Frank Cellier (actor)
Encyclopedia
Frank Cellier was an English actor. Early in his career, he toured in Britain, Germany, the West Indies, America and South Africa. In the 1920s, he became known in the West End
for Shakespearean character roles, among others, and also directed some plays in which he acted. Later, during the 1930s and 1940s, he also appeared in films.
, England, the only son of the conductor
François Cellier
, and was educated at Cranleigh School
. After leaving school, he spent three years in business.
In 1903, Cellier made his first stage appearance as Clement Hale in Arthur Wing Pinero
's Sweet Lavender at the Town Hall in Reigate
and thereafter made acting his career, also doing some stage manager work. In the autumn of that year he went on tour with William Poel's company in Doctor Faustus, and later toured in a number of Shakespearean roles in the company of Ian Maclaren
. He then extended his repertory in a wide variety of roles which he undertook on tour with the actress Florence Nellie Glossop-Harris (d. 1932), daughter of the actor-manager Augustus Harris
, whom he married in 1910. She divorced him in 1925. They had a daughter, Antoinette
, who became an actress and married actor Bruce Seton
, and a son, Peter
, who is a TV, theatre and film actor.
Cellier toured not only in Britain, but in Germany and the West Indies, and did not make his debut in London until 1914, when under his own management he appeared in Cheer, Boys, Cheer. After this he toured in America and South Africa, and did not appear again in London until 1920. "By this time," wrote The Times, "his solid merit was appreciated after his long and arduous apprenticeship."
sometimes farce, often murder drama – and classical roles. His favourite part was Hamlet
, and his other Shakespeare roles included Apemantus in Timon of Athens
, the title role in Henry IV, Part 2
, Cassio in Othello
, Touchstone in As You Like It
, Angelo in Measure for Measure
, Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor
, Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream
and Kent in King Lear
. Two of his most celebrated roles were in The Merchant of Venice
and Twelfth Night, of which The Times said, "while he could wring the last drop of dramatic tension from the role of Shylock, he could also play Sir Toby Belch in such a way as to bring out the essence of the comedy without suggesting that the old reprobate had never known better days."
In the West End
, he directed and played in numerous plays. His roles in these included the Nobleman in The Man with a Load of Mischief (1925), one of Marie Tempest
's suitors in Noël Coward
's The Marquise (1927), Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal
(1929) and the King in the Improper Duchess (1931). He starred in The Duchess of Dantzic
in 1932 and directed and appeared in The Mask of Virtue (1935) with Vivien Leigh
. He also appeared that year in Espionage, a play by Walter C. Hackett
, at the Apollo Theatre
. His final stage role was the father in Terence Rattigan
's The Winslow Boy
in 1946, which he played to great praise in London and was due to take to America but was prevented by ill-health from doing so.
's The 39 Steps
(1935). He was also Monsieur Barsac in the comic film The Guv'nor
(1935).
Cellier died in London at age 64.
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
for Shakespearean character roles, among others, and also directed some plays in which he acted. Later, during the 1930s and 1940s, he also appeared in films.
Early years
François Cellier, always known as Frank, was born in SurbitonSurbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
, England, the only son of the conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
François Cellier
François Cellier
François Arsène Cellier , often called Frank, was an English conductor and composer. He is best known for his tenure as music director and conductor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during the original runs and early revivals of the Savoy operas.-Life and career:Cellier was born in South Hackney,...
, and was educated at Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School is an independent English boarding school in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. It was founded in 1865 as a boys' school and started to admit girls in the early 1970s. It is now co-educational. The current headmaster is Guy de W...
. After leaving school, he spent three years in business.
In 1903, Cellier made his first stage appearance as Clement Hale in Arthur Wing Pinero
Arthur Wing Pinero
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero was an English actor and later an important dramatist and stage director.-Biography:...
's Sweet Lavender at the Town Hall in Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
and thereafter made acting his career, also doing some stage manager work. In the autumn of that year he went on tour with William Poel's company in Doctor Faustus, and later toured in a number of Shakespearean roles in the company of Ian Maclaren
Ian Maclaren
Ian Maclaren was a Scottish author and theologian.He was the son of John Watson, a civil servant...
. He then extended his repertory in a wide variety of roles which he undertook on tour with the actress Florence Nellie Glossop-Harris (d. 1932), daughter of the actor-manager Augustus Harris
Augustus Harris
Sir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris , was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist.-Early life:Harris was born in Paris, France, the son of Augustus Glossop Harris , who was also a dramatist, and his wife, née Maria Ann Bone, a theatrical costumier...
