Henry Travers
Encyclopedia
Henry Travers was an English
actor
. His most memorable role was that of the angel, Clarence, in the 1946 motion picture It's A Wonderful Life
.
, Northumberland
, England
, the son of Daniel Heagerty, an Irish
doctor from Cork
. He grew up in Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is his birthplace according to many biographies, but had actually been born in Prudhoe
, some 60 miles further south near the River Tyne
. The family were only in Prudhoe for a couple of years, moving there from Woodburn
, on the A68 road
near Corsenside
, Northumberland in about 1866 and then moving on to Tweedmouth
at Berwick-upon-Tweed in about 1876. Initially he trained as an architect
at Berwick before taking to the stage under the name Henry Travers.
, he emigrated to the United States
and appeared in Hollywood film productions beginning in 1933. He made his last film in 1949. Travers' most famous role was as the angel Clarence who comes to save James Stewart's
character from suicide in Frank Capra
's classic It's a Wonderful Life
. He was also an Oscar-nominated actor for his role in the film Mrs. Miniver
.
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. His most memorable role was that of the angel, Clarence, in the 1946 motion picture It's A Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
.
Early life
Travers was born Travers John Heagerty supposedly in Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of Daniel Heagerty, an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
doctor from Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. He grew up in Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is his birthplace according to many biographies, but had actually been born in Prudhoe
Prudhoe
Prudhoe is a medium sized town just south of the River Tyne, in the southern part of the county of Northumberland, England about west of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town is sited on a steep, north-facing hill in the Tyne valley and nearby settlements include Ovingham, Ovington, Wylam,...
, some 60 miles further south near the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. The family were only in Prudhoe for a couple of years, moving there from Woodburn
West Woodburn
West Woodburn is a village in north-western Northumberland, England.The 2001 census recorded a population of 492 in the Parish Council area of Corsenside of which West Woodburn is the main settlement....
, on the A68 road
A68 road
The A68 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Darlington in England to the A720 in Scotland.From Darlington, the road runs north, bypassing Bishop Auckland, and running through West Auckland, Toft Hill and Tow Law, past Consett and Corbridge...
near Corsenside
Corsenside
Corsenside is a village in Northumberland, England alongside the A68 road about north of Corbridge.- Governance :Corsenside is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham.- Religious sites :...
, Northumberland in about 1866 and then moving on to Tweedmouth
Tweedmouth
Tweedmouth may refer to*The River Tweed*Berwick-upon-Tweed*Baron Tweedmouth...
at Berwick-upon-Tweed in about 1876. Initially he trained as an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
at Berwick before taking to the stage under the name Henry Travers.
Career
A stage actor in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and appeared in Hollywood film productions beginning in 1933. He made his last film in 1949. Travers' most famous role was as the angel Clarence who comes to save James Stewart's
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
character from suicide in Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
's classic It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
. He was also an Oscar-nominated actor for his role in the film Mrs. Miniver
Mrs. Miniver (film)
Mrs. Miniver is a 1942 American drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Teresa Wright. Based on the fictional English housewife created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns, the film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture,...
.
Selected filmography
- The Invisible Man (1933)
- Death Takes a HolidayDeath Takes a HolidayDeath Takes a Holiday is a 1934 romantic drama starring Fredric March, Evelyn Venable and Guy Standing, based on the Italian play La Morte in Vacanze by Alberto Casella.-Synopsis:...
(1934) - Born to Be BadBorn to Be Bad (1934 film)Born to Be Bad is a 1934 Drama directed by Lowell Sherman, starring Loretta Young and Cary Grant. This film was rejected by the Hays Office twice before it was finally approved...
(1934) - After Office HoursAfter Office HoursAfter Office Hours is a 1935 film starring Clark Gable and Constance Bennett and directed by Robert Z. Leonard.-Plot:Jim Branch , news editor, falls for Sharon Norwood while trying to uncover a murder mystery.-Cast:...
(1935) - EscapadeEscapade (1935 film)Escapade is a 1935 romantic comedy film starring William Powell and Luise Rainer. A philandering painter falls in love, but a prior affair with a married woman causes complications.-Cast:*William Powell as Fritz*Luise Rainer as Leopoldine Dur...
(1935) - Four Hours to Kill!Four Hours to Kill!Four Hours to Kill! is a 1935 drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Richard Barthelmess.-Cast:* Richard Barthelmess - Tony Mako* Joe Morrison - Eddie* Gertrude Michael - Mrs. Sylvia Temple* Helen Mack - Helen* Dorothy Tree - Mae Danish...
