Leslie Fenton

Leslie Fenton (12 March 1902 – 25 March 1978) was an English actor and film director. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1945.
Early life
Fenton emigrated to America with his mother, Elizabeth Carter Fenton, and his brothers when he was six years old. They sailed as steerage passengers on board the R.M.S. Celtic, which departed from Liverpool, 11 September 1909, and arrived at New York, where they were ferried over to Ellis Island for "U.S. Immigrant Inspection" on 19 September. They were quickly admitted and continued their journey by rail to join his father, shoe manufacturer's representative Richard Fenton, in Mifflin, Ohio.
Career
As a teenager, Leslie worked as an office clerk. He moved to New York and began a career on the stage. His film career began later with Fox Studios. He also directed 19 films between 1938 and 1951.
In 1945, Fenton and actor Fred MacMurray established "Mutual Pictures", producing one film, "Pardon My Past". MacMurray starred in a dual role and Fenton directed.
Military service
Fenton saw active service during the Second World War. In spring 1941, he was commissioned into the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. In 1942, as commander of a Motor Launch vessel, he took part in the St Nazaire Raid. He was injured in the raid and spent months convalescing in Devon, England. Unable to return to sea, he was assigned to a desk job at the War Office.
Personal life
He married American actress Ann Dvorak in 1932. Dvorak (Anna May McKim) moved to Britain with Fenton while he served in the British armed forces during the Second World War. The union was childless and ended in divorce in 1945. Fenton died 25 March 1978 in Montecito, California, aged 76. Some sources, including IMDb, incorrectly cite Frank Fenton, the noted screenwriter and novelist, as his younger brother. Frank Fenton's parents were actually John Fenton and Eveline Edgington (married Liverpool, 1900), as evidenced by the ship's manifest for the RMS Caronia (page 0817, line 0008), aboard which Frank Fenton arrived in the US on 21 April 1906.
Selected filmography
As actor:
Gentle Julia (1923)
Havoc (1925) as Babe
Thunder Mountain (1925) as Sam Martin
Lazybones (1925) as Dick Ritchie
East Lynne (1925) as Richard Hare
The Ancient Mariner (1925) as Joe Barlow
The Road to Glory (1926) as David Hale
Sandy (1926) as Douglas Keith
The Shamrock Handicap (1926) as Neil Ross
Black Paradise (1926) as James Callahan
What Price Glory? (1926) as Lt. Moore
The Gateway of the Moon (1928) as Jim Mortlake
The Showdown (1928) as Kilgore Shelton
The Drag Net (1928) as Shakespeare
The First Kiss (1928) as Carol Talbot
The Office Scandal (1929) as Andrew 'Andy' Corbin
Girls Gone Wild (1929) as Boogs
A Dangerous Woman (1929) as Peter Allerton
The Man I Love (1929) as Carlo Vesper
Broadway (1929) as 'Scar' Edwards
Paris Bound (1929) as Richard Parrish
Woman Trap (1929) as Eddie Evans
The Last Performance (1929) as Buffo Black
Dynamite (1929) as Young 'Vulture'
The Man Who Came Back (1931) as Baron le Duc
The Public Enemy (1931) as Samuel 'Nails' Nathan
Kick In (1931) as Charlie
Murder at Midnight (1931) as Walter Grayson
The Pagan Lady (1931) as Gerald 'Gerry' Willis
The Guilty Generation (1931) as Joe Palmero
The Hatchet Man (1932) as Harry En Hai
The Famous Ferguson Case (1932) as Jim Perrin
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (1932) as Nicky Grant
Thunder Below (1932) as Webb
Air Mail (1932) as Tony Dressel
F.P.1 (1933) as Capt. B.E. Droste
Night Flight (1933) as Jules' Radio Operator / Co-Pilot
Lady Killer (1933) as Duke
I Believed in You (1934) as Russell Storm
Fugitive Road (1934) as Frank Riker
Take the Stand (1934) as Hugh Halliburton
Marie Galante (1934) as Gen. Saki Tenoki
Strange Wives (1934) as Svengaart
White Lies (1934) as Dan Oliver
The Casino Murder Case (1935) as Dr. Kane
Star of Midnight (1935) as Tim Winthrop
Stolen Harmony (1935) as Joe Harris (uncredited)
Chinatown Squad (1935) as Su Quong
Men Without Names (1935) as Monk
East of Java (1935) as Captain Wong Bo
Two in the Dark (1936) as Stuart Eldredge
Murder on a Bridle Path (1936) as Don Gregg
Sworn Enemy (1936) as Steve Sherman
The Longest Night (1936) as Carl Briggs
House of Secrets (1936) as Barry Wilding
China Passage (1937) as Anthony Durand
Boys Town (1938) as Dan Farrow
As director:
Tell No Tales (1939)
The Man from Dakota (1940)
The Saint's Vacation (1941)
Whispering Smith (1948)
Streets of Laredo (1949)
The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951)
References
Notes
Bibliography
External links
Leslie Fenton at Virtual History
1902 births
1978 deaths
British expatriate male actors in the United States
English male film actors
English male silent film actors
English film directors
Male actors from Liverpool
People from Montecito, California
Royal Navy officers of World War II
Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery
20th-century English male actors
Military personnel from Liverpool
War Office personnel in World War II