MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
(13 February 1899 – 20 March 1973) was a British
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
. He maintained a stage and screen career from his teens until his retirement, caused by ill health, in the 1960s.
His many stage, film and television roles include Fred Jesson, the husband of
Celia Johnson
Dame Celia Elizabeth Johnson, (18 December 1908 – 26 April 1982) was an English actress, whose career included stage, television and film. She is especially known for her roles in the films ''In Which We Serve'' (1942), ''This Happy Bree ...
Raymond was the son of Herbert Linton Raymond and his second wife, Rose ( Knowles). Herbert died in 1906 at the Grand Hotel, Broad Street,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, which he and his wife ran.
Raymond became a pupil at
Sir Herbert Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and theatre manager.
Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End, winning praise for adventurous program ...
's Academy of Dramatic Art."Obituary: Mr. Cyril Raymond", ''The Times'', 22 March 1973, p. 20 He made his professional debut in 1914 at the Garrick Theatre, London, playing the Second Spanish Gentleman in ''Bluff King Hal''.Gayle, pp. 1099–1100
As Little Billee in '' Trilby'' he supported Tree's Svengali at
His Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre may refer to:
*Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, Australia, known as His Majesty's Theatre 1901–1952, demolished 1983
* His Majesty's Theatre, London, England, known as Her Majesty's Theatre 1952–2023
*His Majesty's Theatre, ...
in 1915. While still a boy actor he appeared in plays by
Louis N. Parker
Louis Napoleon Parker (21 October 1852 – 21 September 1944) was an English dramatist, composer and translator. Parker wrote many plays, developing a reputation for historical works. His 1911 play ''Disraeli'' is one of his best known, written a ...
,
Edward Knoblock
Edward Knoblock (born Edward Gustavus Knoblauch; 7 April 1874 – 19 July 1945) was a playwright and novelist, originally American and later a naturalised British citizen. He wrote numerous plays, often at the rate of two or three a year, of whic ...
and
Harold Brighouse
Harold Brighouse (26 July 1882 – 25 July 1958) was an English playwright and author whose best known play is '' Hobson's Choice''. He was a prominent member, together with Allan Monkhouse and Stanley Houghton, of a group known as the Manche ...
. In 1916, he played a major juvenile role, Lord Deerford, in Parker's ''Disraeli''. ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' reported that he "played very cleverly". A film was made of the play; he repeated his role of Deerford.
In 1922 Raymond married the actress Iris Hoey. They had one child, John Raymond, who became an author and critic. The couple co-starred in several West End plays in the 1920s; Raymond also worked extensively with the producer Basil Dean. He and Hoey divorced in 1936 and the following year he married the actress
Gillian Lind
Gillian Lind (25 August 1904 - 25 October 1983) was a British stage, film and television actress. In 1930 she starred in Edgar Wallace's play '' On the Spot'' in the West End.Kabatchnik p.172 She went on to enjoy a long career in film and telev ...
.
In the view of Raymond's obituarist in ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' it was in the mid-1930s that "he found what might be called his vocation, in contributing balanced, controlled, humorous pieces of acting as foils to more flamboyant performances by highly accomplished leading ladies".
He co-starred as the spouse or partner of a range of leading ladies over the next twenty or so years, including
Sybil Thorndike
Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969.
Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...
in ''Short Story'' (1935),
Ruth Chatterton
Ruth Chatterton (December 24, 1892 – November 24, 1961) was an American stage, film, and television actress, aviator and novelist. She was at her most popular in the early to mid-1930s, and in the same era gained prominence as an aviator, ...
Edith Evans
Dame Edith Mary Evans, (8 February 1888 – 14 October 1976) was an English actress. She was best known for her work on the stage, but also appeared in films at the beginning and towards the end of her career. Between 1964 and 1968, she was no ...
in ''
Waters of the Moon
''Waters of the Moon'' is a 1951 stage play by N. C. Hunter which originally ran for two years at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 1951 to 1953. It was adapted into a 1961 TV play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This version ...
