Harry Cyril Delevanti (23 February 1889 – 13 December 1975) was an English
character actor with a long career in American films. He was sometimes credited as Syril Delevanti.
Early years
Delevanti was born in London to the
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...
-Italian music professor, Edward Prospero Richard Delevanti and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (née Rowbotham).
Career
Delevanti had a career as an actor on the English stage and, after his emigration to the United States in 1921, performed on the American stage throughout the 1920s. His first film appearance was in ''
Devotion
Devotion or Devotions may refer to:
Religion
* Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept
* Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians
* Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance
* Cat ...
'' (1931). In 1938 he appeared in ''
Red Barry'' for director
Ford Beebe
Ford Beebe (November 26, 1888 – November 26, 1978) was a screenwriter and director. He entered the film business as a writer around 1916 and over the next 60 years wrote and/or directed almost 200 films.
He specialized in B-movies – mostly ...
, who would later marry Delevanti's daughter, Kitty, thus becoming the actor's son-in-law. From the 1940s, he appeared in many small roles, frequently uncredited, in such films as ''
Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...
'' (1943), ''
Confidential Agent'' (1945), ''
Deception'' (1946), ''
Monsieur Verdoux
''Monsieur Verdoux'' is a 1947 American black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, who plays a bigamist wife killer inspired by serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, a ...
'' (1947), ''
Forever Amber'' (1947), ''
David and Bathsheba'' (1951), ''
Limelight'' (1952), ''
Les Girls'' (1957), ''
Bye Bye Birdie
''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart.
Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...
'' (1963), and ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to:
* ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character.
* Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers.
* ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
'' (1964).
In 1958, Delevanti was cast as the printer Lucius Coin in all twenty-six episodes of the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
television series, ''
Jefferson Drum
''Jefferson Drum'', also known as ''The Pen and the Quill'', is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards that aired on the NBC network from April 25 to December 11, 1958.
Overview
Jefferson Drum, portrayed by Jeff Richards, i ...
'', starring
Jeff Richards.
He made two guest appearances on ''
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
'' during the first and final (ninth) seasons of the series. In 1957 he played florist Mr. Tulloch in "The Case of the Silent Partner". In 1965, he played bookie Craig Jefferson in "The Case of the Silent Six".
Delevanti made guest-starring appearances on ''
Dennis the Menace''; ''
US Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated ...
''; ''
The Fugitive''; ''
Gunsmoke''; ''
Have Gun, Will Travel''; ''
The Tall Man''; ''
Bourbon Street Beat''; ''
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, M ...
''; ''
The Virginian''; ''
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...
''; ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents''; ''
Mission: Impossible''; ''
Ironside''; ''
The Untouchables
Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to:
American history
* Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness
* ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley
* ''The U ...
''; ''
Science Fiction Theater
''Science Fiction Theatre'' was an American science fiction anthology television series that was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv and originally aired in syndication. It premiered on April 9, 1955 and ended on April 6, 1957, with a total of ...
''; ''
Adventures of Superman''; ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'' (in the episodes "
A Penny for Your Thoughts"; "
The Silence"; "
Passage on the Lady Anne"; and "
A Piano in the House
"A Piano in the House" is episode 87 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on February 16, 1962, on CBS.
Opening narration
Plot
Drama critic Fitzgerald Fortune, a caustic and cruel man, goes to ...
"); ''
Dundee and the Culhane
''Dundee and the Culhane'' is an American Western drama series starring John Mills and Sean Garrison that aired on CBS from September 6 to December 13, 1967.
Synopsis
''Dundee and the Culhane'' follows the exploits of two frontier lawyers who pro ...
''; ''
Peter Gunn
''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...
''; and ''
Dragnet''.
He continued to act in films, such as ''
The Night of the Iguana
''The Night of the Iguana'' is a stage play written by American author Tennessee Williams. It is based on his 1948 short story. In 1959, Williams staged it as a one-act play, and over the next two years he developed it into a full-length play, p ...
'' (1964, nominated for a
Golden Globe Award as Best Supporting Actor), ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to:
* ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character.
* Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers.
* ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
'' (1964), ''
The Killing of Sister George
''The Killing of Sister George'' is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was later adapted into a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich.
Stage version
Sister George is a beloved character in the popular radio series ''Applehurst'', a district nurse ...
