Harry J. Beresford (4 November 1863 – 4 October 1944) was an English-born

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

on the American stage and in motion pictures. He used the professional name Harry J. Morgan early in his career.

Career

Harry Beresford began his acting career in 1885, as a member of the chorus of ''

Little Jack Sheppard ''Little Jack Sheppard'' is a Victorian burlesque, burlesque melodrama written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and William Yardley (cricketer), William Yardley, with music by Meyer Lutz, with songs contributed by Florian Pascal,Florian Pascal was a ps ...

'' at the

Gaiety Theatre, London The Gaiety Theatre was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was first established as the Strand Musick Hall in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. In 1868, it became known a ...

. After moving to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1886, he performed throughout the country in

repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

and with various touring companies—including his own—for the next 30 years. His first major Broadway theatre success was in 1919, in ''Boys Will Be Boys'', which was soon followed by a starring role in ''Shavings'' (1920). In August 1922, he created the role of the alcoholic Clem Hawley in

Don Marquis Donald Robert Perry Marquis ( ; July 29, 1878 – December 29, 1937) was an American humorist, journalist, and author. He was variously a novelist, poet, newspaper columnist, and playwright. He is remembered best for creating the characters Ar ...

's comedy ''The Old Soak'', a character Beresford made famous and played for two years. He won praise for his character performances in the Broadway productions of ''Stolen Fruit'' (1925) and ''The Perfect Alibi'' (1928). Between 1926 and 1938, Beresford appeared as a supporting actor in more than 50 Hollywood films, including '' Doctor X'' (1932), '' The Sign of the Cross'' (1932), '' Dinner at Eight'' (1933), ''

I Cover the Waterfront ''I Cover the Waterfront'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code romantic drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Ben Lyon, Claudette Colbert, Ernest Torrence, and Hobart Cavanaugh. Based on the book, by Max Miller, a reporter for the San Die ...

'' (1933), ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' (1935) and ''

Follow the Fleet ''Follow the Fleet'' is a 1936 American RKO musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, ...

'' (1936). He made his final film appearance in 1938, and received original story credit for the 1939 horse racing film, ''

Long Shot In photography, filmmaking and video production, a wide shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or long shot) is a shot that typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surrou ...

''.

Personal life

Beresford was born in London 4 November 1863, to Henry George and Sarah Christie. His professional name was Harry J. Morgan at the time of his first marriage, to actress

Emma Dunn Emma Dunn (26 February 1875 – 14 December 1966) was an English actress. After starting her acting career on stage in London, she became known for her works in numerous films and Broadway productions. Career Emma Dunn appeared onstage in ...

, on 4 October 1897, in Chicago. They divorced on 10 February 1909, in New York City, and Dunn was awarded sole custody of their young daughter, Dorothy."Emma Dunn Stokes". National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, 2 January 1906 – 31 March 1925; Roll #: 2321; Volume #: Roll 2321 - Certificates: 317850-318349, 29 Jun 1923 – 30 Jun 1923. Ancestry.com. ''U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925'' atabase on-line Provo, Utah, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Retrieved 2016-04-19. Beresford married actress Edith D. Wylie, who had appeared opposite him in the play, ''The Other House''. They were married for the remainder of his life. Dunn, who likewise worked in Hollywood pictures in her later years, recalled testing for the role of a bullied wife in a 1935 film. When the casting director said she was too small for the part, she asked to be seen beside the actor who would play her husband—and discovered it was Harry Beresford. In 1936, columnist

Jimmie Fidler Jimmie Fidler (August 26, 1898 – August 9, 1988) was an American columnist, journalist and radio and television personality. He wrote a Hollywood gossip column and was sometimes billed as Jimmy Fidler. Born James Marion Fidler in St. Loui ...

reported that Beresford, then aged 72, had collapsed while working on an

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

soundstage. Unconscious for two hours, he was cared for by Dunn, who happened to be working on a set nearby. Beresford died 4 October 1944, at his home in

Toluca Lake, Los Angeles Toluca Lake is an affluent neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley northwest of downtown. The name is also given to a private natural lake fed by wells and maintained by neighboring property owner ...

, of a heart ailment. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.''Resting Places''
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Theatre credits

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beresford, Harry 1863 births 1944 deaths Male actors from London English male actors 20th-century English male actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) British expatriate male actors in the United States