James Albert Stephenson (14 April 1889 – 29 July 1941) was a British stage and film actor. He found extraordinarily rapid success in Hollywood after arriving in his late 40s, but he died unexpectedly in his early 50s.

Early life

Stephenson was the son of

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and

druggist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

John G. Stephenson and his wife Emma. He grew up in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

and

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, with his brothers, Alan and Norman. He became a bank clerk and later had a career as a merchant. In the 1930s, he emigrated to the United States and took U.S. nationality in 1938.

Career

After acting on the stage, Stephenson made his film debut in 1937 at age 48, initially making films in Britain.

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

signed him the following year, and he began playing urbane villains and disgraced gentlemen. His big break came when director

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of ...

cast him, in spite of studio resistance, in '' The Letter'' (1940), opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role. Later that year, he played the title role in ''

Calling Philo Vance ''Calling Philo Vance'' is a 1940 American mystery/comedy film released by Warner Bros. and starring James Stephenson as the dilettante detective Philo Vance, his only appearance as the character; Margot Stevenson co-stars. The film also featur ...

''. In 1941 he was first-billed in ''

Shining Victory ''Shining Victory'' is a 1941 American drama film based on the 1940 play '' Jupiter Laughs,'' by A. J. Cronin. It stars James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp, and Barbara O'Neil. It is the first film directed by Irving Rapper. ...

'', in which he played the character of Dr. Paul Venner. Just as Stephenson's acting career was starting to rise, he died of a heart attack at the age of 52. He is interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Partial filmography

* '' The Perfect Crime'' (1937) - Parker * ''

The Man Who Made Diamonds ''The Man Who Made Diamonds'' is a 1937 British crime film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Noel Madison, James Stephenson and Lesley Brook. Plot summary A professor invents a way of manufacturing diamonds. Cast * Noel Madison ... Josep ...

'' (1937) - Ben * '' You Live and Learn'' (1937) - Sam Brooks * '' Take It from Me'' (1937) - Lewis * ''

The Dark Stairway ''The Dark Stairway'' is a 1938 British crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Hugh Williams, Chili Bouchier and Garry Marsh. The film was a quota quickie production, based on the 1931 novel ''From This Dark Stairway'' by Mignon ...

'' (1938) - Inspector Clarke * ''

White Banners ''White Banners'' is a 1938 Warner Bros. drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Claude Rains, Fay Bainter, Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Henry O'Neill, and Kay Johnson. Produced by Henry Blanke and Hal B. Wallis, the screenp ...

'' (1938) - Thomas Bradford * '' Mr. Satan'' (1938) - Tim Garnett * ''

It's in the Blood ''It's in the Blood'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Gene Gerrard and starring Claude Hulbert, Lesley Brook and Max Leeds. It was made at Teddington Studios by the British subsidiary of Warner Brothers.Wood p.95 Cast * Claude Hulbert ...

'' (1938) - Milky Joe * ''

When Were You Born ''When Were You Born'' is a 1938 murder mystery film directed by William C. McGann and starring Anna May Wong as an astrologer who helps the police. Each of the twelve principal characters was born under a different astrological sign. Plot On an ...

'' (1938) - Phillip 'Phil' Corey (Libra) * ''

Cowboy from Brooklyn ''Cowboy from Brooklyn'' is a 1938 American Western musical romantic comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Earl Baldwin. It stars Dick Powell, Pat O'Brien and Priscilla Lane. The film was based on the 1937 Broadway play ''Howdy S ...

'' (1938) - Prof. Landis * '' Boy Meets Girl'' (1938) - Major Thompson * '' Nancy Drew... Detective'' (1938) - Challon * ''

Heart of the North ''Heart of the North'' is a 1938 American adventure film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Lee Katz and Vincent Sherman. The film stars Dick Foran, Gloria Dickson, Gale Page, Allen Jenkins, Patric Knowles, and Janet Chapman. The film was r ...