'' (1968), and ''
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
''Bedknobs and Broomsticks'' is a 1971 American live-action animated musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Bill Walsh for Walt Disney Productions. It is loosely based upon the books '' The Magic Bedknob; or, How t ...
'' (1971).
Personal life
In 1913, Delevanti married Eva Kitty Peel; they had three children: Kitty, Cyril, and Harry.
[ In the early 1950s, they operated a toy shop in the Los Angeles area.]
Death
On 13 December 1975, Delevanti died in Hollywood of lung cancer.[ He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California.
]
Credited filmography
*''Devotion
Devotion or Devotions may refer to:
Religion
* Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept
* Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians
* Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance
* Cat ...
'' (1931) – Reporter (uncredited)
*'' Arrowsmith'' (1931) – committee member (uncredited)
*'' Red Barry'' (1938, Serial) – Wing Fu
*'' A Dispatch from Reuter's'' (1940) – Cockney News Vendor (uncredited)
*'' Man Hunt'' (1941) – Cab Driver (uncredited)
*'' Confirm or Deny'' (1941) – Bellhop (scenes deleted)
*''Night Monster
''Night Monster'' is a 1942 American black-and-white horror film featuring Bela Lugosi and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures Company. The movie uses an original story and screenplay by Clarence Upson Young and was produced and direc ...
'' (1942) – Torque
*''Journey for Margaret
''Journey for Margaret'' is a 1942 American drama film set in London in World War II. It stars Robert Young and Laraine Day as a couple who have to deal with the loss of their unborn child due to a bombing raid. It is an adaptation of the book ...
'' (1942) – Stage Manager (uncredited)
*''When Johnny Comes Marching Home
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Roud 6637), sometimes "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again", is a popular song from the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the ...
'' (1942) – Professor (uncredited)
*''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack
''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' is an aviation comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933, in the ''Chicago Tribune'' and ended April 1, 1973.
After a run of 40 years, it was the longest-running aviation comic strip. The strip was created ...
'' (1943, Serial) – Mah Ling / Han Po
*''Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
''Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'' is a 1943 American horror film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of later called "monster rallie ...
'' (1943) – Freddy Jolly—Graverobber (uncredited)
*''All by Myself'' (1943) – Mr. Vincent (uncredited)
*''Two Tickets to London
''Two Tickets to London'' is a 1943 drama film made by Universal Pictures, and directed by Edwin L. Marin. The screenplay was written by Tom Reed, based on story by Roy William Neill. The film stars Michèle Morgan and Alan Curtis.
Premise
A U ...
'' (1943) – Scottish Man (uncredited)
*''Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...
'' (1943) – Bookkeeper (uncredited)
*'' Holy Matrimony'' (1943) – Townsman (uncredited)
*'' Son of Dracula'' (1943) – Dr. Peters, the Coroner (uncredited)
*'' The Lodger'' (1944) – Stagehand (uncredited)
*'' The Impostor'' (1944) – Bartender (uncredited)
*''Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first such characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book com ...
'' (1944) – Claude (uncredited)
*''Her Primitive Man'' (1944) – Scientist (uncredited)
*''The Invisible Man's Revenge
''The Invisible Man's Revenge'' is a 1944 American horror film directed by Ford Beebe and written by Bertram Millhauser. The film stars John Carradine as a scientist who tests his experiment on Jon Hall, a psychiatric hospital escapee who takes ...
'' (1944) – Malty Bill – Shopkeeper (uncredited)
*'' Shadow of Suspicion'' (1944) – Mr. Lewis (uncredited)
*''Ministry of Fear
''Ministry of Fear'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang, and starring Ray Milland and Marjorie Reynolds. Based on the 1943 novel by Graham Greene, the film tells the story of a man just released from a mental asylum who finds ...
'' (1944) – Railroad Agent (uncredited)
*''Enter Arsène Lupin
''Enter Arsène Lupin'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Ford Beebe and starring Charles Korvin and Ella Raines. It features the French gentlemen thief Arsène Lupin, a creation of the writer Maurice Leblanc. Lupin keeps watch on a young ...
'' (1944) – Wine Expert (uncredited)
*''Double Exposure
In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be ide ...
