Edward Rigby

Edward Rigby
Born	Edward Coke 5 February 1879 Ashford, Kent, UK
Died	5 April 1951(1951-04-05) (aged 72) Richmond, Surrey, UK
Occupation	Actor
Spouse	Phyllis Austin (1912–?)

Edward Rigby (5 February 1879 – 5 April 1951) was a British character actor.

Early life

Rigby was the second son of Jamaican-born Dr. William Harriot Coke (1851–1922) and his wife Liverpool-born Mary Elizabeth (1850–1929) of 17 High Street, Ashford. He was educated at Haileybury, and Wye Agricultural College. Under his real name, Edward Coke, (Rigby was his mother's maiden name) he served in the Artists' Rifles and Royal Field Artillery in World War One and was awarded the Military Cross, cited on 17 September 1917 "for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty as artillery liaison officer. At a time when all communication with his artillery group was severed, he made repeated attempts to restore the connection, and personally crossed a river under heavy fire in his efforts to mend the cable and to lay fresh ones. He showed the greatest gallantry and disregard of danger throughout the operation, and only desisted from his efforts on receiving the direct order from his headquarters to do so."

He married in 1912, Phyllis Muriel Austin, novelist. Their son, Cyril Edward Rigby Coke (1914–1993) television director, married Muriel Young (1923–2001) ITV announcer and TV presenter.

Career

He made his first stage appearance in 1900 at the Grand Theatre in Fulham and later toured Australia, America and Canada. He followed his first film appearance, the 1910 silent The Blue Bird, with roles in more than 150 films from 1933 to 1951.

Death

He collapsed in the street at Richmond and when taken to Richmond Hospital was found to be dead. He was cremated at Mortlake Crematorium on 11 April 1951.

Partial filmography

• The Blue Bird (1910)
• Gay Old Dog (1935)
• Windfall (1935)
• Lorna Doone (1935)
• No Limit (1935)
• Land Without Music (1936)
• This Green Hell (1936)
• Accused (1936)
• Irish for Luck (1936)
• Queen of Hearts (1936)
• The Heirloom Mystery (1936)
• Mr Smith Carries On (1937)
• Jump for Glory (1937)
• The Show Goes On (1937)
• The Fatal Hour (1937)
• Under a Cloud (1937)
• Mr Smith Carries On (1937)
• Young and Innocent (1937)
• A Yank at Oxford (1938)
• Kicking the Moon Around (1938)
• Yellow Sands (1938)
• The Stars Look Down (1939)
• Poison Pen (1939)
• The Proud Valley (1940)
• Sailors Don't Care (1940)
• Kipps (1941)
• Penn of Pennsylvania (1941)
• Let the People Sing (1942)
• Went the Day Well? (1942)
• They Met in the Dark (1943)
• A Canterbury Tale (1944)
• Don't Take It to Heart (1944)
• I Live in Grosvenor Square (1945)
• The Agitator (1945)
• The Years Between (1946)
• The Three Weird Sisters (1948)
• Daybreak (1948)
• Easy Money (1948)
• Christopher Columbus (1949)
• A Run for Your Money (1949)
• The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
• Double Confession (1950)
• The Mudlark (1950)
• Into the Blue (1950)
• Circle of Danger (1951)

External links

• Edward Rigby at the Internet Movie Database