'' (1953) and
Yvonne Arnaud
Germaine Yvonne Arnaud (20 December 1890 – 20 September 1958) was a French-born pianist, singer and actress, who was well known for her career in Britain, as well as her native land. After beginning a career as a concert pianist as a child, Ar ...
in ''Mrs Willie'' (1956).
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Raymond served in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
from 1939 to 1945, and was awarded the MBE. In the cinema he appeared as
Celia Johnson
Dame Celia Elizabeth Johnson, (18 December 1908 – 26 April 1982) was an English actress, whose career included stage, television and film. She is especially known for her roles in the films ''In Which We Serve'' (1942), ''This Happy Bree ...
's character's husband in the 1945 film '' Brief Encounter''. In ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'',
C. A. Lejeune
Caroline Alice Lejeune (27 March 1897 – 31 March 1973) was a British writer, best known for serving as the film critic for ''The Observer'' from 1928 to 1960. She was among the earliest newspaper film critics in Britain, and one of the first B ...
praised "the sweetness, the sobriety, and the fresh delicacy" of his performance and those of Johnson and Trevor Howard.
In the 1960s, Raymond appeared in plays by writers of the younger generation, including
Nigel Dennis
Nigel Forbes Dennis (16 January 1912 – 19 July 1989) was an English writer, critic, playwright and magazine editor.
Life
Born at his grandfather's house in Surrey, England, Dennis was the son of Lt.-Col. Michael Frederic Beauchamp Dennis, DS ...
John Osborne
John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...
. In Osborne's ''
Inadmissible Evidence
Admissible evidence, in a court of law, is any testimonial, documentary, or tangible evidence that may be introduced to a factfinder—usually a judge or jury—to establish or to bolster a point put forth by a party to the proceeding. Fo ...
'' in 1965 he appeared with
Nicol Williamson
Thomas Nicol Williamson (14 September 1936 – 16 December 2011) was a Scottish actor, once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" and view ...
and
John Hurt
Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in ...
."Character's Humiliating Ugliness", ''The Times'', 18 March 1965, p. 9 This was one of his last appearances, and ill health obliged him to retire several years before his death.
Filmography (incomplete)
* '' The Hypocrites'' (1916) – Leonard Wilmore
* '' Disraeli'' (1916) – Lord Deeford
* ''
I Will
"I Will" is a song by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles, from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles (album), The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and featur ...
'' (1919) – Harris Giles
* ''His Last Defence'' (1919) – David Hislop
* '' The Scarlet Kiss'' (1920)
* '' Wuthering Heights'' (1920) – Hareton
* '' Sonia'' (1921) – Tom Dainton
* ''
Single Life
''Single Life'' is a 1985 album by the funk group Cameo. The album reached No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 58 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. It contained the hit singles " Attack Me With Your Love", which reached No. 3 R ...
'' (1921) – John Henty
* ''
Moth and Rust
''Moth and Rust'' is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Sidney Morgan and starring Sybil Thorndike, Malvina Longfellow and Langhorn Burton.
Cast
* Sybil Thorndike as Mrs Brand
* Malvina Longfellow as Janet Black
* Langhorn Bu ...
'' (1921) – Fred Black
* ''
Cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
These Charming People
''These Charming People'' is a 1932 British drama film directed by Louis Mercanton and starring Cyril Maude, Godfrey Tearle and Nora Swinburne. It was produced at Elstree Studios outside London by the British subsidiary of Paramount Pictures. I ...
'' (1931) – Miles Winter
* '' The Ghost Train'' (1931) – Richard Winthrop
* ''
The Happy Ending
''The Happy Ending'' is a 1969 drama film written and directed by Richard Brooks, which tells the story of a repressed housewife who longs for liberation from her husband and daughter. It stars Jean Simmons (who received an Oscar nomination), ...
'' (1931) – Anthony Fenwick
* '' A Man of Mayfair'' (1931) – Charles
* ''
Condemned to Death
''Condemned to Death'' is a 1932 British crime film directed by Walter Forde and starring Arthur Wontner, Gillian Lind and Gordon Harker. It was adapted from the play ''Jack O'Lantern'' by James Dawson which was itself based on a 1929 novel by ...
