Edge Rewrite
translate Source code View original
Jump to content

Cecil Bevan

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cecil Bevan's 1939 Spotlight photo

Cecil Stuart Reginald Bevan (May 1, 1875 – January 22, 1953) was a British supporting and character actor on stage and screen.[1][2][3]

Early life

[edit]

Bevan was born in London,[1] the son of a clergyman, Reverend Cecil Bevan.[4] He worked as an accountant and partnership agent,[5] and acted as an amateur with groups including the Romany Amateur Dramatic Club at St. George's Hall, London in 1900,[6] and the Phoenix Amateur Dramatic Club at the Bijou Theatre, London, in 1901.[7]

Career

[edit]

By 1907, Bevan had begun acting professionally with George Alexander's company[1] in Alfred Sutro's new play, John Glayde's Honour.[8][9][10] He also appeared with the Herbert Sleath Company[11] and the London Repertory Theatre under its director J. T. Grein.[12][13]

In 1912, he played the governor of HM Prison Holloway in a satirical play by Lillie Langtry titled Helping the Cause, in which Langtry played a militant suffragist. The play, with the cast including Langtry, Bevan, Leonora Braham and Alfred Mansfield, toured the United Kingdom and the United States.[14][15][16][17][18]

In the 1910s and 1930s-40s, Bevan appeared in West End theatres in supporting roles in plays by dramatists such as Harley Granville-Barker, Elmer Rice, Jerome K. Jerome, and Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein.[12][19] He received praise for his performances, in particular for his role as Christopher Branley in John Glayde's Honour by Alfred Sutro (1907-1908),[8][9] Captain Montgomerie in W. Somerset Maugham's Lady Frederick (1908),[20] and Dr. O'Shea in Roland Pertwee's Pink String and Sealing Wax (1943).[21][22][23]

Bevan also appeared on screen from 1921 to 1952. His performance as Sampson Brass in The Old Curiosity Shop (1921) was described as "excellent".[24] His last appearance on screen was as Reverend Mayne in Autumn Crocus (1952).[1]

Personal life

[edit]

He married twice, firstly to Violet Gordon Robbins in 1900,[4] and later to Frieda Haesler.[25] He was a member of the Green Room Club[26] and the Conservative Association.[1] He died in 1953 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where he had lived for over thirty years.[1]

