Captain Reginald Graham Davis (7 November 1890 – 1 December 1951), known as Rex Davis, was a British soldier, silent film actor and sportsman.

Biography

Davis was born in

Keymer Keymer is a village in Hassocks civil parish, in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2116 road south of Burgess Hill. Keymer was an ancient parish that like its near neighbour Clayton was merged into the modern ...

, Sussex, in 1890. According to one source, he got his start in films because he was a good amateur boxer. He also played field hockey for the Richmond Hockey Club. Davis had done several movies by the time the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out in August 1914. In July 1918, he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty." He was the Conservative candidate in the by-election of 1932 for

Wednesbury Wednesbury () is a market town in Sandwell in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located near the source of the River Tame. Historically part of Staffordshire in the Hundred of Offlow, at the 2011 Census the town had a population of 3 ...

, but was defeated by Labour politician

John Banfield John William Banfield (29 August 1875 – 25 May 1945) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wednesbury from 1932 until his death in 1945. Early life Banfield was born in Burton- ...

. Davis stayed in the military and was promoted to Captain. In the

1943 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1943 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by people of the British Empire. They were published on 2 June 1943 for the United Kingdom and Canada. The re ...

, he was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. He died in

East Wittering East Wittering is a coastal village in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. The majority of the village lies within the civil parish of East Wittering, while the western edge lies within the boundary of West Wittering civil parish. ...

, Sussex, in 1951, after a painful illness.

Selected filmography

* '' The House of Temperley'' (1913) * '' The Fool'' (1913) * '' For Her People'' (1914) * '' The Shepherd Lassie of Argyle'' (1914) * '' Won by a Head'' (1920) * '' The Pride of the Fancy'' (1920) * '' Uncle Bernac'' (1921) * '' Mord Em'ly'' (1922) * ''

All Sorts and Conditions of Men ''All Sorts and Conditions of Men'' is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Georges Tréville and starring Renee Kelly, Rex Davis and James Lindsay. It was based on the 1882 novel '' All Sorts and Conditions of Men'' by Walter Besant ...

'' (1921) * '' The Crimson Circle'' (1922) * '' The Lion's Mouse'' (1923) * '' A Couple of Down and Outs'' (1923) * '' The Knockout'' (1923) * ''

Married Love ''Married Love or Love in Marriage'' is a book by British academic Marie Stopes. It was one of the first books openly to discuss birth control. The book begins by stating that "More than ever to-day are happy homes needed. It is my hope that thi ...

'' (1923) * ''

Every Mother's Son Every Mother's Son was an American sunshine pop band formed in New York City in 1966. Coming from a folk rock background situated in Greenwich Village, the group scored their only Top 40 hit "Come On Down to My Boat" in 1967. Following their bri ...

'' (1926) * ''

Motherland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'' (1927)

References

Bibliography

* Bamford, Kenton. ''Distorted Images: British National Identity and Film in the 1920s''. I.B. Tauris, 1999.

External links

* * 1890 births 1951 deaths English male silent film actors 20th-century English male actors 20th-century British male actors Members of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross People from Hassocks British Army personnel of World War I British Army officers {{UK-film-actor-stub