Godfrey Tearle

Sir Godfrey Seymour Tearle (12 October 1884 – 9 June 1953) was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential Englishman on stage and in both English and US films. Born in New York City and raised in England, he was the son of British actor/manager George Osmond Tearle and American actress Marianne Conway, the brother of actor Malcolm Tearle, and the half-brother of silent film star Conway Tearle. In 1893, he made his stage debut as young Prince Richard, Duke of York, in his father's production of Richard III, and in 1908 he appeared in his first film as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. He became a Shakespearean actor of note, appearing on stage in the title roles of Othello, Macbeth, and Henry V. His theatrical career was interrupted when he joined the Royal Artillery for a four-year stint beginning in 1915. One of Tearle's most memorable screen roles was in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps (1935), in which he portrayed Professor Jordan, a seemingly respectable country squire whose missing finger unmasks him as an enemy agent.

Actor

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