Herbert Bunston (15 April 1874 – 27 February 1935) was an English stage and screen actor. He is remembered for his role as Dr.

John Seward John "Jack" Seward, M.D. is a fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel ''Dracula''. In the novel Seward is the administrator of an insane asylum not far from Count Dracula's first English home, Carfax. Throughout the nove ...

in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and film versions of ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...

''. Bunston was born in

Charmouth Charmouth is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England. The village is situated on the mouth of the River Char, around north-east of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimated that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 1,31 ...

and briefly attended Cranleigh School in Surrey. before working as an actor. Bunston emigrated to the United States in 1922. His first Broadway appearance was

Arthur Wing Pinero Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (24 May 185523 November 1934) was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor. Pinero was drawn to the theatre from an early age, and became a professional actor at the age of 19. He gained experience as a supp ...

's '' The Enchanted Cottage'' in 1923. Other short-running roles in '' That Awful Mrs. Eaton!'' and '' Simon Called Peter'' were followed by a critically noticed role in a run of 260 performances of 1925's '' Young Woodley.'' On 5 October 1927, Bunston debuted as Dr John Seward in a Broadway production of ''

'' alongside

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

. Bunston's other Broadway credits include ''Young Woodley'' (1925), ''Simon Called Peter'' (1924), ''That Awful Mrs. Eaton'' (1924), ''The Enchanted Cottage'' (1923), and ''Drink'' (1903). Bunston's stage success led to a contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. Between 1929 and 1935 he had mainly character roles in over 30 films, and 1931 he re-created his Broadway role in the film adaptation of ''

''. Bunston died of a heart attack in 1935. Bunston married Emily Fox Chaffey (1866-1939) in 1898 and they had two children, Margaret, and John.

Partial filmography

* '' The Last of Mrs. Cheyney'' (1929) – Lord Elton * ''

The Lady of Scandal ''The Lady of Scandal'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romance, comedy film, melodrama directed by Sidney Franklin based on the 1927 play '' The High Road'' by Frederick Lonsdale and starring Ruth Chatterton, Basil Rathbone and Ralph Forbes. Its ...

'' (1930) – Lord Crayle * ''

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

'' (1930) – Mr. Brownbee (uncredited) * '' Under Suspicion'' (1930) – Maj. Manners * ''

'' (1931) – Doctor Seward * '' Always Goodbye'' (1931) – Merson * '' The Last Flight'' (1931) – Man on Train (uncredited) * '' I Like Your Nerve'' (1931) – The Colonel (uncredited) * '' Once a Lady'' (1931) – Roger Fenwick * '' Ambassador Bill'' (1931) – British Ambassador * ''

Charlie Chan's Chance ''Charlie Chan's Chance'' is a 1932 American pre-Code murder mystery film, the third to star Warner Oland as detective Charlie Chan. It is based on the 1928 novel ''Behind That Curtain'' by Earl Derr Biggers, who also contributed to the film. Th ...

'' (1932) – Garrick Enderly * ''

File 113 ''File 113'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Chester Franklin and starring Lew Cody, Mary Nolan and June Clyde.Pitts p.25 Monsieur Lecoq, a Parisian detective solves a series of crimes. It is based on a story by the nineteen ...

'' (1932) – Fauvel * ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' (1932) – Mr. Sedley * '' Almost Married'' (1932) – Lord Laverling (uncredited) * '' Smilin' Through'' (1932) – Minister (uncredited) * ''

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection '' The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with ...

'' (1933) – Sampson * '' Trick for Trick'' (1933) – Professor King (uncredited) * ''

Long Lost Father ''Long Lost Father'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film starring John Barrymore, Helen Chandler, Donald Cook, Alan Mowbray, and Doris Lloyd. It was directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack. It was based on a 1933 novel of the same title by the Bri ...

'' (1934) – The Bishop * ''

Gambling Lady ''Gambling Lady'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea and Pat O'Brien. Plot Mike Lee raises his daughter Lady Lee to be as honest a gambler as he is. When he gets t ...

'' (1934) – Doctor at Party (uncredited) * ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal flo ...

'' (1934) – Maj. Bagdall (uncredited) * ''

Dr. Monica ''Dr. Monica'' is a 1934 American pre-Code melodrama film produced by Warner Bros. starring Kay Francis, Warren William, and Jean Muir. An obstetrician, who is unable to have children, discovers that the baby she is about to deliver was fathe ...

'' (1934) – Mr. Pettinghill * ''

The Moonstone ''The Moonstone'' (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel. It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre. The story was serialised in Charles Di ...

'' (1934) – Sir John Verinder * ''

The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine '' Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. App ...

'' (1934) – W.J. Letterblair (uncredited) * '' Desirable'' (1934) – Uncle Fred (uncredited) * '' British Agent'' (1934) – First Cabinet Member (uncredited) * '' The Richest Girl in the World'' (1934) – Cavendish * '' The Little Minister'' (1934) – Mr. Carfrae * '' Clive of India'' (1935) – First Director (uncredited) * '' A Shot in the Dark'' (1935) – College President * ''

After Office Hours ''After Office Hours'' is a 1935 crime drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Clark Gable and Constance Bennett. The screenplay was written by Herman Mankiewicz. Plot Jim Branch (Clark Gable), a newspaper editor, falls for weal ...

'' (1935) – Barlow – Norwood's Butler * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' (1935) – Judge at Favorelles (uncredited) * ''

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

'' (1935) – Duke of Normandy (final film role)

References/

*Coughlin, Jim. "The Supporting Players of Universal's ''Dracula''". ''Midnight Marquee'' #49, pp. 63–7. *"Herbert Bunston". ''Variety'' (US), 6 March 1935, p62.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bunston, Herbert 1874 births 1935 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors People educated at Cranleigh School Actors from Dorset 20th-century English male actors British expatriate male actors in the United States