Lionel Alfred William Atwill (1 March 1885 – 22 April 1946) was an English stage and screen actor. He began his acting career at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...

. After coming to the U.S., he subsequently appeared in various Broadway plays and Hollywood films. Some of his more significant roles were in '' Captain Blood'' (1935), '' Son of Frankenstein'' (1939) and ''

To Be or Not to Be To Be or Not to Be may refer to: * ''To be, or not to be'', the soliloquy from ''Hamlet''. Films and TV, theatre and books * ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942 film), directed by Ernst Lubitsch * ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 film), a remake produced ...

'' (1942).

Life and career

Atwill was born on 1 March 1885 in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

, London, England. He studied architecture before his stage debut at the

, London, in 1904. Atwill-Cornell-Outsider-1924

He became a star in Broadway theatre by 1918 and made his screen debut in 1919. His Broadway credits include ''The Lodger'' (1916), ''The Silent Witness'' (1930), ''Fioretta'' (1928), ''The Outsider'' (1924), ''Napoleon'' (1927), ''The Thief'' (1926), ''Slaves All'' (1926), ''Beau Gallant'' (1925), ''Caesar and Cleopatra'' (1924), ''The Outsider'' (1923), ''The Comedian'' (1922), ''The Grand Duke'' (1921), ''

Deburau ''Deburau'' is a 1918 French play by Sacha Guitry that also played on Broadway in a translation by Harley Granville-Barker at the Belasco Theatre in 1920–21 Mantle, BurnsThe Best Plays of 1920-21 and the Year Book of the Drama in America pp. 1 ...

'' (1920), ''Tiger! Tiger!'' (1918), ''Another Man's Shoes'' (1918), ''A Doll's House'' (1917), ''Hedda Gabler'' (1917), ''The Wild Duck'' (1917), ''The Indestructible Wife'' (1917), ''L'elevation'' (1917), and ''Eve's Daughter'' (1917). He acted on the stage in Australia and then became involved in U.S. horror films in the 1930s, including leading roles in '' Doctor X'' (1932), ''

The Vampire Bat ''The Vampire Bat'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code horror film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, and Dwight Frye. Plot When the villagers of Kleinschloss start dying of blood loss, the town father ...

'', '' Murders in the Zoo'' and '' Mystery of the Wax Museum'' (all 1933), and perhaps most memorably as the one-armed Inspector Krogh in '' Son of Frankenstein'' (1939), a role famously parodied by Kenneth Mars in

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

' 1974 satire ''

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor ...

''. He appeared in four subsequent Universal Frankenstein films as well as many other of the studio's beloved chillers. His other roles include a romantic lead opposite

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

Josef von Sternberg Josef von Sternberg (; born Jonas Sternberg; May 29, 1894 – December 22, 1969) was an Austrian-American filmmaker whose career successfully spanned the transition from the silent to the sound era, during which he worked with most of the major ...

's ''The Devil Is a Woman'' (1935), a crooked insurance investigator in ''

The Wrong Road ''The Wrong Road'' is a 1937 American crime drama film directed by James Cruze and starring Richard Cromwell, Helen Mack, and Lionel Atwill. The film is now in the public domain. Plot A young unmarried couple (Cromwell and Mack), whose plans ...

'' (1937) for RKO, Dr. James Mortimer in

20th Century Fox 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 Disn ...

's film version of ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...

'' (1939), and

Professor Moriarty Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle coul ...

in the

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

film '' Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon'' (1943). He also had a rare comedy role in

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

's 1942 classic ''

'' and that same year menaced

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People * Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

in '' Pardon My Sarong''.

Personal life

Atwill married four times. His first wife was Phyllis Ralph; the couple married in 1913 and divorced in 1919. In 1941, their son John Arthur Atwill (born 1914) was killed in action at age 26.Commonwealth War Graves Commission - CWGC record
Atwill married the actress Elsie Mackay in 1920. He married

Louise Cromwell Brooks Louise Cromwell (born Henrietta Louise Cromwell; September 24, 1890 – May 30, 1965) was an American socialite whose four marriages included seven years as the first wife of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. She was "considered one of W ...

in 1930 after her divorce from General of the Army

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

; they divorced in 1943. Atwill married Paula Pruter in 1944, and their marriage continued until his death. Their son, Lionel Anthony Atwill, is a retired writer. In 1942, Atwill was indicted for perjury by a jury investigating the 1941 proceeding of a grand jury relative to the alleged occurrence of a sex orgy at his home. He was given five years probation, but Hollywood producers and other executives blacklisted him for minor criminal activity. He made small film appearances afterward. Atwill died on 22 April 1946, as a result of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...

and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.

Filmography

*'' Eve's Daughter'' (1918) - Courtenay Urquhart *'' For Sale'' (1918) - Minor Role *'' The Marriage Price'' (1919) - Kenneth Gordon *'' The Eternal Mother'' (1920) - Howard Hollister *''

The Highest Bidder ''The Highest Bidder'' is a lost 1921 American drama film directed by Wallace Worsley and written by Lloyd Lonergan. It is based on the 1920 novel ''The Trap'' by Maximilian Foster. The film stars Madge Kennedy, Lionel Atwill, Vernon Steele ...

