62 Facts About Percy Waram

Percy Thomas Carne Waram was a British-born stage and film actor who spent much of his career in the United States.

Percy Waram's career lasted 55 years on the American stage, and he had memorable roles in The Shanghai Gesture, Elizabeth the Queen, Mary of Scotland, Pride and Prejudice, and Anne of the Thousand Days.

Percy Waram starred in the Chicago production of Life With Father for three years, setting box office and attendance records, after which he took the production on the road for another 38 weeks.

Percy Waram starred in the Broadway production of The Late George Apley for a year, and then spent another 80 weeks with the show's national tour.

Percy Waram made only a few films, and had no starring roles, but is best remembered now for his role as General Haynesworth in the film A Face in the Crowd.

Percy Thomas Carne Waram was born 28 October 1880 in Cornwall in the United Kingdom to Joseph Carne Waram and his wife, Margaret Frances.

Percy Waram's father served in the British Army, and his mother's family was Irish.

Percy Waram was a descendant of Mary Saunderson Betterton, the famed Elizabethan era actress.

Percy Waram's great-grandmother was Julia Betterton Glover, the great comic actress of the early 1800s and the first woman to perform in Hamlet.

Percy Waram was immediately recast in the double role of an English nurse and French nurse.

Percy Waram took a position with the same traveling company in which his sister was an actress, but quit shortly thereafter to join Sir Ben Greet repertory company.

Percy Waram came with the Greet troupe when it traveled to the United States in 1902.

Percy Waram made his American stage debut in the play Everyman at the Maryland Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland.

Percy Waram largely performed in rural areas, often appearing in "tough mining towns".

Percy Waram decided to rejoin the Ben Greet company after the incident, and traveled with them to the US again.

Percy Waram traveled back and forth between the United Kingdom and United States, appearing in plays on both side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Greet troupe specialized in presenting plays by William Shakespeare, and Percy Waram appeared in As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and The Taming of the Shrew.

The Greet players occasionally did other plays, and Percy Waram appeared in She Stoops to Conquer in 1908.

Percy Waram appeared in the Violet Allen Company's production of Twelfth Night an American tour in 1903, the Frances Delaval Company's production of Her Lost Self at the St James' Theatre in London in 1906, and performed for the William Faversham Company in 1909.

Percy Waram returned to Broadway in the Mark Swan play Somebody's Luggage at the 48th Street Theatre in August 1916.

Percy Waram's second hit play was Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin Lilac Time, and his first important role.

Percy Waram played Captain Paget in the national touring company, which had a long run in Chicago in early 1918.

Percy Waram joined William Faversham's production of Lord and Lady Algy, which premiered at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway in December 1918, and stayed with the production during its 1919 national tour.

Percy Waram played the role of Lord Andrew Gordon in Guy Bolton and George Middleton play Adam and Eva during its national tour, which began in the summer of 1920 and did not end until March 1921.

Percy Waram followed by playing the role of George Herbert in Norman Trevor's Little Theater Group production of The Married Woman at Broadway's Princess Theatre in December 1921.

Percy Waram later considered his role in the modern dress Hamlet to be one of the most important in his career.

Percy Waram played Sir William Charteris, taking over from McKay Morris.

Percy Waram worked steadily through the early years of the Great Depression after the success of The Shanghai Gesture.

Percy Waram left Camel after just a week in the role to join the national touring company of Major Barbara.

In October 1930, Percy Waram originated the role of Sir Walter Raleigh in Maxwell Anderson new play, Elizabeth the Queen.

The operetta was not successful, and in April 1933 Percy Waram originated the role of Howard Bartlett in Somerset Maugham new play, For Services Rendered.

Percy Waram's performance was considered the only outstanding aspect of the production.

Percy Waram was not out of work long: When Stanley Ridges left the role of Lord Morton in Mary of Scotland at the Alvin Theatre, Percy Waram took over the role.

The play quickly closed, and Percy Waram returned to the Casino Theatre's summer stock company, where he appeared in A Bill of Divorcement and Benn Levy Art and Mrs Bottle.

Percy Waram joined the repertory company at the County Theatre in Suffern, New York, in the summer of 1937, appearing in A Bill of Divorcement and Pride and Prejudice.

Three and a half years after Mutiny on the Bounty, Percy Waram signed to do a second film.

Percy Waram played the role of slumlord business manager Arthur Mather in the social drama.

In December 1938, Percy Waram originated the role of Horace Vandergelder in Thornton Wilder new play, The Merchant of Yonkers.

Percy Waram was the first individual to take over the role of Father from the play's co-author Howard Lindsay, who originated the role on Broadway.

Percy Waram stomped so ferociously that he broke his foot, and had to switch feet for the scene.

Percy Waram tried banging on a plate with silverware, but the prop plates broke too easily.

Percy Waram then tried whistling, but was not very good at it.

Just as the tour of Life With Father came to an end, Percy Waram was cast as Inspector Prentice in Paramount Pictures' noir crime film, Ministry of Fear.

Just five months after finishing the Apley tour, Percy Waram originated the role of Marcus Hubbard in Lillian Hellman play Another Part of the Forest.

In June 1946, during the national tour of The Late George Apley, Percy Waram was cast as Roger Newcombe in the film version.

In November 1948, a year after filming The Late George Apley, Percy Waram originated the role of Cardinal Wolsey in the new Maxwell Anderson play Anne of the Thousand Days.

Percy Waram was cast in 1949 as senior law partner John Benley, father of Elizabeth Taylor Mary Benley, in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1950 comedy The Big Hangover.

Now 70 years old, Percy Waram did not work in 1950 or 1951.

Percy Waram returned to Broadway in October 1952 in the dual role of the Station Master and God in Ugo Betti play The Gambler.

Percy Waram returned to acting in October 1954, originating the role of Lucas Edgerton, a wealthy industrialist who goes on an art buying spree, in Reclining Figure.

Percy Waram's final hit stage role was that of the no-nonsense Judge in Enid Bagnold new play The Chalk Garden.

In September 1956, Percy Waram was cast in his final film role, that of General Haynesworth, chief executive officer of a vitamin company, in the film A Face in the Crowd.

Percy Waram appeared in his final stage role in October 1957.

Percy Waram played veteran police inspector Desire Merlin in Michael Blankfort and Dorothy Stiles Blankfort's new play Monique.

In September 1961, Percy Waram traveled to Huntington, New York, to be close to his daughter, who was ill.

Percy Waram entered the hospital himself on September 24, and died on October 5,1961, at Huntington Hospital of an undisclosed illness.

Percy Waram's funeral was held at Calvary Episcopal Church in Stonington, Connecticut, and he was buried at Stonington Cemetery.

Percy Waram married Lucia Cole, an American stage actress, on February 11,1909.

Percy Waram's children were educated at a private school in Switzerland.

Percy Waram once voiced a fondness for quiet roles, and later said he preferred bloody mystery-thrillers.

Percy Waram was a member and strong supporter of the Actors' Equity Association.

Percy Waram had mid frontal baldness, and wore a toupee on stage in most of his roles.