London-born, distinguished British stage actor George Arliss was the
son of printer and publisher William Arliss-Andrews. He began his stage
career in London at the Elephant and Castle in 1887, and then later
played many varying roles on stage throughout the country. He travelled
to tour America in 1902, staying for almost three decades and appearing
in many Broadway productions. He transferred those talents to film and
unexpectedly became a major star. He debuted on film in an adaptation
of the Molnár play The Devil (1921). That same year Arliss also
reprised his stage work in the title role of the silent film Disraeli
(1921).
He remade Disraeli in 1929, converting from a silent film star to the
talkies and winning an Academy Award for Best Actor. Arliss established
himself playing great historical figures, he appeared in several historical
films, such as Alexander Hamilton (1931), Voltaire (1933), The
Iron Duke (1934) and Cardinal Richelieu (1935). He then returned
to England and made a few more films, notably The
Tunnel (1935), The
Guv'nor (1935), His
Lordship (1936) and East
Meets West (1936). He retired from the screen following Dr. Syn
(1937).