'' (1921) - Lester *'' The Silent Witness'' (1932) - Sir Austin Howard *'' Doctor X'' (1932) - Dr. Jerry Xavier *''

'' (1933) - Dr. Otto von Niemann *''

The Secret of Madame Blanche ''The Secret of Madame Blanche'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Charles Brabin and written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. The film stars Irene Dunne, Lionel Atwill, Phillips Holmes, Una Merkel and Douglas Walton. The ...

'' (1933) - Aubrey St. John *'' Mystery of the Wax Museum'' (1933) - Ivan Igor *'' Murders in the Zoo'' (1933) - Eric Gorman *'' The Sphinx'' (1933) - Jerome Breen *'' The Song of Songs'' (1933) - Baron von Merzbach *'' Secret of the Blue Room'' (1933) - Robert von Helldorf *'' The Solitaire Man'' (1933) - Inspector Wallace *'' Nana'' (1934) - Colonel André Muffat *'' Beggars in Ermine'' (1934) - John 'Flint' Dawson aka John Daniels *'' Stamboul Quest'' (1934) - Herr Von Sturm *''

One More River ''One More River'' is a 1934 American drama film mystery directed by James Whale. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures and starred Colin Clive, Diana Wynyard and stage actress Mrs Patrick Campbell in one of her very few films. Th ...

'' (1934) - Brough *''

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) - Julius Beaufort *''

The Firebird ''The Firebird'' (french: L'Oiseau de feu, link=no; russian: Жар-птица, Zhar-ptitsa, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev' ...

'' (1934) - John Pointer *''

The Man Who Reclaimed His Head ''The Man Who Reclaimed His Head'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Edward Ludwig and written by Jean Bart and Samuel Ornitz. The film stars Claude Rains, Joan Bennett, Lionel Atwill, Juanita Quigley, Henry O'Neill and Henry Armetta. T ...

'' (1934) - Henry Dumont *'' The Devil Is a Woman'' (1935) - Capt. Don Pasqual 'Pasqualito' Costelar *''

Mark of the Vampire ''Mark of the Vampire'' (also known as ''Vampires of Prague'') is a 1935 American horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan (British actress), Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt, and directed by Tod Br ...

'' (1935) - Inspector Neumann *''

The Murder Man ''The Murder Man'' is a 1935 American crime-drama film starring Spencer Tracy, Virginia Bruce, and Lionel Atwill, and directed by Tim Whelan. The picture was Tracy's first film in what would be a twenty-year career with MGM. Tracy plays an inves ...

'' (1935) - Captain Cole *'' Rendezvous'' (1935) - Major William Brennan *'' Captain Blood'' (1935) - Colonel Bishop *''

Lady of Secrets ''Lady of Secrets'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Ruth Chatterton, Otto Kruger and Lionel Atwill.Monaco p.111 Plot Celia Whittaker, a reclusive socialite who has long eschewed romantic opportunities, lear ...

'' (1936) - Mr. Whittaker *'' Till We Meet Again'' (1936) - Ludwig *''

Absolute Quiet ''Absolute Quiet'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by George B. Seitz and written by Harry Clork. The film stars Lionel Atwill, Irene Hervey, Raymond Walburn, Stuart Erwin, Ann Loring and Louis Hayward. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture, it ...

'' (1936) - G.A. Axton *''

The High Command ''The High Command'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Lionel Atwill, Lucie Mannheim and James Mason. It was shot at Ealing Studios and on location on the Gold Coast. The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1937) - Maj. Gen. Sir John Sangye, VC *''

The Road Back ''The Road Back'', also translated as ''The Way Back'', (german: Der Weg zurück) is a novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque, commonly regarded as a sequel to his 1929 novel ''All Quiet on the Western Front''. It was first serialized in th ...

'' (1937) - Prosecutor *'' The Last Train from Madrid'' (1937) - Col. Vigo *'' Lancer Spy'' (1937) - Col. Fenwick *''

'' (1937) - Mike Roberts *''

The Great Garrick ''The Great Garrick'' is a 1937 American historical comedy film directed by James Whale and starring Brian Aherne, Olivia de Havilland, and Edward Everett Horton. The film also features Lionel Atwill, Luis Alberni, Melville Cooper, and fu ...

'' (1937) - Beaumarchais *'' Three Comrades'' (1938) - Breuer *'' The Great Waltz'' (1938) - Count Hohenfried *'' Son of Frankenstein'' (1939) - Inspector Krogh *''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' (1939) - De Rochefort *''

'' (1939) - James Mortimer M.D. *'' The Gorilla'' (1939) - Walter Stevens *'' The Sun Never Sets'' (1939) - Zurof *'' Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation'' (1939) - Prof. Roger Chauncey Hildebrand *''

The Secret of Dr. Kildare ''The Secret of Dr. Kildare'' is a 1939 American film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the fourth of a total of ten Dr. Kildare pictures, Lew Ayres starred all but the first. Plot summary Dr. Leonard G ...

