Peter Godfrey (16 October 1899 – 4 March 1970) was an English

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 ...

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 ...

. Founder of the experimental Gate Theatre Salon in 1925, with his first wife Molly Veness, he staged London's first expressionistic production in the following year. He went into partnership with Velona Pilcher in 1927 and together they opened the Gate Theatre Studio in

Villiers Street Villiers Street is a street in London connecting the Strand with the Embankment. It is partly pedestrianised; traffic runs northbound only up to John Adam Street, where vehicles must turn right. It was built by Nicholas Barbon in the 1670s on th ...

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...

. Eventually moving to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, he established a career as a film actor and director.

Life and career

Godfrey began his career as a conjuror, clown, actor and director in repertory theatres around the United Kingdom. However, he became increasingly dissatisfied with the standard repertory plays, being himself attracted to the experimental works of American and Continental directors, and the avant-garde playwrights of the 1920s. To stage such plays, he and his wife, the actress Molly Veness, rented a room in

Floral Street Floral Street is a narrow street in the Covent Garden area of London, England. It runs east from Garrick Street to Bow Street and contains a number of fashion stores, including Paul Smith. The Upper School of the Royal Ballet School is located ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, which they were forced to run as a private club since

London City Council London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada. Composition London is divided into 14 wards, with residents in each ward electing one councillor. The mayor is elected citywide, who along with the councillors for ...

refused to grant a licence for their "theatre", which, according to Edna Antrobus, had only "one entrance and exit and a rickety wooden staircase". The

Gate Theatre Studio Gate Theatre Studio, often referred to as simply the Gate Theatre, is a former independent theatre on Villiers Street in London. History Founded in October 1925 by Peter Godfrey and his wife Molly Veness, the theatre was originally on the top ...

opened on 30 October 1925, and after staging plays by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

and

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

established its reputation with a production staged in 1926 of

Georg Kaiser Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser, called Georg Kaiser, (25 November 1878 – 4 June 1945) was a German dramatist. Biography Kaiser was born in Magdeburg. He was highly prolific and wrote in a number of different styles. An Expressionist dramatist, ...

's ''From Morn to Midnight'', London's first expressionistic production. In 1927, the theatre club moved to

, where it reached the peak of its success in the 1930–31 season. Godfrey directed two British films in the early 1930s. In 1936 he directed a production of

C. L. R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, ''The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are in ...

's play '' Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History'' at the

Westminster Theatre The Westminster Theatre was a theatre in London, on Palace Street in Westminster. History The structure on the site was originally built as the Charlotte Chapel in 1766, by William Dodd with money from his wife Mary Perkins. Through Peter Ri ...

. Godfrey moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in around 1937, where he continued to write and produce plays. In 1939, now in

, he took up directing more permanently. In 1942 he became a dialogue director for

RKO 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-Orpheu ...

and

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. By the late 1940s Godfrey was a prominent director, working on films such as the

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

vehicles '' Cry Wolf'' and '' Escape Me Never''. In the 1950s he switched to television and directed episodes for a variety of shows. With his second wife, actress

Renee Haal Renee Godfrey (born Renee Vera Haal; September 1, 1919 – May 24, 1964) was an American stage and motion picture actress and singer. Early life Godfrey was born September 1, 1919, in New York, with Dutch and French ancestry as the daughter o ...

, he established a Hollywood "Gate Theatre Studio" in 1943, which lasted for two years. Godfrey died on 4 March 1970, at the age of 70. He is interred at Glendale's

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...

near his wife, Renee Godfrey.''Resting Places''
/ref>

Selected filmography

Actor

* '' Leave It to Me'' (1933) - Siegffied Velour * ''

Heads We Go ''Heads We Go'' (U.S. title: ''The Charming Deceiver'') is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Constance Cummings, Frank Lawton and Binnie Barnes. It was made at Elstree Studios (Shenley Road), Elstree Studios by Briti ...

'' (1933) - Fancourt * ''

Good Morning, Boys ''Good Morning, Boys!'' is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and featuring Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Martita Hunt, Lilli Palmer and Peter Gawthorne. It was made at the Gainsborough Studios in Islington. The film marked the fir ...

'' (1937) - Cliquot * ''

Blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...

'' (1938) - Roderigo - Cafe Magician * '' Raffles'' (1939) - Crawshay * ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...

'' (1939) - Monk (uncredited) * ''

The Earl of Chicago ''The Earl of Chicago'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Montgomery, Edward Arnold, Reginald Owen and Edmund Gwenn. It is the first MGM film in the 1940s. Plot To remedy the ill doings of his past, Ro ...

'' (1940) - Judson * ''

Edison, the Man ''Edison, the Man'' is a 1940 biographical film depicting the life of inventor Thomas Edison, who was played by Spencer Tracy. Hugo Butler and Dore Schary were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story for their work on th ...

