Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1945.

Early life

Fenton was born on 12 March 1902 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

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 ...

, England. He emigrated to America with his mother, Elizabeth Carter Fenton, and his brothers when he was six years old. They sailed as

steerage Steerage is a term for the lowest category of passenger accommodation in a ship. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century considerable numbers of persons travelled from their homeland to seek a new life elsewhere, in many cases North America ...

passengers on board the R.M.S. ''Celtic'', which departed from

, 11 September 1909, and arrived at New York, where they were ferried over to

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mi ...

for "U.S. Immigrant Inspection" on 19 September. They were quickly admitted and continued their journey by rail to join his father, shoe manufacturer's representative Richard Fenton, in

Mifflin, Ohio Mifflin is a village in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 137 at the 2010 census. History Mifflin was originally called Petersburg, and under the latter name was laid out in 1816. A post office called Mifflin was establishe ...

Career

As a teenager, Leslie worked as an

office clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

. He moved to New York and began a career on the stage. His film career began later with

Fox Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. He also directed 19 films between 1938 and 1951.

Military service

Fenton saw active service 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 ...

. In spring 1941, he was commissioned into the

Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original R ...

. In 1942, as commander of a

Motor Launch A Motor Launch (ML) is a small military vessel in Royal Navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high-speed air-sea rescue. Some vessels for water police service are also known as motor launches. ...

vessel, he took part in the St Nazaire Raid. He was injured in the raid and spent months convalescing in

Devon, England Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon i ...

. Unable to return to sea, he was assigned to a desk job at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

Personal life

He married American actress

Ann Dvorak Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told ''The Literary Digest'' in 1936: "My fake name is properly pronounced ''vor'shack ...

in 1932. Dvorak (Anna May McKim) moved to Britain with Fenton while he served in the British armed forces during the

. The union was childless and ended in divorce in 1945. Fenton died 25 March 1978 in Montecito,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, aged 76. Some sources, including

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

, incorrectly cite Frank Fenton, the noted screenwriter and novelist, as his younger brother. Frank Fenton's parents were actually John Fenton and Eveline Edgington (married Liverpool, 1900), as evidenced by the ship's manifest for the RMS ''Caronia'' (page 0817, line 0008), aboard which Frank Fenton arrived in the US on 21 April 1906.

Selected filmography

As actor: * '' Gentle Julia'' (1923) * ''

Havoc High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) is a set of crewed NASA mission concepts to the planet Venus. All human portions of the missions would be conducted from lighter-than-air craft or from orbit. Background Venus is a planet with a r ...

'' (1925) as Babe * '' Thunder Mountain'' (1925) as Sam Martin * '' Lazybones'' (1925) as Dick Ritchie * ''

East Lynne ''East Lynne'' is an English sensation novel of 1861 by Ellen Wood, writing as Mrs Henry Wood. A Victorian best-seller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot, centring on infidelity and double identities. There have ...

'' (1925) as Richard Hare * ''

The Ancient Mariner ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' (originally ''The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere'') is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–1798 and published in 1798 in the first edition of ''Lyrical Ballad ...

'' (1925) as Joe Barlow * ''

The Road to Glory ''The Road to Glory'' is a 1936 dramatic film depiction of World War I trench warfare in France directed by Howard Hawks, starring Fredric March, Warner Baxter, Lionel Barrymore, and June Lang, and produced by 20th Century Fox. It is vaguely i ...

'' (1926) as David Hale * '' Sandy'' (1926) as Douglas Keith * ''

The Shamrock Handicap ''The Shamrock Handicap'' is a 1926 American romance film directed by John Ford. Prints of the film still exists in the Museum of Modern Art film archive and Cinematheque Royale de Belgique. Cast * Janet Gaynor as Lady Sheila O'Hara * Leslie ...

'' (1926) as Neil Ross * ''

Black Paradise ''Black Paradise'' is a 1926 American silent adventure film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Madge Bellamy, Leslie Fenton, and Edmund Lowe Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formati ...

