Tom Conway
Encyclopedia
Tom Conway was a British
film and radio actor, and elder brother of actor George Sanders
.
, whom Conway strongly resembled physically and facially, and also, most notably, in his speaking-voice. A younger sister, Margaret Sanders, was born in 1912. At the outbreak of the Russian Revolution (1917), the family moved back to England, where the brothers were educated at Brighton College
. The two brothers tossed a coin to decide which would change his surname to avoid any confusion with each other.
" in ten of that series' entries, taking over from his brother in The Falcon's Brother
, in which they both starred. Conway also played Sherlock Holmes during the 1946
–1947
season of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
, following Basil Rathbone
's departure from the series. In spite of managing an uncanny similarity to the sound of Rathbone's voice, he was not accepted as Holmes by the listening audience, and was replaced in the same year by John Stanley. Conway also starred in three of film producer Val Lewton
's horror films while working as a contract actor for RKO Pictures
. He played Dr. Louis Judd in two otherwise unrelated films: Cat People (1942) and The Seventh Victim
(1943)—even though the character was killed in the first film. The third Val Lewton film in which he starred was I Walked with a Zombie
(1943).
Conway's screen career diminished in the 1950s, but he appeared in a number of English films, as well as on radio and television. In 1951
, he replaced Vincent Price
as the star of the radio mystery series The Saint
, taking on a role that his brother, George Sanders, had played on film a decade earlier. In 1956, the two brothers both featured (as brothers) in the film Death of a Scoundrel
, although it was younger brother George who had the starring role.
From 1951–1954, Conway played debonair British police detective Mark Saber, who worked in the homicide division of a large American city, in the ABC
series entitled Inspector Mark Saber - Homicide Detective. In 1957, the series resumed on NBC
, renamed Saber of London
, with Donald Gray
in the title role.
In October , Conway performed as Max Collodi in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents
episode "The Glass Eye", to critical praise.
, divorced him in 1963, owing to his drinking problem, and his brother also broke off all contact with him because of it.
Conway underwent cataract surgery during the winter of 1964–5. In September 1965, he briefly returned to the headlines, having been discovered living in a $2-a-day room in a Venice, California, flophouse. Gifts, contributions and offers of aid poured in for a time. Conway, still standing tall and trim, his hair now white, peered owl-like through thick-lensed glasses at the newspaper cameras.
His last years were marked with further visits to the hospital. It was there that former sister-in-law Zsa Zsa Gabor
visited him one day, and gave him $200. "Tip the nurses a little bit so they'll be good to you," she told him. The following day, the hospital called her to say that Conway had left with the $200, gone to his girlfriend's house, and died in her bed. It was April 22, 1967, and he died from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 62.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film and radio actor, and elder brother of actor George Sanders
George Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
.
Early life
Conway was born to English parents as Thomas Charles Sanders in St. Petersburg, Russia. His younger brother was actor George SandersGeorge Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
, whom Conway strongly resembled physically and facially, and also, most notably, in his speaking-voice. A younger sister, Margaret Sanders, was born in 1912. At the outbreak of the Russian Revolution (1917), the family moved back to England, where the brothers were educated at Brighton College
Brighton College
Brighton College is an institution divided between a Senior School known simply as Brighton College, the Prep School and the Pre-Prep School. All of these schools are co-educational independent schools in Brighton, England, sited immediately next to each another. The Senior School caters for...
. The two brothers tossed a coin to decide which would change his surname to avoid any confusion with each other.
Career
Conway is remembered today for playing "The FalconThe Falcon (literary character)
The character of Gay Stanhope Falcon, also known simply as The Falcon, was created in 1940 by Michael Arlen in his short story, "Gay Falcon", which was first published in 1940 in Town & Country magazine...
" in ten of that series' entries, taking over from his brother in The Falcon's Brother
The Falcon's Brother
The Falcon's Brother is a 1942 film in which George Sanders, who had been portraying "The Falcon" in a series of movies, appears with his lookalike brother Tom Conway; the brothers play brothers and Sanders hands off the series to Conway, who plays the new Falcon in nine subsequent films...