'' (1938) - Inspector Stephen Gore * '' Devil's Island'' (1939) - Col. Armand Lucien * '' King of the Underworld'' (1939) - Bill Stevens * ''

Torchy Blane in Chinatown ''Torchy Blane in Chinatown'' is a 1939 American crime mystery film directed by William Beaudine and starring Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane. Released on February 4, 1939, it is the seventh film in the Torchy Blane film series by Warner Bros. ...

'' (1939) - Mr. Mansfield * ''

Secret Service of the Air ''Secret Service of the Air'' (also known as ''Murder Plane'') is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Noel M. Smith and starring Ronald Reagan. This film was the first in Warner Bros.' Secret Service series. The series consisted of fou ...

'' (1939) - Jim Cameron * ''

The Adventures of Jane Arden ''The Adventures of Jane Arden'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Terry O. Morse and written by Vincent Sherman, Lawrence Kimble, and Charles W. Curran. The film stars Rosella Towne, William Gargan, James Stephenson, Benny Rubin, Den ...

'' (1939) - Dr. George Vanders * '' On Trial'' (1939) - Gerald Trask * '' Wanted by Scotland Yard'' (1939) - Fingers * ''

Confessions of a Nazi Spy ''Confessions of a Nazi Spy'' is a 1939 American spy political thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak for Warner Bros. It was the first explicitly anti-Nazi film to be produced by a major Hollywood studio, being released in May 1939, several ...

'' (1939) - British Military Intelligence Agent * ''

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

'' (1939, Short) - Colonel Tillman * ''

Beau Geste ''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a rel ...

'' (1939) - Major Henri de Beaujolais * '' The Old Maid'' (1939) - Jim Ralston * ''

Espionage Agent ''Espionage Agent'' is a pre–World War II spy melodrama produced by Hal B. Wallis in 1939. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, ''Espionage Agent'', like many Warner Bros. movies, clearly identifies the Germans as the enemy. This was unlike many other mov ...

'' (1939) - Dr. Anton Rader * ''

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex ''The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'' is a 1939 American historical romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland. Based on the play '' Elizabeth the Queen'' by Maxwell Anders ...

'' (1939) - Sir Thomas Egerton * '' We Are Not Alone'' (1939) - Sir William Clintock * ''

Wolf of New York ''Wolf of New York'' is a 1940 American crime film directed by William C. McGann and written by Gordon Kahn and Lionel Houser. The film stars Edmund Lowe, Rose Hobart, James Stephenson, Jerome Cowan, William Demarest and Maurice Murphy. The film ...

'' (1940) - Hiram Rogers * ''

'' (1940) - Philo Vance * '' Murder in the Air'' (1940) - Joe Garvey * '' River's End'' (1940) - Insp. McDowell * ''

The Sea Hawk ''The Sea Hawk'' is a 1915 novel by Rafael Sabatini. The story is set over the years 1588–1593 and concerns a retired Cornish seafaring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being ...

'' (1940) - Abbott * '' A Dispatch from Reuter's'' (1940) - Carew * '' The Letter'' (1940) - Howard Joyce * ''

South of Suez ''South of Suez'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring George Brent, Brenda Marshall and George Tobias. An alleged murder in an African diamond mine haunts a man many years later after he has returned to Britain. The ...

'' (1940) - Inspector Thornton * ''

Flight from Destiny ''Flight from Destiny'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and written by Barry Trivers. The film stars Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell, Jeffrey Lynn, James Stephenson, Mona Maris and Jonathan Hale. The film was rel ...

'' (1941) - Dr. Lawrence Stevens * ''

'' (1941) - Dr. Paul Venner * '' International Squadron'' (1941) - Squadron Leader Charles Wyatt * ''

The Smiling Ghost ''The Smiling Ghost'' is a 1941 American film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Wayne Morris, Alexis Smith, and Alan Hale. The film is in the horror comedy genre, which was popular in the 1940s. Plot The elderly Mrs. Bentley (Helen West ...

'' (1941) - John Eggleston in Photo (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, James 1889 births 1941 deaths English male film actors People from Selby Male actors from Yorkshire Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century English male actors British expatriate male actors in the United States People with acquired American citizenship