Selected stage performances

[edit]
YearTitleAuthorTheatreRoleNotes
1900A Pair of SpectaclesSydney Grundy, adapted from Les Petits Oiseaux by Eugène Labiche and Alfred DelacourSt. George's Hall, LondonPercy GoldfinchRomany Amateur Dramatic Club[6]
1900The Money SpinnerArthur Wing PineroSt. George's Hall, LondonLord KingussieRomany Amateur Dramatic Club [27]
1905Mrs. L'EstrangeKinsey PeileShaftesbury Theatre, LondonJules[28]
1907John Glayde's HonourAlfred SutroTheatre Royal, BathChristopher BranleyGeorge Alexander Productions [8]
1908John Glayde's HonourAlfred SutroBorough Theatre, Stratford; The Kennington Theatre, south-east LondonChristopher BranleyGeorge Alexander Company[9][10]
1908Lady FrederickW. Somerset MaughamKing's Theatre, Sunderland; Devonshire Park Theatre, EastbourneCaptain Montgomerie[29][20]
1909A White ManEdwin Milton RoyleTheatre Royal, Woolwich; Empire Theatre, Southend-on-SeaEarl of KerhillHerbert Sleath Company [11][30]
1911The Quality of MercyHall CaineTheatre Royal, ManchesterMr. PettigrewJohn Hart and M. V. Leveaux. World Premiere[31]
1912Helping the CausePercy Fendall and Lillie LangtryOldham Coliseum Theatre, Greater Manchester; Glasgow Empire Theatre, Scotland; B. F. Keith's Theater, Cincinnati; Hippodrome Theater (Cleveland, Ohio); Orpheum Theater, Brooklyn, United StatesSir Martyn Mangles, governor of Holloway gaol[14][15][16][17]
1912The Right Sort (a short version of The Degenerates)Sydney GrundyThe Empire Palace Theatre, LeedsDuke of Orme[32]
1914-1915The DynastsThomas Hardy, adapted by Harley Granville-BarkerKingsway Theatre, London1st Passenger; Colonel Graham; General Sir Thomas Picton[12]
1915On TrialElmer RiceLyric Theatre, LondonClerk[12]
1915The World of BoredomAdapted from Édouard Pailleron's Le Monde où l'on s'ennuie by Maria Leonard and J. T. GreinQueen's Theatre, LondonMonsieur de Millets[12]
1915The Three PatriotsJerome K. JeromeQueen's Theatre, LondonDoctor[12]
1915The DummyHarvey J. O'Higgins and Harriet FordPrince of Wales Theatre, LondonFisher[12]
1917RutsHarry WallCourt Theatre, LondonMr. BoulderLondon Repertory Theatre, dir. J. T. Grein[12][13]
1933The BrontësAlfred SangsterRoyalty Theatre, LondonWilliam Smith Williams[33]
1943Pink String and Sealing WaxRoland PertweeTheatre Royal, Brighton; Theatre Royal, Nottingham; Duke of York's Theatre, LondonDr. O'Shea[1][21][22][23][19]
1944Pink String and Sealing WaxRoland PertweePhoenix Theatre, LondonDr. O'Shea[19]
1945Chicken Every SundayJulius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, based on the novel by Rosemary Drachman TaylorSavoy Theatre, LondonReverend Wilson[19][34]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1921The Old Curiosity ShopSampson Brass[35][24]
1937The Elder BrotherCoroner[2][36]
1937Jump for GloryCyril[35]
1937Night Ride[37]
1937The Cavalier of the Streets[38][39]
1937Paradise for Two, released in the US as The Gaiety GirlsRenaud or Renard[2][35][40][41]
1938The Beautiful OneScribe[42]
1939Inspector Hornleigh on HolidayMan In Solicitor's Office[43]
1942Let the People SingMinor Role[44]
1943Subject for Discussion#5 of the Into Battle series produced by the Ministry of Information[45]
1945Twilight HourHartley[2]
1945Waltz TimeMinister of Health[2][46]
1947The White UnicornClerk to the Assizes[2]
1948The Blind GoddessMorton[2]
1949Once Upon a DreamWright[2]
1950The Reluctant Widow[2]
1951Night Was Our FriendClerk of the Court[2][35]
1952Autumn CrocusReverend Mayne, the clergyman[1][47]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Actor's Death. Mr. C.S.R. Bevan". Tunbridge Wells Courier. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. 30 January 1953. p. 5. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Palmer, Scott (1988). British film actors' credits, 1895-1987. McFarland. p. 65. ISBN 9780899503165. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  3. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008". FamilySearch. Retrieved 20, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "The Weddings of the Week". The Gentlewoman. 28 July 1900. p. 39. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  5. ↑ "Partnerships Dissolved" (PDF). The London Gazette. 23 June 1899. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Amateur Dramatic Notes". Lady's Pictorial. 10 March 1900. p. 19. Retrieved 15 May 2025. Mr. Cecil Bevan gave Percy Goldfinch a pleasant and fresh personality; he has a good stage voice and is entirely free from self-consciousness.
  7. ↑ "Amateur Dramatic Notes". Lady's Pictorial. 16 February 1901. p. 22. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Bath Theatre Royal. John Glayde's Honour". Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer. Radstock, Avon, England. 12 October 1907. p. 6. Retrieved 12 May 2025. Mr. Cecil Bevan is excellent as Christopher Branley.
  9. 1 2 3 "The Borough, Stratford". The Stage. 7 May 1908. p. 19. Retrieved 13 May 2025. Mr. Cecil Bevan makes the most of the quaint and unintentionally facetious Christopher Branley.
  10. 1 2 "The Kennington, S.E." The Stage. 21 May 1908. p. 19. Retrieved 13 May 2025. [T]he Princess and her lover [are played] by Miss Beatrice Smith and Mr. Cecil Bevan, who show considerable strength in the third and fourth acts.
  11. 1 2 "Theatre Royal, Woolwich". Woolwich Herald. 13 August 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 12 May 2025. as the Earl of Kerhill, his cousin, Mr. Cecil Bevan scores immensely.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wearing, J. P. (2013). The London Stage 1910-1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810893009. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  13. 1 2 "The Court. London Repertory Theatre. "Ruts."". The Stage. 22 February 1917. p. 16. Retrieved 13 May 2025. Mr. Cecil Bevan also doing well as the supposed "sea-green, incorruptible" Boulder.
