    arthur veary treacher (23 july 1894 â 14 december 1975) was an english actor known for playing recognizable english sterotypes, especially butler and manservant roles, such as the p.g. wodehouse character jeeves. he later became a well-known personality on american television, and lent his name to a fish and chips franchise. ==early life== arthur was the son of a sussex solicitor; he was educated at boarding school in uppingham in rutland. ==career== treacher was a veteran of world war i serving as an officer in the royal garrison artillery; his father had served with the sussex volunteer artillery before his son's birth. after the war, he established a stage career and in 1926, he went to america as part of a musical-comedy revue called great temptations. he was featured in the 1930 billy rose production sweet and low. he began his film career in the 1930s, which included roles in four shirley temple films: curly top, uncredited stowaway (1936), heidi (1937) and the little princess (1939). scenes intentionally put the 6' 4" treacher standing or dancing side-by-side with the tiny child actress. they sing and dance together in the little princess an old song "knocked 'em in the old kent road" (clip available on youtube.) treacher filled the role of the ideal butler, and he portrayed p.g. wodehouse's valet character jeeves in the films thank you, jeeves! (1936) and step lively, jeeves (1937). (wodehouse, however, was unhappy with the way these films turned out, and refused to authorize any further jeeves films.) treacher played a valet or butler in several other films, including personal maid's secret, mister cinderella and bordertown. in 1961 and 1962, he and william gaxton starred in guy lombardo's production of the music
1894_births 1975_deaths 20th-century_American_male_actors 20th-century_English_male_actors American_male_radio_actors American_male_stage_actors American_male_television_actors British_Army_personnel_of_World_War_I Cardiovascular_disease_deaths_in_New_York English_male_film_actors English_male_stage_actors English_male_television_actors English_television_personalities Male_actors_from_Sussex People_educated_at_Uppingham_School People_from_Brighton Royal_Artillery_officers