'' (1926) as James Callahan * '' What Price Glory?'' (1926) as Lt. Moore * '' The Gateway of the Moon'' (1928) as Jim Mortlake * '' The Showdown'' (1928) as Kilgore Shelton * ''

The Drag Net ''The Drag Net'', also known as ''The Dragnet'', is a 1928 American silent crime drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures based on the story "Nightstick" by Oliver H.P. Garrett. It was directed by Josef v ...

'' (1928) as Shakespeare * '' The First Kiss'' (1928) as Carol Talbot * ''

The Office Scandal ''The Office Scandal'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Phyllis Haver, Raymond Hatton and Margaret Livingston.Langman p.84 It was originally made as a silent, but some sound effects a musical score and talkin ...

'' (1929) as Andrew 'Andy' Corbin * '' Girls Gone Wild'' (1929) as Boogs * '' A Dangerous Woman'' (1929) as Peter Allerton * '' The Man I Love'' (1929) as Carlo Vesper * ''

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 ...

'' (1929) as 'Scar' Edwards * ''

Paris Bound Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

'' (1929) as Richard Parrish * '' Woman Trap'' (1929) as Eddie Evans * ''

The Last Performance ''The Last Performance'' is a 1929 American film directed by Paul Fejos and starring Conrad Veidt and Mary Philbin. The film was made in two version: a silent version and Movietone version complete with music, talking sequences, and sound effe ...

'' (1929) as Buffo Black * ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

'' (1929) as Young 'Vulture' * '' The Man Who Came Back'' (1931) as Baron le Duc * ''

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...

'' (1931) as Samuel 'Nails' Nathan * '' Kick In'' (1931) as Charlie * '' Murder at Midnight'' (1931) as Walter Grayson * ''

The Pagan Lady ''The Pagan Lady'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Evelyn Brent. It is based on the Broadway play ''Pagan Lady'' (1930) written by William DuBois. Cast * Evelyn Brent as Dorothy 'Dot' Hunter ...

'' (1931) as Gerald 'Gerry' Willis * ''

The Guilty Generation ''The Guilty Generation'' is a 1931 American pre-code crime film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Leo Carrillo, Constance Cummings and Robert Young. Plot The children of feuding gangsters fall in love and fight to escape their parents' ...

'' (1931) as Joe Palmero * '' The Hatchet Man'' (1932) as Harry En Hai * ''

The Famous Ferguson Case ''The Famous Ferguson Case'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Joan Blondell, Grant Mitchell and Vivienne Osborne.Louis Pizzitola. ''Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies' ...

'' (1932) as Jim Perrin * ''

The Strange Love of Molly Louvain ''The Strange Love of Molly Louvain'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Ann Dvorak and Lee Tracy. The script was based on the play ''Tinsel Girl'' by Maurine Dallas Watkins. Plot Molly Louva ...

'' (1932) as Nicky Grant * '' Thunder Below'' (1932) as Webb * ''

Air Mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...

'' (1932) as Tony Dressel * ''

F.P.1 ''F.P.1'' ( ger, F.P.1 antwortet nicht) is a 1932 German film directed by Karl Hartl. The film was based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Kurt Siodmak. The plot concerned a permanent air station in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The fil ...

'' (1933) as Capt. B.E. Droste * '' Night Flight'' (1933) as Jules' Radio Operator / Co-Pilot * '' Lady Killer'' (1933) as Duke * ''

I Believed in You ''I Believed in You'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Irving Cummings and written by William M. Conselman. The film stars Rosemary Ames, John Boles, Victor Jory, Gertrude Michael, George Meeker and Leslie Fenton. The film was ...

'' (1934) as Russell Storm * ''

Fugitive Road ''Fugitive Road'' is a 1934 American comedy drama film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Erich von Stroheim, Wera Engels and Leslie Fenton. It is set a border post in Austria following World War I. A variety of different people trying to ...

'' (1934) as Frank Riker * '' Take the Stand'' (1934) as Hugh Halliburton * ''

Marie Galante Marie-Galante ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Mawigalant) is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 th ...

'' (1934) as Gen. Saki Tenoki * ''

Strange Wives ''Strange Wives'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe, written by James Mulhauser, Barry Trivers, and Gladys Buchanan Unger, and starring Roger Pryor, June Clayworth, Esther Ralston, Hugh O'Connell, Ralph Forbes, and Cesa ...