, whom he married in 1910. She divorced him in 1925. They had a daughter, Antoinette
Antoinette Cellier
Antoinette Cellier was an English film and theatre actress.-Early life and education:She was born in Broadstairs, Kent, England. Her father, Frank Cellier, was a film and theatre actor...
, who became an actress and married actor Bruce Seton
Bruce Seton
Major Sir Bruce Lovat Seton of Abercorn, 11th Baronet , better known as Bruce Seton, was a British actor and soldier....
, and a son, Peter
Peter Cellier
Peter Cellier is an English actor who has appeared in film, stage and television. He is perhaps best known for his role as Sir Frank Gordon in Yes Minister and then Yes, Prime Minister in the 1980s.-Biography:...
, who is a TV, theatre and film actor.
Cellier toured not only in Britain, but in Germany and the West Indies, and did not make his debut in London until 1914, when under his own management he appeared in Cheer, Boys, Cheer. After this he toured in America and South Africa, and did not appear again in London until 1920. "By this time," wrote The Times, "his solid merit was appreciated after his long and arduous apprenticeship."
Shakespearean and other stage roles
Once established, Cellier pursued a career balancing new commercial plays –sometimes farce, often murder drama – and classical roles. His favourite part was Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, and his other Shakespeare roles included Apemantus in Timon of Athens
Timon of Athens
The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
, the title role in Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed written between 1596 and 1599. It is the third part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 and succeeded by Henry V.-Sources:...
, Cassio in Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, Touchstone in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, Angelo in Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
, Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
, Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
and Kent in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. Two of his most celebrated roles were in The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
and Twelfth Night, of which The Times said, "while he could wring the last drop of dramatic tension from the role of Shylock, he could also play Sir Toby Belch in such a way as to bring out the essence of the comedy without suggesting that the old reprobate had never known better days."
In the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, he directed and played in numerous plays. His roles in these included the Nobleman in The Man with a Load of Mischief (1925), one of Marie Tempest
Marie Tempest
Dame Marie Tempest DBE was an English singer and actress known as the "queen of her profession".Tempest became the most famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, she became a leading comic actress and toured widely in North America and elsewhere...
's suitors in Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's The Marquise (1927), Sir Peter Teazle in The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
(1929) and the King in the Improper Duchess (1931). He starred in The Duchess of Dantzic
The Duchess of Dantzic
The Duchess of Dantzic is a comic opera in three acts, set in Paris, with music by Ivan Caryll and a book and lyrics by Henry Hamilton, based on the play Madame Sans-Gêne by Victorien Sardou and Emile Moreau. Additional lyrics by Adrian Ross...
in 1932 and directed and appeared in The Mask of Virtue (1935) with Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
. He also appeared that year in Espionage, a play by Walter C. Hackett
Walter C. Hackett
Walter C. Hackett was an English playwright, several of whose stage works were adapted for film...
, at the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
. His final stage role was the father in Terence Rattigan
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE was one of England's most popular 20th-century dramatists. His plays are generally set in an upper-middle-class background...
's The Winslow Boy
The Winslow Boy
thumb|1st edition cover The Winslow Boy is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an actual incident in the Edwardian era, which took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne.-Performance History:...
in 1946, which he played to great praise in London and was due to take to America but was prevented by ill-health from doing so.
Films and death
Beginning in the 1930s, Cellier played roles in films, including Sheriff Watson in Alfred HitchcockAlfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps (1935 film)
The 39 Steps is a British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the adventure novel The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. The film stars Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll....
(1935). He was also Monsieur Barsac in the comic film The Guv'nor
The Guv'nor (film)
The Guv'nor is a 1935 British comedy film starring George Arliss as a tramp who rides a series of misunderstandings and becomes the president of a bank.-Plot:...
(1935).
Cellier died in London at age 64.
Selected filmography
- Her ReputationHer ReputationHer Reputation is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Sidney Morgan and starring Iris Hoey, Frank Cellier, Lillian Hall-Davis and Malcolm Tearle. It was based on the play Passing Brompton Road by Jevan Brandon-Thomas...
