George Arliss

George Arliss ( born April 10, 1868 in London, England; † February 5, 1946, ibid; actually George Augustus Andrews ) was a British actor. He won the 1930 Oscar for best actor.

Career

After a highly successful stage career began in the early 1920s performing in films, usually in the film adaptations of his stage roles.

George Arliss was since the beginning of the century, a famous stage star on both sides of the Atlantic. At the beginning of the 1920s he had been involved in a number of film adaptations of his stage successes in 1923 and in the version of The Green Goddess. 1928, at the age of 61 years, Arliss decided to adopt a very financially lucrative offer of $ 100,000 for three sound films by Warner Brothers. At the same time the right a high honor granted him to lead in the promotions for his films marked " Mister " before his name, the studio just a few Stars conceded, including John Barrymore and Ruth Chatterton who was given the "Miss ". Arliss won an Academy Award for best actor for Disraeli on the Academy Awards 1930 ( November). He received a second nomination for his performance in The Green Goddess, another remake that began even the original lead actress of 1923, Alice Joyce again. In the coming years, the actor was almost exclusively seen in historical roles, mostly in dramas. Occasionally, Arliss played in comedies, as The Millionaire. During the time at First National, most films were realized by director John Adolfi, which usually led to very static productions that looked more like filmed theater performances.

1933 Arliss left together with Darryl F. Zanuck, the company and moved to the newly formed 20th Century Pictures, which merged two years later with the old Fox Studios for 20th Century Fox. There he played some of his best roles: banker Rothschild, Richelieu and the Duke of Wellington. In 1936 he went back to the request of his wife, actress Florence Montgomery, to England.

Arliss wrote two autobiographies: Up the Years from Bloomsbury and My Ten Years in the Studios. In the latter book, he told an anecdote about Bette Davis, who played in 1932 a small supporting role in the Tonfilmremake of The Man Who Played God. Arliss reported that he had expected from Davis an acceptable representation in a boring role per se. In fact, the young woman he had impressed more than any other actress of her. Arliss was so impressed that he insisted expand Davis ' role. Even Davis should manifest itself later on Arliss very friendly. So they went on their own biography The Lonely Life, she had starred in films that would please her better, but no other stripes have professionally designed for them as much causes such as cooperation with George Arliss in The Man Who Played God.

Filmography

Awards

Oscar / Best Actor

Academy Awards 1930 (November)

• Disraeli - won
• The Green Goddess - Nomination

According to the Statutes of the Academy actors were nominated during the first three awards for one or more films. In the case of George Arliss the Oscar was awarded a movie.