James Buckley Stringer Davis, generally known as Stringer Davis (4 June 1899 – 29 August 1973), was an English

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

on the stage and in films, and a British army officer who served in both world wars. He was married to actress Margaret Rutherford.

Early life

Stringer Davis was born on 4 June 1899 in

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liv ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county tow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, son of

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government o ...

clerk George William Davis (1871–1948) and Ethel, daughter of J. Buckley Deakin, of

Prince's Park, Liverpool Prince's Park in Toxteth, Liverpool, England, is a municipal park, south east of Liverpool city centre. In 2009, its status was upgraded to a Grade II* Historic Park by English Heritage. History The park was originally a private develop ...

. The Davis family were landed gentry, of Well Close,

Brockworth Brockworth is a village and parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, situated on the old Roman road that connects the City of Gloucester with Barnwood. It is located 4 miles (6.5 km) southeast of central Gloucester, ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of ...

; his first cousin was Admiral William Davis, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff from 1954 to 1957. The name "Stringer" came from a paternal great-grandfather, Miles Stringer, of Effingham Hill,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

, whose daughter Adelaide married William Davis, of Well Close. Davis attended the independent

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. The headma ...

and received military basic training there. In August 1918, he volunteered for military service and was sent to the front in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as a lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion,

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Re ...

. He was discharged from military service in September 1919, about 10 months after the conclusion of the war. Davis's parents separated shortly after his return from the war. His mother lived in a spacious house in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway serve the town. Reading is east ...

, and Davis lived in its vicinity in a boathouse overlooking the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Career

Davis had two careers, one in the military and the other in acting. He began his theatrical career as a member of the Oxford Repertory Company, working as both an actor and director. In 1930, he met Margaret Rutherford, his future wife, for the first time. At the time, Rutherford was still largely unknown. She wrote in her autobiography about her first encounter with her husband-to-be: "I noticed his bright blue eyes, his casual elegant clothes and his polite way. I couldn't take my eyes off him... He had that special something. His name was Stringer Davis." He made his on-screen debut in a BBC television live drama ''Charles and Mary'' in 1938. The 40-year-old Davis put aside his acting career to volunteer again for military service in 1939. He served as a lieutenant in the

East Yorkshire Regiment The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...

and later was part of the British Expeditionary Force deployed in France. He participated in the

Battle of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on t ...

and was one of the many British soldiers evacuated on 4 June 1940. Davis remained with the army until almost the end of 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 opposi ...

, with tours of duty in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Northwest Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northw ...

. After the war, Davis resumed his acting career with the film '' Miranda'' (1948), which also featured Rutherford. Overall, Davis appeared in more than 20 films with his wife. In later years, she made it a condition of her contract that Davis would play a part in any film in which she appeared. This clause led to Davis being cast as the mild-mannered librarian Mr Stringer in the four adaptations of

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

novels featuring Rutherford as

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of Ch ...

in the early 1960s. The gentle, timid Mr. Stringer gained good reviews.

Personal life

Davis married Margaret Rutherford in 1945 after a 15-year courtship. She was 53 and he was 46 at the time. Reportedly, his mother was the main reason for the long engagement because she was adamantly opposed to having Margaret Rutherford for a daughter-in-law, referring to her when talking to her son as "that older actress woman you have been seeing over the years". Only after the death of Ethel Davis did the duo finally marry. Once the couple married, they remained totally devoted to one another, with Davis always at hand behind the camera whenever his wife was filming. Towards the end of her life, Margaret Rutherford was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

and Davis tended to her throughout a long and distressing illness. Rutherford died on 22 May 1972, aged 80. A down-on-her-luck former aspiring soprano, Violet Lang-Davis, was employed as Rutherford's daily help / companion; after her death, she stayed on to look after Davis, with an eye on marriage. Davis died before Lang-Davis could achieve this goal, with his will leaving everything to the already-deceased Rutherford, this meaning that the couple's estate would go to Davis's first cousin Lieutenant-Colonel William James Davis, of Well Close. Lang-Davis, who stood to receive nothing, then unlawfully sold a number of Rutherford and Davis's possessions, and produced a forged will wherein Davis left her everything. To explain the disappearance of the sold items, Lang-Davis claimed a burglary had taken place. Although eventually the truth was uncovered, and Lang-Davis, then aged 63, arrested and remanded in custody prior to a trial in 1975, she did not appear for the trial and a warrant for her arrest, although issued, was never executed. In 1985, it was thought that Lang-Davis was still at large.Merriman, Andy ''Margaret Rutherford- Dreadnought with Good Manners'', London: Aurum, 2011