(1931) - Colonel BloodColonel Blood (film)Colonel Blood was a British film written and directed by W.P. Lipscomb. It was a dramatised account of Thomas Blood, a 17th-century adventurer in England.-Plot:...
(1934) - The Guv'norThe Guv'nor (film)The Guv'nor is a 1935 British comedy film starring George Arliss as a tramp who rides a series of misunderstandings and becomes the president of a bank.-Plot:...
(1935) - The DictatorThe Dictator (film)The Dictator is a 1935 British historical drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Clive Brook, Madeleine Carroll, Emlyn Williams and Helen Haye...
(1935) - The Passing of the Third Floor BackThe Passing of the Third Floor BackThe Passing of the Third Floor Back is a 1935 British drama film directed by Berthold Viertel and starring Conrad Veidt, Anna Lee, René Ray and Frank Cellier. The film is based on a short story by Jerome K. Jerome and depicts the various small-minded inhabitants of a building and the arrival of a...
(1935) - The 39 StepsThe 39 Steps (1935 film)The 39 Steps is a British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the adventure novel The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. The film stars Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll....
(1935) - Tudor RoseTudor Rose (film)Tudor Rose is a 1936 British film starring Cedric Hardwicke and Nova Pilbeam and directed by Robert Stevenson....
(1936) - The Man Who Changed His MindThe Man Who Changed His MindThe Man Who Changed His Mind is a 1936 science fiction horror film starring Boris Karloff and Anna Lee. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and was released in Great Britain by Gainsborough Pictures. The film was also known as The Brainsnatcher or The Man Who Lived Again.-Plot:Dr...
(1936) - Take My TipTake My TipTake My Tip is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Harold Huth and Frank Cellier...
(1937) - Non-Stop New YorkNon-Stop New YorkNon-Stop New York is a 1937 crime film based on the novel Sky Steward by Ken Attiwill. A woman who can clear an innocent man of the charge of murder is pursued by gangsters onto a luxurious transatlantic flying boat.-Cast:...
(1937) - O.H.M.S.O.H.M.S. (film)O.H.M.S. is a 1937 British action comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Wallace Ford, John Mills, Anna Lee and Grace Bradley. An American criminal evades the police by joining the British army.-Cast:* Wallace Ford - Jimmy Tracy...
(1937) - Action for SlanderAction for SlanderAction for Slander is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Clive Brook, Ann Todd and Googie Withers. An army officer is falsely accused at cheating at cards by a man whose wife he had an affair with and struggles to clear his name...
(1937) - Kate Plus TenKate Plus Ten (film)Kate Plus Ten is a 1938 British thriller film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Jack Hulbert, Genevieve Tobin and Noel Madison. It was adapted from the Edgar Wallace novel Kate Plus Ten. It was also released as Queen of Crime. Kate, the leader of a gang of criminals, works as secretary to an...
(1938) - A Royal Divorce (1938)
- The Big BlockadeThe Big BlockadeThe Big Blockade is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy-drama, propaganda film, war film, directed by Charles Frend and starring Will Hay, Ronald Shiner as the Shipping Clerk and John Mills. It was produced by Ealing Studios...
(1940) - The Midas TouchThe Midas TouchThe Midas Touch is a 1940 British thriller film directed by David MacDonald and starring Barry K. Barnes, Judy Kelly, Frank Cellier and Bertha Belmore.-Cast:* Barry K...
(1940) - Quiet WeddingQuiet WeddingQuiet Wedding is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Margaret Lockwood, Derek Farr and Marjorie Fielding. The screenplay was written by Terence Rattigan and Anatole de Grunwald based on the play Quiet Wedding by Esther McCracken which was later remade as Happy is the...
(1941) - Love on the DoleLove on the Dole (film)Love on the Dole is a 1941 British drama film starring Deborah Kerr and Clifford Evans. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Walter Greenwood.- Plot summary :...
(1941) - Cottage to LetCottage to LetCottage to Let is a 1941 spy film starring Leslie Banks, Alastair Sim and John Mills. Set in World War II Scotland, its plot concerns Nazi spies trying to kidnap an inventor.-Plot:...
(1941) - The Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of WhitehallThe Black Sheep of Whitehall is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy, war film, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, and; starring Will Hay as Professor Will Davis, John Mills and Basil Sydney...
(1942) - The Magic BowThe Magic BowThe Magic Bow is a 1946 British musical film based on the life of the Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. It was directed by Bernard Knowles...
(1946)