↑ Reginald Gardiner ACTOR ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / matineeclassics.com
personal data
SURNAME Gardiner, Reginald
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gardiner, William Reginald (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 27, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH London , England
DATE OF DEATH July 7, 1980
Place of death Westwood , California