Cecil Parker

Cecil Parker (born Cecil Schwabe, 3 September 1897 – 20 April 1971) was an English actor with a distinctively husky voice, who usually played supporting roles, often characters with a supercilious demeanour, in his 91 films made between 1928 and 1969.
Career
Parker was born in Hastings, Sussex, the second son (and fifth of six children) of German-born Charles August Schwabe, manager of the Albany Hotel, Hastings, and his English wife Kate (née Parker), a church organist. He was educated at St Francis Xavier College, and at Bruges in Belgium. He served with the Royal Sussex Regiment in the First World War, reaching the rank of sergeant. He began his theatrical career in London in 1922, adopting the surname "Parker" from his mother's maiden name. He made his first film appearance in 1933 and subsequently became a familiar face in British and occasionally American films until his death. He appeared less often on television, but many of his films have remained popular and are often shown.
He acted in two adaptations of A. J. Cronin's novels, The Citadel (1938) and The Stars Look Down (1940), in addition to appearing in The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Under Capricorn (1949). Both of these latter films were directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Other roles were in Storm in a Teacup (1937), The Weaker Sex (1948), 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956), Dangerous Moonlight (1941), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), and I Was Monty's Double (1958), as well as the comedies A French Mistress (1960), The Ladykillers (1955), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Court Jester (1955) (in which he played an evil, usurping king of England), Indiscreet (1958) and I Believe in You (1952). Parker was also the original Charles Condomine in the West End production of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit.
He often played a touchy senior officer or British upper class character, and his last two films were true to form: The Magnificent Two (1967) with the British comedy double act Morecambe and Wise and Richard Attenborough's version of Oh! What a Lovely War (1969).
On November 20, 1950, he co-starred with Margaret O'Brien in "The Canterville Ghost", on Robert Montgomery Presents on TV. He played a butler on one episode of The Avengers ("The £50,000 Breakfast"). In 1957 he played Dr. Morelle in BBC radio series, "A Case for Dr. Morelle" (13 episodes).
Personal life
Parker was married to Muriel Anne Randell-Brown (born in Seacombe, Cheshire), from September 1927 until his death in 1971, in Brighton.
Filmography
The Golden Cage (1933)
A Cuckoo in the Nest (1933) as Claude Hickett
The Silver Spoon (1934) as Trevor
Flat Number Three (1934) as Hilary Maine
Nine Forty-Five (1934) as Robert Clayton
Princess Charming (1934) as Mr. Thompson (uncredited)
The Blue Squadron (1934) as Bianci
Little Friend (1934) as Mason
Lady in Danger (1934) as Piker
Dirty Work (1934) as Gordon Bray
Me and Marlborough (1935) as Colonel of the Greys
Crime Unlimited (1935) as Assistant Commissioner
The Guv'nor (1935) as Bank Director (uncredited)
Her Last Affaire (1935) as Sir Arthur Harding
Foreign Affaires (1935) as Lord Wormington
Men of Yesterday (1936)
The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936) as Dr. Gratton
Dishonour Bright (1936) as Vincent Crane
Jack of All Trades (1936) as Sir Chas. Darrington
Dark Journey (1937) as Captain of Q-Boat
Storm in a Teacup (1937) as Provost William Gow
Housemaster (1938) as Sir Berkeley Nightingale
The Lady Vanishes (1938) as Mr. Todhunter
The Citadel (1938) as Charles Every
Old Iron (1938) as Barnett
Sons of the Sea (1939) as Cmdr. Herbert
She Couldn't Say No (1939) as Jimmy Reeves
The Stars Look Down (1940) as Stanley Millington
The Spider (1940) as Lawrence Bruce
Under Your Hat (1940) as Sir Jeffrey Arlington
Two for Danger (1940) as Sir Richard
The Saint's Vacation (1941) as Rudolph
Dangerous Moonlight (1941) as Specialist
Ships with Wings (1942) as German Air Marshal
Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) as Britannus
The Magic Bow (1946) as Luigi Germi
Hungry Hill (1947) as Copper John
Captain Boycott (1947) as Capt. Charles C. Boycott
The Woman in the Hall (1947) as Sir Halmar Barnard
The First Gentleman (1948) as The Prince Regent
The Weaker Sex (1948) as Geoffrey Radcliffe
Quartet (1948) as Colonel Peregrine (segment "The Colonel's Lady")
Dear Mr. Prohack (1949) as Arthur Prohack
Under Capricorn (1949) as The Governor
The Chiltern Hundreds (1949) as Benjamin Beecham
Tony Draws a Horse (1950) as Dr. Howard Fleming
The Man in the White Suit (1951) as Alan Birnley
The Magic Box (1951) as First Platform Man
His Excellency (1951) as Sir James Kirkman
I Believe in You (1952) as Phipps
Father Brown (1954) as The Bishop
For Better, for Worse (1954) as Anne's Father
Isn't Life Wonderful! (1954) as Father
The Constant Husband (1955) as The Professor
The Ladykillers (1955) as Claude Courtney
The Court Jester (1955) as King Roderick I
23 Paces to Baker Street (1956) as Bob Matthews
It's Great to Be Young (1956) as Mr. Frome, Headmaster
True as a Turtle (1957) as Dudley Partridge
The Admirable Crichton (1957) as Lord Loam
A Tale of Two Cities (1958) as Jarvis Lorry
Happy Is the Bride (1958) as Arthur Royd
Indiscreet (1958) as Alfred Munson
I Was Monty's Double (1958) as Col. Logan
The Navy Lark (1959) as Cmdr. Stanton
The Night We Dropped a Clanger (1959) as Air Vice-Marshal Sir Bertram Bukpasser
The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959) as The Chairman
Sotto dieci bandiere (1960) as Col. Howard
Follow That Horse! (1960) as Sir William Crane
A French Mistress (1960) as John Crane M.A. Headmaster of Melbury School
Swiss Family Robinson (1960) as Captain Moreland
The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960) as Professor Canford
On the Fiddle (1961) as Gr / Cpt Bascombe
Petticoat Pirates (1961) as C-in-C
The Brain (1962) as Stevenson
The Iron Maiden (1962) as Sir Giles Thompson
The Amorous Prawn (1962) as Gen. Sir Hamish Fitzadam
Heavens Above! (1963) as Archdeacon Aspinall
Carry On Jack (1963) as First Sealord
Guns at Batasi (1964) as Fletcher
The Comedy Man (1964) as Thomas Rutherford
The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) as The Mayor
A Study in Terror (1965) as Prime Minister
Lady L (1965) as Sir Percy
A Man Could Get Killed (1966) as Sir Huntley Frazier
Circus of Fear (1966) as Sir John
The Magnificent Two (1967) as Sir John / British Ambassador
The Avengers (1967) TV Series, Episode: "The £50,000 Breakfast" as Glover
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) as Sir John (final film role)
References
External links
Cecil Parker's performances in the Theatre Archive, University of Bristol
1897 births
1971 deaths
20th-century English male actors
British Army personnel of World War I
British male comedy actors
English male film actors
English male stage actors
English male television actors
English people of German descent
Male actors from Sussex
Actors from Hastings
Royal Sussex Regiment soldiers
Military personnel from Sussex