Henry Wilcoxon
(1905 - 1984)There's a special character actor category I created called "inverted lead." This is when a historical or name character (Abraham Lincoln, King Arthur, etc.) is featured only in a supporting role in a film. Henry Wilcoxon was a master of this type of role. Born Harry Wilcoxon on September 8, 1905 in Dominica, West Indies he was reared and educated there and later moved to England where he eventually joined the Birmingham Repertory Company. Its members at the time included Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Cedric Hardwicke among others. Although he'd appeared in a few British films, he was discovered in London while appearing on stage in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" by a Paramount scout and brought to America by Cecil B. DeMille to star in "Cleopatra" (1934) as Marc Antony. Tall and sturdy looking he was an imposing figure which worked to his advantage in portraying historic figures. Among his films are: "The Perfect Lady" (1931) as Larry Tindale, his film debut in Britain; "Lord of the Manor" (1933) as Jim Bridge; "The Crusades" (1935) as King Richard the Lionhearted; "The Last of the Mohicans" (1936) as Maj. Duncan Heyward; "Jericho" (1937) as Capt. Mack; "Mysterious Mr. Moto" (1938) as Anton Darvak; "Tarzan Finds A Son!" (1939) as Mr. Sande; "That Hamilton Woman" (1941) as Capt. Hardy; "The Corsican Brothers" (1941) as Count Franchi; "Mrs. Miniver" (1942) with Greer Garson, as the Vicar; "Unconquered" (1947) as Capt. Steele; "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949) as Sir Lancelot; "Samson and Delilah" (1949) as Prince Ahtur; "Scaramouche" (1952) as Chevalier de Chabrillaine; "The Ten Commandments" (1956) as Pentaur; "The War Lord" (1965) as Frisian Prince; "F.I.S.T." (1978) as Win Talbot; "Caddyshack" (1980) as The Bishop and "Sweet 16" (1981) as Greyfeather, his last film. He died of cancer on March 6, 1984 in Los Angeles, California at age 78.
From Great Character Actors, Page 3.
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