Morton Lowry
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| Morton Lowry | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Morton Lowater 13 February 1914 Lancashire, England |
| Died | 26 November 1987 (aged 73) San Francisco, California, United States |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Film and television actor |
| Known for | Roles in The Hound of The Baskervilles and How Green was My Valley |
Morton Lowry, born Edward Morton Lowater[1] (13 February 1914–26 November 1987)[1] was a British actor. He is best known for his film roles as John Stapleton in The Hound of The Baskervilles and for his role as Mr. Jonas in How Green was My Valley. He also appeared in other movies including Pursuit to Algiers and The Picture of Dorian Grey in 1945.
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[edit] Personal life
Morton was born in Lancashire, England as Edward Morton Lowater to Edward Morton Lowater, Sr., an engineer, and Bithiah 'Bertha' Holmes. The family later moved to the Russell Square area of London.
Morton was married at least four times. His first marriage was in 1934, when he was 20 years old, to Diana Whalley[2] (1912–1990). This short-lived marriage ended in divorce in 1936[3]. On 27 February 1938, Morton married socialite Virginia Barnato (1916–1980), granddaughter of diamond dealer Barney Barnato and daughter of racecar driver Woolf Barnato, on a San Francisco theatre stage[4] after announcing their engagement on 15 February 1938.[5] This relationship did not survive.[6] On 10 April 1950, Morton married British actress Lilian Bond (1908–1991), who he may have originally met whilst on the set of The Picture of Dorian Gray[7] in 1945.[8] This marriage was also short-lived, and in 1961 Lilian married Michael Fessier (1905-1988).[9] Morton went on to marry once more in 1957[10] and, though this union also ended in divorce, it produced one more child in 1958.
Morton Lowry moved back to the United States in the early 1960s in order to revive his film career. He died on 26 November 1987 at a San Francisco hospital from a heart attack. His death was indigent and he was cremated at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Sebastopol. The ashes were held for a year at the chapel college mortuary, after which, as no next of kin came forward, they were buried at Bodega Bay.
[edit] Career
Morton started his stage career using the name Edward Lowater. He appeared in many stage revues, appearing in theatres such as the Alhambra Theatre, London Astoria, and Garrick Theatre, where he is mostly credited as being part of the singing and dancing chorus line. He can be found credited in shows such as Over the Page in September 1933 and The Drunkard in November 1934.
His first known big break came in the role of Donnie in the film The Dawn Patrol acting under the name of Morton Lowry. This lead to a respectable film career in which he completed over 25 films, including How Green Was My Valley,[11] which received ten Academy Award nominations in the United States. In 1947, Lowry's film career dwindled, with his last American film role being uncredited as a scared man in Calcutta. His last British film role was as Dinelli's driver in the 1960 film Too Hot to Handle'.
Morton ventured in to television work during the 1950s, most of which was in the United Kingdom. His work includes BBC Sunday Night Theatre in 1951, Theatre Royal (television film) in 1952, and Sword of Freedom in 1957. During 1959, he played various characters in the television series The Four Just Men. He also appeared as the Lieutenant in the 1959–60 television series The Adventures of Robin Hood in at least 12 episodes.
[edit] Filmography
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dawn Patrol[13] | 1938 | Donnie Scott | |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | 1939 | John Stapleton | |
| Tarzan Finds a Son! | 1939 | Richard Lancing | |
| Hudson's Bay[13] | 1940 | Gerald Hall | |
| How Green Was My Valley[14] | 1941 | Mr. Jonas | |
| A Yank in the RAF | 1941 | Squadron leader | |
| Charley's Aunt[15] | 1941 | Harley Stafford | |
| This Above All | 1942 | Soldier | |
| The Pied Piper | 1942 | Roger Dickinson | |
| Captains of the Clouds[16] | 1942 | Carmichael | |
| Counter-Espionage | 1942 | Kurt Weil | |
| Immortal Sergeant | 1943 | Cottrell | |
| No Time for Love | 1943 | Dunbar | |
| None but the Lonely Heart[11] | 1944 | Taz | |
| The Story of Dr. Wassell[17] | 1944 | Lieutenant Bainbridge | |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | 1945 | Adrian Singleton | |
| Pursuit to Algiers[18] | 1945 | Steward | |
| The Man in Half Moon Street | 1945 | ||
| The Verdict | 1946 | Arthur Kendall | |
| Calcutta | 1947 | Scared man | uncredited |
| Sunday Night Theatre | 1951 | ||
| Theatre Royal | 1952 | ||
| Sword of Freedom | 1957 | ||
| The Four Just Men | 1959 | Various roles | |
| The Adventures of Robin Hood | 1959–1960 | Lieutenant | At least twelve episodes |
| Too Hot to Handle | 1960 | Driver |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Lancashire Birth Records, Volume 8c, pg. 1257.
- ^ Middlesex Marriage Records, Jan-Feb-Mar 1934. Volume 1b, pg. 16.
- ^ Divorce Court File: 2411. 1936. The National Archives.
- ^ "Chicago Daily Tribune". Chicago Daily Tribune. 27 February 1938.
- ^ "The transcript picture page". The Transcript. 15 February 1938.
- ^ Barnato Walker, Diana (2008). Spreading My Wings. Grub Street Publishing. pp. 162.
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/Films-Pi-Ra/The-Picture-of-Dorian-Gray.html
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0093988/bio
- ^ California Marriage Index, 1960-1985
- ^ Middlesex Marriage Records, Jan-Feb-Mar 1957. Volume 5c, pg. 2344.
- ^ a b "Morton Lowry - Filmography". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/43537/Morton-Lowry/filmography. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Morton Lowry Filmography". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/morton-lowry/. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ a b Fraser, George MacDonald (1996). The Hollywood history of the world. Harvill Press. ISBN 9781860462016. http://books.google.com/books?id=YFuGAAAAIAAJ.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (29 October 1941). "A Beautiful and Affecting Film Achievement Is "How Green Was My Valley," at the Rivoli". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E05E4D91E3FE13BBC4151DFB667838A659EDE.
- ^ http://www.worldcat.org/title/charleys-aunt/oclc/081703828
- ^ http://www.reelz.com/movie/171081/captains-of-the-clouds/cast/
- ^ http://www.tcmuk.tv/movie_database_results.php?action=participant&id=116994&afiId=114782
- ^ http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/who_starred_in_the_movie_pursuit_to_algiers
