Harry Cording
Encyclopedia
Harry Cording was a British character actor who appeared in many Hollywood films from the 1920s to the 1950s. Due to his stocky build and imposing 6'0 height, he usually portrayed thugs and henchman
to the main villain.
to America and began a film career. Cording's first role was as a henchmen in 1925's The Knockout, similar roles followed for the next few years.
Cording's most notable roles were probably as a minor villain in Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood
and as Thamal, the hulking henchman to Bela Lugosi's character in 1934's The Black Cat
. As a contract player at Universal in the 1940s, he turned up in tiny parts in many of their horror films, such as The Wolf Man
, and also appeared in 8 of the Universal Studios
Basil Rathbone
/Sherlock Holmes
films. In the classic 1938 A Christmas Carol
he can be seen briefly in an uncredited role (like many of his parts) as a waiter to Ebenezer Scrooge
. Two years before his death, he was appropriately cast as the rough–looking Ed the Blacksmith in Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair.
Henchman
Henchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household...
to the main villain.
Career
At some point, Cording permanently settled in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to America and began a film career. Cording's first role was as a henchmen in 1925's The Knockout, similar roles followed for the next few years.
Cording's most notable roles were probably as a minor villain in Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (film)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. Filmed in Technicolor, the picture stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains.-Plot:...
and as Thamal, the hulking henchman to Bela Lugosi's character in 1934's The Black Cat
The Black Cat (1934 film)
The Black Cat is a 1934 horror film that became Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year. It was the first of eight movies to pair actors Béla Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Edgar G. Ulmer directed the film; Peter Ruric wrote the screenplay...
. As a contract player at Universal in the 1940s, he turned up in tiny parts in many of their horror films, such as The Wolf Man
The Wolf Man
The Wolf Man is a 1941 American Werewolf Horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man, featuring Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya...
, and also appeared in 8 of the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
/Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
films. In the classic 1938 A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
he can be seen briefly in an uncredited role (like many of his parts) as a waiter to Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge is the principal character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness...
. Two years before his death, he was appropriately cast as the rough–looking Ed the Blacksmith in Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair.
Selected filmography
- Night BeatNight Beat (1931 film)-Cast:* Jack Mulhall as Johnny* Patsy Ruth Miller as Eleanor* Walter McGrail as Martin* Harry Cording as Chill Scarpelli* Ernie Adams as Weissenkorn* Richard Cramer as Featherstone* Harry Semels as Italian...
(1931) - SudanSudan (film)Sudan is a 1945 historical drama film set in Egypt during the reign of the pharaoh Khafra . The film was directed by John Rawlins and starred Maria Montez.-Cast:* Maria Montez as "Naila"* Jon Hall as "Merab"* Turhan Bey as "Herua"...
(1945) - Against All FlagsAgainst All FlagsAgainst All Flags is a 1952 American pirate film starring Errol Flynn as Brian Hawke, Maureen O'Hara as Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens and Anthony Quinn as Roc Brasiliano...
(1952)