'' (1944) – Henry – Waiter (uncredited)
*'' Jungle Queen'' (1945) – Rogers (uncredited)
*''The Jade Mask
''The Jade Mask'' is a 1945 film featuring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan and the only appearance of Number Four Son, Eddie Chan, played by Edwin Luke, the real-life younger brother of Keye Luke, who had depicted Number One Son throughout the 1930s ...
'' (1945) – Roth
*''Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear
''The House of Fear'' is a 1945 crime film directed by Roy William Neill. It is loosely based on the 1891 short story " The Five Orange Pips" by Arthur Conan Doyle, and features the characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It is the 10th film o ...
'' (1945) – Stanley Raeburn (uncredited)
*'' The Phantom of 42nd Street'' (1945) – Roberts
*'' The Shanghai Cobra'' (1945) – Detective Larkin (uncredited)
*'' The Fatal Witness'' (1945) – Second Coroner (uncredited)
*''Scotland Yard Investigator
''Scotland Yard Investigator'' is a 1945 American crime film directed by George Blair and starring C. Aubrey Smith, Erich von Stroheim and Stephanie Bachelor. Following the outbreak of the Second World War the Mona Lisa is moved to a London gal ...
'' (1945) – Police Surgeon (uncredited)
*'' Kitty'' (1945) – All Hot Hawker (uncredited)
*''This Love of Ours
''This Love of Ours'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Merle Oberon, Claude Rains, Charles Korvin and Carl Esmond. The film's composer, Hans J. Salter, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original ...
'' (1945) – Secretary (uncredited)
*'' Confidential Agent'' (1945) – Businessman (uncredited)
*''Captain Tugboat Annie
''Captain Tugboat Annie'' is a 1945 second sequel to the classic ''Tugboat Annie'' (1933), this time starring Jane Darwell as Annie and Edgar Kennedy as Horatio Bullwinkle. The movie was directed by Phil Rosen, and is also known as ''Tugboat Ann ...
'' (1945) – Fred
*'' The Daltons Ride Again'' (1945) – Jennings (uncredited)
*''Three Strangers
''Three Strangers'' is a 1946 American film noir crime drama directed by Jean Negulesco, written by John Huston and Howard Koch, starring Sydney Greenstreet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Peter Lorre, and featuring Joan Lorring and Alan Napier.
Pl ...
'' (1946) – Stockbroker (voice, uncredited)
*''The Shadow Returns
''The Shadow Returns'' is a 1946 American comedy crime film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Kane Richmond, Barbara Read and Tom Dugan. It features the pulp character The Shadow, already a popular hero of novels and a radio show. It was t ...
'' (1946) – John Adams
*''Lost City of the Jungle
''Lost City of the Jungle'' is a 1946 Universal movie serial.
Plot
Recent atom tests show a certain element - Meteorium 245 - as a defense against the atomic bomb. The evil Eric Hazarias (Lionel Atwill) has traced a Meteorium deposit to the Him ...
'' (1946, Serial) – Representative to Peace Foundation h. 1(uncredited)
*'' Dressed to Kill'' (1946) – Convict at Dartmoor Prison (uncredited)
*'' The Mysterious Mr. M'' (1946) – Prof. Jackson Parker (uncredited)
*'' Deception'' (1946) – Beggar (uncredited)
*'' I'll Be Yours'' (1947) – Businessman (uncredited)
*''Monsieur Verdoux
''Monsieur Verdoux'' is a 1947 American black comedy film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, who plays a bigamist wife killer inspired by serial killer Henri Désiré Landru. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, a ...
'' (1947) – Postman (uncredited)
*''Lured
''Lured'' is a 1947 film noir directed by Douglas Sirk and starring George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn, and Boris Karloff. The film is a remake of Robert Siodmak's 1939 French film '' Pièges'' (titled ''Personal Column'' in the U ...
'' (1947) – Medical Examiner (uncredited)
*'' Forever Amber'' (1947) – Cobbler (uncredited)
*'' The Emperor Waltz'' (1948) – Diplomat (uncredited)
*'' David and Bathsheba'' (1951) – Undetermined Minor Role (uncredited)
*'' Limelight'' (1952) – Griffin – a Clown (uncredited)
*''D-Day the Sixth of June
''D-Day the Sixth of June'' is a DeLuxe Color 1956 CinemaScope romance war film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Henry Koster and produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay by Ivan Moffat and Harry Brown, based on the 1955 nove ...
