Russell Thorndike(1885-1972)
- Actor
- Writer
Lesser known than sister Dame Sybil Thorndike but just as versatile, Russell
Thorndike was a British actor who later turned author and novelist. Of
the two, Russell had natural talent but lacked the fire. His first love
was for the pen and, following WWI, devoted himself more and more to
writing. He was born Arthur Russell Thorndike on February 6, 1885, at
Rochester, where his father had recently taken the position of canon at
Rochester Cathedral. A student at St Georges School, Windsor Castle, he
was a chorister of the Chapel Royal. At his suggestion, both Russell
and Sybil (who once aspired to be a concert pianist) tried acting as a
career in 1903. They became students at Ben Greets Academy and two
years later fellow-members of his company on a North American tour,
including New York. He remained in all three-and-a-half years with the
company, once giving three performances as Hamlet in three different
versions of the text on the same day. He also toured in South Africa
and Asia.
At around this time he completed his first novel of romantic adventure
on Romney marsh entitled "Dr Syn." In 1914 he entered military service.
Brother Frank, who once performed on stage, was killed in action and
Russell was severely wounded at Gallipoli and discharged. He rejoined
Ben Greet's theatre company and his sister at the Old Vic in 1916 in
which he played the classics -- King John, Richard II, and King Lear
(Sybil portrayed The Fool) He also acted with Sybil and her husband,
Lewis Casson, in their touring repertory of melodramas. In 1922 he earned
applause for his performance in Henrik Ibsen's first professional production
of "Peer Gynt" at the Old Vic.
As for film, Russell's appearances were infrequent. He did portray
Macbeth (1922) in a silent version of the play opposite Sybil's Lady Macbeth
and also played leads in silent versions of other classic plays
including A Christmas Carol (1923) as Old Ebenezer, and The School for Scandal (1923) as Sir Peter Teazle. He
ended his career in minor priest roles for Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948) and
Richard III (1955). Although Russell continued on the stage for four more decades
(including playing his own Dr Syn character and entertaining audiences
as Smee in ten revivals of "Peter Pan"), he felt a deeper fulfillment
for writing, which would include the later work "The House of
Jeffreys." Thorndike married Rosemary Dowson, a daughter of the
well-known actress Rosina Filippi, in 1918. He died on November 7 1972
at the age of 87.
Thorndike was a British actor who later turned author and novelist. Of
the two, Russell had natural talent but lacked the fire. His first love
was for the pen and, following WWI, devoted himself more and more to
writing. He was born Arthur Russell Thorndike on February 6, 1885, at
Rochester, where his father had recently taken the position of canon at
Rochester Cathedral. A student at St Georges School, Windsor Castle, he
was a chorister of the Chapel Royal. At his suggestion, both Russell
and Sybil (who once aspired to be a concert pianist) tried acting as a
career in 1903. They became students at Ben Greets Academy and two
years later fellow-members of his company on a North American tour,
including New York. He remained in all three-and-a-half years with the
company, once giving three performances as Hamlet in three different
versions of the text on the same day. He also toured in South Africa
and Asia.
At around this time he completed his first novel of romantic adventure
on Romney marsh entitled "Dr Syn." In 1914 he entered military service.
Brother Frank, who once performed on stage, was killed in action and
Russell was severely wounded at Gallipoli and discharged. He rejoined
Ben Greet's theatre company and his sister at the Old Vic in 1916 in
which he played the classics -- King John, Richard II, and King Lear
(Sybil portrayed The Fool) He also acted with Sybil and her husband,
Lewis Casson, in their touring repertory of melodramas. In 1922 he earned
applause for his performance in Henrik Ibsen's first professional production
of "Peer Gynt" at the Old Vic.
As for film, Russell's appearances were infrequent. He did portray
Macbeth (1922) in a silent version of the play opposite Sybil's Lady Macbeth
and also played leads in silent versions of other classic plays
including A Christmas Carol (1923) as Old Ebenezer, and The School for Scandal (1923) as Sir Peter Teazle. He
ended his career in minor priest roles for Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948) and
Richard III (1955). Although Russell continued on the stage for four more decades
(including playing his own Dr Syn character and entertaining audiences
as Smee in ten revivals of "Peter Pan"), he felt a deeper fulfillment
for writing, which would include the later work "The House of
Jeffreys." Thorndike married Rosemary Dowson, a daughter of the
well-known actress Rosina Filippi, in 1918. He died on November 7 1972
at the age of 87.