Mixed Doubles
Mixed doubles or mixed pairs is a form of mixed-sex sports that consists of teams of one man and one woman. This variation of competition is prominent in curling and racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and badminton (where it is known as ...
Keep It Quiet
''Keep it Quiet'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Bertha Belmore, Frank Pettingell, Cyril Raymond and Davy Burnaby. It was made at Beaconsfield Studios as a quota quickie.
Plot summary
Joe Puddlefoot becom ...
'' (1934) – Jack
* ''
Royal Cavalcade
''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and Mar ...
'' (1935) – Undetermined Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''
The Tunnel
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' (1935) – Harriman
* ''
It's Love Again
''It's Love Again'' is a 1936 British musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jessie Matthews, Robert Young and Sonnie Hale. In the film, a chorus girl masquerades as a big game hunter to try to boost her showbiz career.
The fi ...
'' (1936) – Montague
* '' Tomorrow We Live'' (1936) – George Warner
* ''
Accused
Accused or The Accused may refer to:
* A person suspected with committing a crime or offence; see Criminal charge
** Suspect, a known person suspected of committing a crime
* The Accüsed, a 1980s Seattle crossover thrash band
*''The Accused'', a ...
Night Alone
''Night Alone'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Emlyn Williams, Leonora Corbett and Lesley Brook. The film was shot at the Welwyn Studios of Associated British.Wood p.99 It was based on a play by Jeffrey De ...
'' (1938) – Tommy
* ''
The Spy in Black
''The Spy in Black'' (US: ''U-Boat 29'') is a 1939 British film, and the first collaboration between the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. They were brought together by Alexander Korda to make the World War I spy thrill ...
'' (1939) – The Rev. John Harris
* ''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' is a novella about the life of a school teacher, Mr. Chipping, written by English writer James Hilton and first published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 1934. It has been adapted into two feature films and two televi ...
'' (1939) – Teacher (uncredited)
* '' Come On George!'' (1939) – Jimmy Taylor
* ''
Saloon Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
'' (1940) – Harry Small
* '' The First of the Few'' (1942) – Radio Control Officer (uncredited)
* '' Brief Encounter'' (1945) – Fred Jesson
* ''
Men of Two Worlds
''Men of Two Worlds'' is a 1946 British Technicolor drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Robert Adams, Eric Portman and Phyllis Calvert. The screenplay concerns an African music student who returns home to battle a witch doctor ...
'' (1946) – Education Officer
* ''
This Was a Woman
''This Was a Woman'' is a 1948 British crime film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Sonia Dresdel, Walter Fitzgerald and Emrys Jones. It was made at the Riverside Studios with sets designed by the art directors Ivan King and Andrew Mazzei. ...
'' (1948) – Austin Penrose
* ''
Quartet
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
The Jack of Diamonds
''The Jack of Diamonds'' is a 1949 British adventure film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Nigel Patrick, Cyril Raymond and Joan Carroll. Its plot follows an ex-soldier who persuades some yacht owners to help recover a treasure chest of j ...
'' (1949, co-wrote screenplay with
Nigel Patrick
Nigel Patrick (born Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman; 2 May 1912 – 21 September 1981) was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, he became known as a debonair leading man in Brit ...
) – Roger Keen
* ''
Angels One Five
''Angels One Five'' is a 1952 British war film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond and Veronica Hurst. Based on the book ''What Are Your Angels Now?'' by Pelham G ...
'' (1952) – Squadron Leader Barry Clinton
* ''
Rough Shoot
''Rough Shoot'', released in the USA as ''Shoot First'', is a 1953 British thriller film directed by Robert Parrish and written by Eric Ambler, based on the 1951 novel by Geoffrey Household. The film stars Joel McCrea, in his only postwar no ...
'' (1953) – Cartwright
* ''
The Heart of the Matter
''The Heart of the Matter'' (1948) is a novel by English author Graham Greene. The book details a life-changing moral crisis for Henry Scobie. Greene, a former Secret Intelligence Service, British intelligence officer in Freetown, British Sie ...