, in which they both starred. Conway also played Sherlock Holmes during the 1946
1946 in radio
The year 1946 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*1 September – Kringkastingsorkestret is founded.*29 September – BBC Third Programme is launched.-Debuts:...
–1947
1947 in radio
The year 1947 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*10 February: The Nederlandse Radio Unie is established.*19 February: CBS Radio premiere of Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasilieras No. 3"...
season of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was an old-time radio show which aired in the USA from October 2, 1939 to July 7, 1947. Most episodes were written by the team of Dennis Green and Anthony Boucher....
, following 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...
's departure from the series. In spite of managing an uncanny similarity to the sound of Rathbone's voice, he was not accepted as Holmes by the listening audience, and was replaced in the same year by John Stanley. Conway also starred in three of film producer Val Lewton
Val Lewton
Val Lewton was an American film producer and screenwriter, best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s.-Early life:...
's horror films while working as a contract actor for RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
. He played Dr. Louis Judd in two otherwise unrelated films: Cat People (1942) and The Seventh Victim
The Seventh Victim
The Seventh Victim is a 1943 horror and film noir starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter , and Hugh Beaumont, directed by Mark Robson, and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictures...
(1943)—even though the character was killed in the first film. The third Val Lewton film in which he starred was I Walked with a Zombie
I Walked with a Zombie
I Walked with a Zombie is a 1943 horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur. It was the second horror film from producer Val Lewton for RKO Pictures; the first was the very successful Cat People, also directed by Tourneur...
(1943).
Conway's screen career diminished in the 1950s, but he appeared in a number of English films, as well as on radio and television. In 1951
1951 in radio
The year 1951 in radio involved some significant events.-Debuts:*1 January: The Archers begins its production run on BBC.*1 April: Paul Harvey News and Comment begins its 59-year-long run on the ABC Radio Network....
, he replaced Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
as the star of the radio mystery series The Saint
Simon Templar
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s...
, taking on a role that his brother, George Sanders, had played on film a decade earlier. In 1956, the two brothers both featured (as brothers) in the film Death of a Scoundrel
Death of a Scoundrel
Death of a Scoundrel is a 1956 film starring George Sanders, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Yvonne De Carlo. It was written and directed by Charles Martin.Death of a Scoundrel is a fictionalized adaptation of the life and mysterious death of Serge Rubenstein....
, although it was younger brother George who had the starring role.
From 1951–1954, Conway played debonair British police detective Mark Saber, who worked in the homicide division of a large American city, in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series entitled Inspector Mark Saber - Homicide Detective. In 1957, the series resumed on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, renamed Saber of London
Saber of London
Saber of London is a half-hour 1950s detective television series about a British police captain named Mark Saber, who works, in the original version of the program, in the homicide department of a large American city. Tom Conway portrayed Mark Saber from October 1951 to June 1954...
, with Donald Gray
Donald Gray
Donald Gray was a South African actor, probably best remembered for providing the voices to Colonel White, Captain Black and the Mysterons in the TV series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and for being the reason that Donald Marshall Gray changed his name to Charles Gray when he became an actor...
in the title role.
In October , Conway performed as Max Collodi in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
episode "The Glass Eye", to critical praise.
Later life and death
Despite having made over $1 million in his twenty-four-year film career, Conway later struggled to make ends meet. Failing eyesight and prolonged bouts with alcohol took their toll on him in his last years. His second wife, Queenie LeonardQueenie Leonard
Queenie Leonard was a British character actress and singer.-Early life and career:She was born as Pearl Walker in London in 1905 and began her career on stage in 1921, and debuted on film in 1931. She had already amassed 20 years of stage and screen experience when, in 1941, she made the first of...
, divorced him in 1963, owing to his drinking problem, and his brother also broke off all contact with him because of it.
Conway underwent cataract surgery during the winter of 1964–5. In September 1965, he briefly returned to the headlines, having been discovered living in a $2-a-day room in a Venice, California, flophouse. Gifts, contributions and offers of aid poured in for a time. Conway, still standing tall and trim, his hair now white, peered owl-like through thick-lensed glasses at the newspaper cameras.