'' (1934) as Svengaart * '' White Lies'' (1934) as Dan Oliver * ''

The Casino Murder Case ''The Casino Murder Case'' is a 1934 novel written by S. S. Van Dine in the series about fictional detective Philo Vance. In this outing, a murder investigation is connected with a private casino on New York's Upper West Side, and the wealthy a ...

'' (1935) as Dr. Kane * '' Star of Midnight'' (1935) as Tim Winthrop * ''

Stolen Harmony ''Stolen Harmony'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring George Raft, Ben Bernie and Grace Bradley. It is a semi-musical, featuring Big Band numbers. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Plot ...

'' (1935) as Joe Harris (uncredited) * ''

Chinatown Squad ''Chinatown Squad'' is a 1935 American mystery film directed by Murray Roth, written by Dore Schary and Ben Ryan starring Lyle Talbot, Valerie Hobson, Hugh O'Connell, and Andy Devine, and featuring Leslie Fenton and Bradley Page. The film was re ...

'' (1935) as Su Quong * ''

Men Without Names ''Men Without Names'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by Kubec Glasmon and Howard J. Green. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Madge Evans, David Holt, Lynne Overman, Elizabeth Patterson, J. C. Nugent, Grant Mit ...

'' (1935) as Monk * ''

East of Java ''East of Java'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by George Melford and starring Charles Bickford, Elizabeth Young (actress), Elizabeth Young and Frank Albertson.Goble p.746 Cast * Charles Bickford as Red McGovern aka Harvey Bowers * Eliza ...

'' (1935) as Captain Wong Bo * ''

Two in the Dark ''Two in the Dark'' is a 1936 American mystery film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and starring Walter Abel, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Gail Patrick, and Alan Hale. The screenplay concerns an amnesiac suspected of murder. In 1945, Stoloff ...

'' (1936) as Stuart Eldredge * ''

Murder on a Bridle Path ''Murder on a Bridle Path'' is a 1936 mystery film directed by William Hamilton and Edward Killy, starring James Gleason and Helen Broderick. This film was the fourth production in the Hildegarde Withers series, and the only one in which Broder ...

'' (1936) as Don Gregg * ''

Sworn Enemy Sworn Enemy is an American crossover thrash band from New York City. Biography The band formed as "Downfall" and later on as "Mindset", a product of the extremely expansive and influential New York hardcore scene. At its original inception th ...

'' (1936) as Steve Sherman * '' The Longest Night'' (1936) as Carl Briggs * '' House of Secrets'' (1936) as Barry Wilding * '' China Passage'' (1937) as Anthony Durand * '' Boys Town'' (1938) as Dan Farrow As director: * ''

Tell No Tales ''Tell No Tales'' is the third studio album by the Norwegian hard rock band TNT. It was the best-selling TNT album in the U.S., according to their bass guitarist Morty Black. This album diverted from the power metal style of '' Knights of the ...

'' (1939) * '' The Man from Dakota'' (1940) * ''

The Saint's Vacation ''The Saint's Vacation'' is a 1941 adventure film produced by the British arm of RKO Pictures. The film stars Hugh Sinclair as Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", a world-roving crimefighter who walks the fine edge of the law. This was th ...

'' (1941) * ''

Whispering Smith ''Whispering Smith'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Alan Ladd as a railroad detective assigned to stop a gang of train robbers. The supporting cast includes Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall and Donald C ...

'' (1948) * '' Streets of Laredo'' (1949) * ''

The Redhead and the Cowboy ''The Redhead and the Cowboy'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Glenn Ford and Rhonda Fleming. Plot Late in the American Civil War, the New Mexico Territory is full of spies and guerrillas for both sides. ...

'' (1951)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

External links

* *
Leslie Fenton
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton, Leslie 1902 births 1978 deaths British expatriate male actors in the United States English male film actors English male silent film actors English film directors Male actors from Liverpool People from Montecito, California Royal Navy officers of World War II Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery 20th-century English male actors Military personnel from Liverpool War Office personnel in World War II