'' (1939) - Paul Messenger *''

Balalaika The balalaika (russian: link=no, балала́йка, ) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the thir ...

'' (1939) - Prof. Marakov *''

The Mad Empress ''The Mad Empress'' is a 1939 American historical drama film depicting the 3-year reign of Maximilian I of Mexico (Nagel) and his struggles against Benito Juarez (Robards). Empress Carlotta (Novora) is the "mad" empress who has a breakdown when ...

'' (1939) - General Bazaine *''

Charlie Chan in Panama ''Charlie Chan in Panama'' is a 1940 mystery film starring Sidney Toler. It is an unaccredited remake of Jacques Deval's novel "Marie Galante", produced by 20th Century Fox in 1934, directed by Henry King. Plot Charlie Chan must stop a spy from ...

'' (1940) - Cliveden Compton *'' Johnny Apollo'' (1940) - Jim McLaughlin *''

Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise ''Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise'' is a 1940 murder mystery film starring Sidney Toler in his fifth of many performances as Charlie Chan. It is based on the Earl Derr Biggers 1930 novel ''Charlie Chan Carries On''. Plot The famed detective seeks t ...

'' (1940) - Dr. Suderman *'' Girl in 313'' (1940) - Russell aka Henry Woodruff *''

The Great Profile ''The Great Profile'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Walter Lang and starring John Barrymore, Mary Beth Hughes, Gregory Ratoff and John Payne. Synopsis Barrymore lampoons himself. A famous actor, given to drink, nearly destroys the ...

'' (1940) - Dr. Bruce *''

Boom Town A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

'' (1940) - Harry Compton *''

Man Made Monster ''Man-Made Monster'' is a 1941 American Science fiction film, science-fiction horror film directed by George Waggner and produced by Jack Bernhard for Universal Pictures. Filmed in black-and-white, it stars Lon Chaney, Jr. (in his horror film deb ...

'' (1941, re-released as ''The Atomic Monster'') - Dr. Paul Rigas *''

'' (1942) - Rawitch *'' The Mad Doctor of Market Street'' (1942) - Graham / Dr. Ralph Benson *'' The Ghost of Frankenstein'' (1942) - Doctor Theodore Bohmer *''

The Strange Case of Doctor Rx ''The Strange Case of Doctor Rx'' is a 1942 black-and-white murder mystery/ horror B film by Universal Studios directed by William Nigh and starring Patric Knowles, Lionel Atwill, Anne Gwynne, Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Samuel S. Hinds. Although ...

'' (1942) - Dr. Fish *'' Junior G-Men of the Air'' (1942, Serial) - The Baron *'' Pardon My Sarong'' (1942) - Varnoff *''

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

'' (1942) - Teutonic Gentleman *'' Night Monster'' (1942) - Dr. King *'' Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon'' (1943) - Moriarty *'' Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'' (1943) - Mayor *''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'' (1944, Serial) - Cyrus Maldor *''

Lady in the Death House ''Lady in the Death House'' is a 1944 American film directed by Steve Sekely and starring Jean Parker and Lionel Atwill. Plot Mary Kirk Logan is led from her cell to the electric chair, to be "killed by the hand of the man I love." A psychol ...

'' (1944) - Charles Finch *''

Raiders of Ghost City ''Raiders of Ghost City'' is a 1944 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures set in California during the American Civil War. Plot At the height of the Civil War, a gang of supposed Confederates, headed by Alex Morel, raid all gold ...

'' (1944, Serial) - Erich von Rugen, alias Alex Morel *'' Secrets of Scotland Yard'' (1944) - Waterlow *'' House of Frankenstein'' (1944) - Inspector Arnz *''

Fog Island ''Fog Island'' is a 1945 American mystery-suspense film directed by Terry O. Morse. The film stars B movie horror film regulars George Zucco and Lionel Atwill. It was based on the 1937 play ''Angel Island'' by Bernadine "Bernie" Angus. Plot ...

'' (1945) - Alec Ritchfield *'' Crime, Inc.'' (1945) - Pat Coyle *''

House of Dracula ''House of Dracula'' is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures Company, Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 19 ...

'' (1945) - Police Inspector Holtz *'' Lost City of the Jungle'' (1946, Serial) - Sir Eric Hazarias *''

Genius at Work ''Genius at Work'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Monte Brice and Robert E. Kent. The film stars Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Anne Jeffreys, Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi. The film was released on Octob ...

'' (1946) - Latimer Marsh / The Cobra (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atwill, Lionel 1885 births 1946 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in California English male film actors English male silent film actors English male stage actors People from Croydon 20th-century English male actors British expatriate male actors in the United States Deaths from lung cancer in California

Life and career

Personal life

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links