  14. 1 2 "Farces at the Coliseum". The Era. 17 February 1912. p. 23. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  15. 1 2 "The Glasgow Empire. Mrs. Langtry". Scottish Referee. 29 April 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  16. 1 2 "At B. F. Keith's". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. 10 November 1912. p. 46. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Hippodrome". The Cleveland Press. 26 November 1912. p. 11. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  18. ↑ "Brooklyn Theatres Claim Their Thousands of Pleased Votaries. Vaudeville Lure is Potent Yet". The Brooklyn Daily Times. Brooklyn, New York. 15 October 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Wearing, J.P. (2014). The London Stage 1940-1949: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9780810893061. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  20. 1 2 "The Provinces. Sunderland". The Stage. 3 December 1908. p. 9. Retrieved 15 May 2025. Mr. Cecil Bevan contributes an incisive impersonation of Captain Montgomerie.
  21. 1 2 ""Pink String and Sealing Wax", Royal, Brighton". The Stage. 12 August 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 12 May 2025. [E]xcellent character sketches by Cecil Bevan as an old-fashioned doctor ...
  22. 1 2 "Nottingham". The Stage. 19 August 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 12 May 2025. Cecil Bevan is excellent as Dr. O'Shea.
  23. 1 2 "The Duke of York's. "Pink String and Sealing Wax."". The Stage. 9 September 1943. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2025. Cecil Bevan [is] ... a doctor in the professionally impeccable Dr. Watson tradition
  24. 1 2 "Criticisms of the Films: "The Old Curiosity Shop"". The Bioscope. 5 May 1921. p. 66. Retrieved 15 May 2025. Cecil Bevan is excellent as the fantastic Brass.
  25. ↑ "Engagements". Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser. 20 August 1943. p. 8. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  26. ↑ "Local Wills". Kent & Sussex Courier. 1 May 1953. p. 6. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  27. ↑ "Amateur Dramatic Notes". Lady's Pictorial. 26 May 1900. p. 57. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  28. ↑ Wearing, J.P. (2013). The London Stage 1900-1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810892941. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  29. ↑ "The Provinces - Eastbourne". The Stage. 3 September 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 16 May 2025. The unpleasant role of Captain Montgomery is admirably filled by Mr. Cecil Bevan.
  30. ↑ "Provincial Theatricals. Southend-on-Sea". The Era. 18 September 1909. p. 13. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  31. ↑ ""The Quality of Mercy"". The Era. 9 September 1911. p. 19. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  32. ↑ "Leeds Amusements. Empire Palace". Skyrack Courier. Barkston Ash, Yorkshire. 5 July 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  33. ↑ Wearing, J.P. (2014). The London Stage 1930-1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9780810893047. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  34. ↑ "The Savoy. "Chicken Every Sunday"". The Stage. 28 June 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2025. Cecil Bevan [is] the most "Anglican" parson who ever served the Episcopal Church of America.
  35. 1 2 3 4 Gifford, Denis, ed. (2016). British Film Catalogue Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film/The Non-Fiction Film · Volume 1. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  36. ↑ "Reviews. The Elder Brother". Picturegoer. 7 August 1937. p. 26. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  37. ↑ "Night Ride Starts at Pinewood". Kinematograph Weekly. 1 April 1937. p. 49. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  38. ↑ "London Trade Shows". Kinematograph Weekly. 11 March 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  39. ↑ "Famous American Story at Gem". West Middlesex Gazette. 11 December 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 16 May 2025. [O]ther colourful characters in this typical Arlen work are carried out by Cecil Bevan, ...
  40. ↑ Nugent, Frank S. (31 March 1938). "'The Gaiety Girls,' a Bright London Musical, Opens at Rivoli". The New York Times. p. 15. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  41. ↑ "Reel Reviews". The Brooklyn Citizen. Brooklyn, New York. 31 March 1938. p. 12. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  42. ↑ "Television" (PDF). Radio Times. pp. 18, 20. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  43. ↑ ""Inspector Hornleigh" Gets Busy". Kinematograph Weekly. 25 May 1939. p. 27. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  44. ↑ "Priestley Film Cast". Kinematograph Weekly. 20 November 1941. p. 34. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  45. ↑ ""Subject for Discussion"". The Lancet: 533. 24 April 1943. Retrieved 13 May 2025. This little tale is acted superbly by Milton Rosmer, Cecil Bevan, Ann Davis and others.
  46. ↑ Tinée, Mae (24 July 1946). "'Waltz Time' Is a Pleasant Film Operetta". Chicago Tribune. p. 25. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  47. ↑ ""Autumn Crocus"". The Perthshire Advertiser. Perth, Tayside, Scotland. 16 August 1952. p. 10. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cecil_Bevan&oldid=1293684490"