Frederick Leister


Frederick Leister, was an English actor. He began his career in musical comedy and after serving in the First World War he played character roles in modern West End plays and in classic drama. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1922 and 1961.

Life and career

Leister was born Frederick Charles Holloway in London, the son of George Leister Holloway and his wife Mary Ann King Holloway, née Le Capelain. He was educated at Dulwich and Worthing Grammar School. He was intended for a career as a lawyer and served his time as an articled clerk to a solicitor's firm. He made his stage debut at the Crown Theatre, Peckham, in 1906 in the chorus of A Country Girl and spent the next six years touring in musical comedies. He made his London debut at the Prince's Theatre in February 1913 and appeared in supporting roles at the Lyceum and the Duke of York's until 1915, when he joined the army. He served as a lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery, entering France in September 1917. In 1911, he married Dora Luther. They had one daughter together, Jean. In 1929, he and Dora changed their name to Leister, by deed poll. Dora died in 1954, aged 64.
For the rest of his acting career Leister divided his time between the classics and lighter pieces such as detective plays and drawing room comedy, with occasional excursions into musical comedy. His classic roles included Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Faulconbridge in King John, Pavel Lebedyev in Ivanov and Peter Nikolayavich in The Seagull. He played the Emperor in The White Horse Inn at the London Coliseum in 1931. In modern plays two of his longest-running engagements were as Maxwell Davenport in The Late Christopher Bean and as Charles Donkin, the central figure in Ian Hay's comedy Housemaster. He appeared on Broadway in the same role in 1938, when the play was retitled Bachelor Born. In 1944 he featured in the West End hit play No Medals by Esther McCracken. In 1956 he appeared in the thriller Towards Zero by Agatha Christie at the St James's Theatre.

Filmography

  • The Glorious Adventure as A Knight/Courtier
  • The Message as Inspector Hudson
  • Bracelets as Slim Symes
  • Dreyfus as Edgar Demange
  • Down River as Inspector Manning
  • The World, the Flesh, the Devil as Sir James Hall
  • Evensong as Emperor Franz Josef
  • The Iron Duke as King of Prussia
  • Whom the Gods Love as Emperor
  • O.H.M.S. as Vice Consul
  • The Show Goes On as O.B. Dalton
  • King Solomon's Mines as Diamond Buyer
  • Dinner at the Ritz as Tarade
  • Sixty Glorious Years as H. H. Asquith
  • The Outsider as Joseph Sturdee
  • Goodbye, Mr. Chips as Marsham
  • On the Night of the Fire as Inspector
  • The Prime Minister as Lord Melbourne
  • Spellbound as Mr. Vincent
  • Atlantic Ferry as James Morison
  • The Next of Kin as Colonel
  • The Young Mr. Pitt as Lord Auckland
  • We'll Meet Again as Mr. Hatropp
  • The Gentle Sex as Colonel Lawrence
  • Dear Octopus as Charles Randolph
  • The Shipbuilders as Mr. Villier
  • The Hundred Pound Window as Ernest Draper
  • One Exciting Night as Hampton
  • Kiss the Bride Goodbye as Captain Blood
  • The Agitator as Mark Overend
  • The Captive Heart as Mr. Mowbray
  • So Well Remembered as John Channing
  • Mrs. Fitzherbert as Henry Errington
  • Night Beat as Magistrate
  • Escape as Judge
  • Quartet as Prison Governor
  • Forbidden as Dr. Franklin
  • All Over the Town as Wainer
  • For Them That Trespass as The Vicar
  • Paper Orchid as Walter Wibberley
  • Dear Mr. Prohack as The Director General
  • Landfall as Admiral
  • Boys in Brown as Judge
  • The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery as Police Commissioner
  • The Astonished Heart as Vicar in Play
  • The Rossiter Case as Sir James Ferguson
  • Green Grow the Rushes as Col. Gill
  • The Crimson Pirate as Sebastian
  • Circumstantial Evidence as Sir Edward Carteret
  • Top Secret as Prime Minister
  • Souls in Conflict as Rev. Alan Woodbridge
  • Delayed Action as Sir Francis
  • Before I Wake as Dr. Elder
  • The End of the Affair as Dr. Collingwood
  • The Dam Busters as Committee Member
  • Footsteps in the Fog as Dr. Simpson
  • The Time of His Life as Sir John Carter-Wilson
  • Around the World in 80 Days as Reform Club Member
  • Dangerous Exile as Capt. Andrew Ogden
  • Rx Murder as Dr. Alexander
  • Left Right and Centre as Dr. Rushall
  • Cone of Silence as Sir Henry
  • Surprise Package as Aide to King Pavel II
  • The Naked Edge as Judge