'' (1956) – Coat Room Attendant (uncredited)
*''Johnny Tremain
''Johnny Tremain'' is a work of historical fiction written in 1943 by Esther Forbes that is set in Boston prior to and during the outbreak of the American Revolution. Intended for teen-aged readers, the novel's themes include apprenticeship, co ...
'' (1957) – Mr. Robert Newman (uncredited)
*''Trooper Hook
''Trooper Hook'' is a 1957 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Joel McCrea as the title character and Barbara Stanwyck as the woman he frees from the Indians. The fact that during her captivity ...
'' (1957) – Junius
*'' Les Girls'' (1957) – Fanatic with 'What Is Truth' Sign (uncredited)
*''Ride Out for Revenge
''Ride Out for Revenge'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Bernard Girard and starring Rory Calhoun, Gloria Grahame, Lloyd Bridges and Joanne Gilbert.
Plot
Chief Yellow Wolf and son Little Wolf walk to town (the plight of Yellow W ...
'' (1957) – Preacher
*'' Sabu and the Magic Ring'' (1957) – Abdul
*'' Gun Fever'' (1958) – Jerry
*''Teacher's Pet
Teacher's pet is a person that has an advantageous position compared to other students, where the teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or v ...
'' (1958) – Copy Man (uncredited)
*''Kings Go Forth
''Kings Go Forth'' is a 1958 black-and-white World War II film starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood. The screenplay was written by Merle Miller from the 1956 novel of the same name by Joe David Brown, and the film was direct ...
'' (1958) – Blairs' Butler (uncredited)
*''I Bury the Living
''I Bury the Living'' is a 1958 horror film directed by famed B movie director Albert Band and starring Richard Boone and Theodore Bikel. It was written by Louis A. Garfinkle and produced by Garfinkle and Band.
Plot
Robert Kraft is the newly a ...
'' (1958) – William Isham (uncredited)
*''From the Terrace
''From the Terrace'' is a 1960 American DeLuxe Color romantic drama film in CinemaScope directed by Mark Robson from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, based on the 1958 novel of the same name by John O'Hara. The film stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodw ...
'' (1960) – MacHardie's Secretary (uncredited)
*''Paradise Alley'' (1962) – Grandpa
*'' Dead Ringer'' (1964) – Henry, the Butler
*''The Night of the Iguana
''The Night of the Iguana'' is a stage play written by American author Tennessee Williams. It is based on his 1948 short story. In 1959, Williams staged it as a one-act play, and over the next two years he developed it into a full-length play, p ...
'' (1964) – Nonno
*''Mary Poppins It may refer to:
* ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character.
* Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers.
* ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
'' (1964) – Mr. Grubbs (uncredited)
*''The Greatest Story Ever Told
''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. Along with the ensemble cast ...
'' (1965) – Melchior
*'''' (1967) – Hawkins
*'' Counterpoint'' (1968) – Tartzoff
*''The Killing of Sister George
''The Killing of Sister George'' is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was later adapted into a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich.
Stage version
Sister George is a beloved character in the popular radio series ''Applehurst'', a district nurse ...
'' (1968) – Ted Baker
*'' Macho Callahan'' (1970) – Old man
*''Bedknobs and Broomsticks
''Bedknobs and Broomsticks'' is a 1971 American live-action animated musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Bill Walsh for Walt Disney Productions. It is loosely based upon the books '' The Magic Bedknob; or, How t ...
'' (1971) – Elderly Farmer
*''Soylent Green
''Soylent Green'' is a 1973 American ecological dystopian thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson in his final film role. It is loosely based on the 1966 science fict ...
'' (1973) – Book # 4
*'' The Girl Most Likely to...'' (1973) – Chaplain
*''Black Eye
A periorbital hematoma, commonly called a black eye or a shiner (associated with boxing or stick sports such as hockey), is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than to the eye. The name refers to the dark-colo ...
'' (1974) – Talbot (final film role)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delevanti, Cyril
1889 births
1975 deaths
Deaths from lung cancer in California
English male film actors
English male television actors
Male actors from London
English people of Italian descent
Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
British expatriate male actors in the United States
20th-century English male actors
English emigrants to the United States