William Nigel Ernle Bruce was a British character actor on stage and screen.
19 Facts About Nigel Bruce
2.
Nigel Bruce was best known for his portrayal of Dr Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
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Nigel Bruce was born in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, whilst his parents were touring the world.
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Nigel Bruce received his formal education at The Grange School in Stevenage, and from 1908 to 1912 at Abingdon School in Abingdon-on-Thames.
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In 1912, Nigel Bruce left school at the age of 17, and took up a position as a stockbroker's clerk in the City of London.
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Nigel Bruce was discharged from the British Army as medically unfit for further military service due to permanent damage to his legs in December 1915.
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Nigel Bruce appeared regularly on-stage thereafter, and 8 years later began working in silent films.
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Nigel Bruce returned to Broadway several times during the 1930s, portraying Philip Downes in Ronald Jeans's Lean Harvest, Mr Jelliwell in Benn W Levy's Springtime for Henry, His Excellency, Governor of the Colony in Arthur Schwartz's Virginia, and William Schwenk Gilbert in Oscar Hammerstein II's Knights of Song.
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Nigel Bruce appeared in two landmark films: Becky Sharp, the first feature film in full Technicolor, and Bwana Devil, the first 3-D feature.
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Nigel Bruce uncharacteristically played a detestable figure in The Rains Came which became the first film to win an Oscar for special effects.
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Nigel Bruce starred as Watson in all 14 films of the series, and over 200 radio programs of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
12.
Rathbone spoke highly of Nigel Bruce's portrayal, saying that Watson was one of the screen's most lovable characters.
13.
Historian Alan Barnes notes that, despite the criticisms against him, Nigel Bruce rehabilitated Watson, who had been a marginal figure in the cinematic Holmes canon to that point: "after Nigel Bruce, it would be a near-unthinkable heresy to show Holmes without him".
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Nigel Bruce was married, from 1921 until his death, to British actress Violet Campbell whom he always lovingly called "Bunny"; they had two daughters:.
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Nigel Bruce, known as "Willie" to his friends, was a leading member of the British film colony in Los Angeles, and was captain of the Hollywood Cricket Club.
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Unlike some of his contemporaries, and along with other British actors such as Basil Rathbone and Charlie Chaplin, Nigel Bruce maintained his British citizenship, despite long residence in the United States.
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Nigel Bruce retained his membership of London's Garrick Club and Buck's Club until his death.
18.
Nigel Bruce died of a heart attack, in Santa Monica, California in 1953 at the age of 58.
19.
Nigel Bruce's body was cremated, with his ashes being placed in a niche at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.