'' (1953) – Carter (uncredited)
* '' The Gay Dog'' (1954) – Rev. Gowland
* ''
The Crowded Day
''The Crowded Day'' is a 1954 British comedy drama film directed by John Guillermin and starring John Gregson, Joan Rice, Cyril Raymond and Josephine Griffin. The film follows a group of shopgirls working in Bunting and Hobbs, a London depar ...
'' (1954) – Philip Stanton
* ''One Just Man'' (1954)
* ''
Lease of Life
''Lease of Life'' is a 1954 British drama film made by Ealing Studios and directed by Charles Frend. The film was designed as a star-vehicle for Robert Donat, representing his return to the screen after an absence of over three years during whi ...
'' (1954) – The Headmaster
* ''
Charley Moon
''Charley Moon'' is a 1956 British musical film directed by Guy Hamilton. It stars Max Bygraves, Dennis Price and Shirley Eaton. The screenplay and lyrics are by Leslie Bricusse. The story is based on Reginald Arkell's backstage novel of the sam ...
'' (1956) – Bill
* ''
The Baby and the Battleship
''The Baby and the Battleship'' is a colour 1956 British comedy film directed by Jay Lewis and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and André Morell. It is based on the 1956 novel by Anthony Thorne with a screenplay by Richard De Roy, Gi ...
'' (1956) – P.M.O.
* ''
The Safecracker
''The Safecracker'' is a 1958 British crime film noir directed by Ray Milland and starring Milland, Barry Jones and Victor Maddern.
Plot
Colley Dawson lives a quiet life at home with his mother, but he is an expert safecracker at weekends, b ...
'' (1958) – Inspector Frankham
* ''
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.General The Viscount Gort V.C.
* '' No Kidding'' (1960) – Col. Matthews
* ''
Carry On Regardless
''Carry On Regardless'' is a 1961 British comedy film, the fifth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film revolves loosely around the activities of a job agency, 'Helping Hands', run by Sid James's character, Bert Handy ...
'' (1961) – Army Officer
* ''
Don't Talk to Strange Men
''Don't Talk to Strange Men'' is a 1962 black and white British crime thriller film directed by Pat Jackson and produced at Marylebone Film Studios and on location in Buckinghamshire.
Plot
As a prologue an unseen driver gives a lift to a woman. ...
'' (1962) – Mr. Painter
* ''
Night Train to Paris
''Night Train to Paris'' is a 1964 British-American spy film starring Leslie Nielsen, Aliza Gur and Dorinda Stevens.
Plot
Former OSS officer Alan Holiday is visited by Catherine Carrel on New Year's Eve, Carrel says she's a close friend of Jul ...
Louis N. Parker
Louis Napoleon Parker (21 October 1852 – 21 September 1944) was an English dramatist, composer and translator. Parker wrote many plays, developing a reputation for historical works. His 1911 play ''Disraeli'' is one of his best known, written a ...
The Return of the Soldier
''The Return of the Soldier'' is the debut novel of English novelist Rebecca West, first published in 1918. The novel recounts the return of the shell shocked Captain Chris Baldry from the trenches of the First World War from the perspective ...
'' by
John Van Druten
John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observation ...
(1928)
* ''
There's Always Juliet
''There's Always Juliet'' is a 1931 comedy play by the British writer John Van Druten about an American architect who falls in love with an Englishwoman.
It ran for 118 performances at the Apollo Theatre in London West End with a cast of Herber ...
Happy with Either
''Happy with Either'' is a 1948 comedy play by the British writer Margaret Kennedy. Best known as a novelist, it was her last play. It ran for 35 performances at St James's Theatre in London's West End between 22 April and 22 May 1948. The orig ...
Aunt Edwina
''Aunt Edwina'' is a 1959 comedy play by the British writer William Douglas Home.
It premiered at Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne before beginning a run of 101 performances in London between 3 November 1959 and 6 February 1960 initially at ...
'' by
William Douglas Home
William Douglas Home (3 June 1912 – 28 September 1992) was a British dramatist and politician.
Early life
Douglas-Home (he later dropped the hyphen from his surname) was the third son of Charles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home, and Lady Lili ...