Death

Davis died peacefully in his sleep in

Chalfont St Giles Chalfont St Giles is a village and civil parish in southeast Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts, which also includes Chalfont St Peter and Little Chalfont. It lies on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, we ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

in August 1973, 15 months after Rutherford's death. Rutherford and Davis are interred in the graveyard of St James's Church, Gerrards Cross,

Filmography

* '' Charles and Mary'' live BBC TV drama (1938) – George Dyer * ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' live BBC TV drama (1946) – Merriman * '' Miranda'' (1948) – Museum Attendant * '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' (1950) – Reverend Rich * ''

Miss Hargreaves Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...

'' BBC ''

Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...

'' (1950) – The Dean * ''

Curtain Up ''Curtain Up'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Ralph Smart and starring Robert Morley, Margaret Rutherford and Kay Kendall. Written by Jack Davies and Michael Pertwee it is based on the play ''On Monday Next'' by Philip King. It ...

'' (1952) – Vicar * ''

Miss Robin Hood ''Miss Robin Hood'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by John Guillermin, and starring Margaret Rutherford and Richard Hearne. Other actors involved include Dora Bryan, James Robertson Justice, Peter Jones, Sid James, Reg Varney, Kenneth ...

'' (1952) – Board Member * '' Castle in the Air'' (1952) – Hall Porter * '' Innocents in Paris'' (1953) – Arbuthnot * ''

Trouble in Store ''Trouble in Store'' is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom as a department store clerk in his cinema debut. The film also featured Moira Lister, Margaret Rutherford, Jerry Desmonde and Lana M ...

'' (1953) – Shop Assistant (uncredited) * '' The Runaway Bus'' (1954) – 2nd Transport Officer * ''

Mad About Men ''Mad About Men'' is a 1954 British Technicolor comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Anne Crawford and Margaret Rutherford. It was written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote the 1948 film '' Miranda'' w ...

'' (1954) – Vicar (uncredited) * '' Aunt Clara'' (1954) – Dr Graham (uncredited) * ''

Reach for The Sky ''Reach for the Sky'' is a 1956 British biographical film about aviator Douglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill. The film stars Kenneth More and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award fo ...

'' (1956) – Cyril Borge * '' The March Hare'' (1956) – Doctor * ''

The Smallest Show on Earth ''The Smallest Show on Earth'' (US: ''Big Time Operators'') is a 1957 British comedy film, directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna, Peter Sellers and Margaret Rutherford. The supporting cast includes Bernard M ...

'' (U.K.) Big Time Operators (U.S.A.) (1957) – Emmett * '' The Buccaneers'' TV series (1957) – Admiral Bingham * '' Just My Luck'' (1957) – Goodwood Steward (uncredited) * ''

I'm All Right Jack ''I'm All Right Jack'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting from a script by Frank Harvey, John Boulting and Alan Hackney based on the 1958 novel ''Private Life'' by Alan Hackney. The film is a sequel t ...

'' (1959) – Reporter * ''The Day After Tomorrow'' BBC TV drama (1960) – Clergyman * ''

Murder She Said Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

'' (1961) – Mr Stringer * '' Murder at the Gallop'' (1963) – Mr Stringer * '' The V.I.P.s'' (1963) – Hotel Waiter * ''

The Mouse on the Moon ''The Mouse on the Moon'' is a 1963 British comedy film, the sequel to ''The Mouse That Roared''. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel '' The Mouse on the Moon'' by Irish author Leonard Wibberley, and was directed by Richard Lester. In it, the ...

'' (1963) – 1st Councillor (uncredited) * '' Murder Most Foul'' (1964) – Mr Stringer * '' Murder Ahoy!'' (1964) – Mr Stringer * ''

The Stately Ghosts of England ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (American

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

documentary, Rutherford and Davis appear as themselves, 1965) * '' The Alphabet Murders'' (1966) – Mr Stringer (uncredited) * ''

Arabella ''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. Performance history It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the Dr ...

'' (1967) – Italian Gardener (uncredited) * '' Thirty Minute Theatre'' TV series (1973) – Museum Attendant

References

External links

*
Performances listed in Theatre Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Stringer 1899 births 1973 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors People from Birkenhead People from Buckinghamshire 20th-century English male actors