'' (1940) - Ashton * ''

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

'' (1941) - Poole * '' Uncensored'' (1942) - Lou * '' Forever and a Day'' (1943) - Mr. Pepperdish (uncredited) * ''

The Two Mrs. Carrolls ''The Two Mrs. Carrolls'' is a 1947 American mystery film directed by Peter Godfrey (director), Peter Godfrey and starring Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, and Alexis Smith. It was produced by Mark Hellinger from a screenplay by Thomas Job, bas ...

'' (1947) - Racetrack Tout (uncredited) * ''

The Decision of Christopher Blake ''The Decision of Christopher Blake'' is a 1948 American drama film based upon the Moss Hart play. It was adapted by Ranald MacDougall and directed by Peter Godfrey. The film stars Alexis Smith, Robert Douglas, Cecil Kellaway, Ted Donaldson, ...

'' (1948) - Butts (uncredited) (final film role)

Director

* '' Down River'' (1931, directorial debut) * ''

The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt ''The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt'' is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Jonathan Latimer. The film stars Warren William and Ida Lupino. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on January 27, 1939. The Lone W ...

'' (1939) * ''

Unexpected Uncle ''Unexpected Uncle'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Charles Coburn, Anne Shirley, and James Craig. Cast *Anne Shirley as Kathleen Brown * James Craig as Johnny Kerrigan *Charles Coburn as Alfred Cr ...

'' (1941) * ''

Highways by Night ''Highways by Night'' is a 1942 American crime drama film directed by Peter Godfrey from a screenplay by Lynn Root and Frank Fenton, based on the story ''Silver Spoon'', by Clarence Budington Kelland. The film stars Richard Carlson and Jane ...

'' (1942) * ''

Make Your Own Bed ''Make Your Own Bed'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Francis Swann, Edmund Joseph and Richard Weil. The film stars Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, Irene Manning, Alan Hale, Sr., George Tobias and Robert S ...

'' (1944) * '' Indiscretion'' (1945) * ''

Christmas in Connecticut ''Christmas in Connecticut'' is a 1945 American Christmas romantic comedy film about an unmarried city magazine writer who pretends to be a farm wife and mother and then falls in love with a returning war hero. The film was directed by English d ...

'' (1945) * ''

Hotel Berlin ''Hotel Berlin'' is an American drama film set in Berlin near the close of World War II, made by Warner Bros. in late 1944 to early 1945. Directed by Peter Godfrey, it stars Faye Emerson, Helmut Dantine, Raymond Massey and Andrea King. It is b ...

'' (1945) * '' One More Tomorrow'' (1946) * '' Cry Wolf'' (1947) * ''

'' (1947) * ''

That Hagen Girl ''That Hagen Girl'' is a 1947 American drama film directed by Peter Godfrey. The screenplay by Charles Hoffman was based on the novel by Edith Kneipple Roberts. The film focuses on small-town teenaged girl Mary Hagen (Shirley Temple), whom gos ...

'' (1947) * '' Escape Me Never'' (1947) * '' The Woman in White'' (1948) * ''

'' (1948) * ''

One Last Fling ''One Last Fling'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Richard Flournoy and William Sackheim. The film stars Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Douglas Kennedy, Ann Doran, Ransom M. Sherman and Veda Ann Borg. The ...

'' (1949) * ''

The Girl from Jones Beach ''The Girl from Jones Beach'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey (director), Peter Godfrey and written by I. A. L. Diamond. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers and Lois Wilso ...

'' (1949) * ''

Barricade Barricade (from the French ''barrique'' - 'barrel') is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. Adopted as a military term, a barricade denot ...

'' (1950) * ''

The Great Jewel Robber ''The Great Jewel Robber'' is a 1950 American drama film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Borden Chase. The film stars David Brian, Marjorie Reynolds, John Archer, Jacqueline deWit, Perdita Chandler and Stanley Church. The film was r ...

'' (1950) * ''

He's a Cockeyed Wonder ''He's a Cockeyed Wonder'' is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Jack Henley. The film stars Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore, William Demarest, Charles Arnt, Ross Ford and Ned Glass. The film was released on Decemb ...

'' (1950) * ''

One Big Affair ''One Big Affair'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Leo Townsend and Francis Swann. The film stars Evelyn Keyes, Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Anderson, Connie Gilchrist, Thurston Hall and Gus Schilling. The film ...

'' (1952) * ''

Please Murder Me ''Please Murder Me!'' is a 1956 American film noir directed by Peter Godfrey (director), Peter Godfrey and starring Angela Lansbury, Raymond Burr and Dick Foran. The film contains an incomplete copyright notice omitting mention of its claimant an ...

'' (1956, final film)

References

Bibliography

* McNulty, Thomas. ''Errol Flynn: The Life and Career''. McFarland, 2004.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Peter 1899 births 1970 deaths 20th-century British male actors British film directors British male film actors British male stage actors British television directors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Male actors from London