(1935) - The SistersThe Sisters (1938 film)The Sisters is a 1938 American drama film produced and directed by Anatole Litvak. The screenplay by Milton Krims is based on the 1937 novel of the same title by Myron Brinig.-Plot:...
(1938) - Dodge CityDodge City (1939 film)Dodge City is a 1939 American Western film starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Bruce Cabot. Directed by Hungarian-turned-Hollywood filmmaker Michael Curtiz and based on a story by Robert Buckner, it was filmed in early Technicolor...
(1939) - Dark VictoryDark VictoryDark Victory is a 1939 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, and Ronald Reagan...
(1939) - You Can't Get Away with MurderYou Can't Get Away with MurderYou Can't Get Away with Murder is a 1939 crime drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Gale Page. The film was directed by Lewis Seiler and features "Dead End Kid" leader Billy Halop...
(1939) - Stanley and LivingstoneStanley and LivingstoneStanley and Livingstone is a movie about reporter Sir Henry M. Stanley's quest for Dr. David Livingstone, a missionary presumed lost in Africa. Spencer Tracy played Stanley, Sir Cedric Hardwicke portrayed Livingstone, and other cast members included Nancy Kelly, Walter Brennan, Charles Coburn,...
(1939) - The Rains CameThe Rains CameThe Rains Came is the title of a novel by Louis Bromfield, published in 1937, as well as the 1939 20th Century Fox film version which followed it...
(1939) - Primrose PathPrimrose Path (film)Primrose Path is a 1940 film about a young woman determined not to follow the profession of her mother and grandmother, prostitution. It stars Ginger Rogers and Joel McCrea. The film was based on the play of the same name by Robert L...
(1940) - Edison, the ManEdison, the ManEdison, the Man was a 1940 biographical film depicting the life of inventor Thomas Edison, who was played by Spencer Tracy. Hugo Butler and Dore Schary were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story for their work on this film...
(1940) - High Sierra (1941)
- Ball of FireBall of FireBall of Fire is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. The RKO Pictures film is about a group of professors laboring to write an encyclopedia and their encounter with a nightclub performer who provides her own unique knowledge...
(1941) - Mrs. MiniverMrs. Miniver (film)Mrs. Miniver is a 1942 American drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Teresa Wright. Based on the fictional English housewife created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns, the film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture,...
(1942) - Random Harvest (1942)
- Shadow of a DoubtShadow of a DoubtShadow of a Doubt is a 1943 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story for Gordon McDonell...
(1943) - Madame CurieMadame Curie (film)Madame Curie is a 1943 biographical film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sidney Franklin from a screenplay by Paul Osborn, Paul H. Rameau, and Aldous Huxley , adapted from the biography by Eve Curie....
(1943) - Dragon Seed (1944)
- The Very Thought of YouThe Very Thought of You (film)The Very Thought of You is a 1944 romantic drama film starring Dennis Morgan and Eleanor Parker. In World War II, an American soldier on a short leave falls in love with and marries a woman.-Cast:*Dennis Morgan as Sergeant David Stewart...
(1944) - None Shall EscapeNone Shall EscapeNone Shall Escape is a 1944 war film. Even though the film was made during World War II, the setting is a post-war Nuremberg-style war crimes trial...
(1944) - Thrill of a RomanceThrill of a RomanceThrill of a Romance was an American romance film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1945, starring Van Johnson, Esther Williams and Carleton G. Young, with musical performances by opera singer Lauritz Melchior...
(1945) - The Naughty NinetiesThe Naughty NinetiesThe Naughty Nineties is a 1945 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is significant for containing perhaps the best-known recorded rendition of the team's classic "Who's on First?" routine, as it is this version of the routine that is shown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
(1945) - The Bells of St. Mary'sThe Bells of St. Mary'sThe Bells of St. Mary's is a 1945 American film which tells the story of a priest and a nun at a school who set out, despite their good-natured rivalry, to save the school from being shut down. It stars Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman...
(1945) - The Yearling (1946)
- It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
(1946) - Gallant JourneyGallant JourneyGallant Journey is a historical film about early U.S. aeronautical experimenter John Joseph Montgomery. It depicts his efforts to build and fly gliders, from his childhood through to his death in 1911.The chief pilot for the film was Paul Mantz....
(1946) - The Girl from Jones Beach (1949)
Personal life
On his death in 1965, Travers was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
External links
- Henry Travers on television