His last years were marked with further visits to the hospital. It was there that former sister-in-law Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian-born American stage, film and television actress.She acted on stage in Vienna, Austria, in 1932, and was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and became a sought-after actress with "European flair and style", with a personality that...
visited him one day, and gave him $200. "Tip the nurses a little bit so they'll be good to you," she told him. The following day, the hospital called her to say that Conway had left with the $200, gone to his girlfriend's house, and died in her bed. It was April 22, 1967, and he died from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 62.
Filmography
- The Great Meddler (1940)
- Waterloo BridgeWaterloo BridgeWaterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The name of the bridge is in memory of the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815...
(1940) – voice only - Sky Murder (1940)
- The Wild Man of Borneo (1941)
- The Trial of Mary DuganThe Trial of Mary DuganThe Trial of Mary Dugan is a play written by Bayard Veiller.The melodrama concerns a sensational courtroom trial of a showgirl accused of killing of her millionaire lover. Her defense attorney is her brother, Jimmy Dugan. It was first presented on Broadway in 1927, with Ann Harding in the title...
(1941) - Free and EasyFree and EasyFree and Easy is a 1941 film directed by George Sidney. It stars Robert Cummings and Ruth Hussey.-Cast:*Robert Cummings as Max Clemington*Ruth Hussey as Martha Gray*Judith Anderson as Lady Joan Culver*C. Aubrey Smith as Duke Colver...
(1941) - The Bad ManThe Bad ManThe Bad Man is a 1941 Western film starring Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day, and Ronald Reagan. The movie was written by Wells Root from the Porter Emerson Browne play, and directed by Richard Thorpe...
(1941) - The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941)
- Lady Be GoodLady Be Good (1941 film)Lady Be Good is the title of an MGM musical film which was released in 1941.The film starred dancer Eleanor Powell along with Ann Sothern, Robert Young, Lionel Barrymore, and Red Skelton. It was directed by Norman Z. McLeod and produced by Arthur Freed...
(1941) - Tarzan's Secret TreasureTarzan's Secret TreasureTarzan's Secret Treasure is a 1941 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is the fifth in the MGM Tarzan series to star Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan.-Plot:An expedition team arrives on Tarzan's escarpment...
(1941) - Mr. and Mrs. NorthMr. and Mrs. North (film)Mr. and Mrs. North is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Robert B. Sinclair, starring Gracie Allen and William Post Jr. as detectives Pam and Jerry North. A dizzy socialite and her husband Jerry, returning home from a vacation, find a dead body in their home...
(1942) - Rio RitaRio Rita (1942 film)Rio Rita is a 1942 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello. It was based upon the 1927 Flo Ziegfeld Broadway musical, which was previously made into a 1929 film also titled Rio Rita that starred the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey.-Plot:...
(1942) - Grand Central MurderGrand Central MurderGrand Central Murder is a comedy/mystery film released in 1942. It was based on Sue MacVeigh's 1939 novel of the same name, and stars Van Heflin as a private investigator who is one of the suspects in a murder on a private train car in Grand Central Terminal. The film was directed by S...
(1942) - Mrs. MiniverMrs. MiniverMrs. Miniver is a fictional character created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns for The Times, later adapted into a movie of the same name.-Origin:...
(1942) - The Falcon's BrotherThe Falcon's BrotherThe Falcon's Brother is a 1942 film in which George Sanders, who had been portraying "The Falcon" in a series of movies, appears with his lookalike brother Tom Conway; the brothers play brothers and Sanders hands off the series to Conway, who plays the new Falcon in nine subsequent films...
(1942) - Cat PeopleCat PeopleCat People is a 1942 horror film produced by Val Lewton and directed by Jacques Tourneur. DeWitt Bodeen wrote the original screenplay which was based on Val Lewton's short story The Bagheeta published in 1930. The film stars Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph and Tom Conway.Cat People was...
(1942) - The Falcon Strikes BackThe Falcon Strikes BackThe Falcon Strikes Back is a 1943 American crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Cast:* Tom Conway as Tom Lawrence* Harriet Hilliard as Gwynne Gregory* Jane Randolph as Marcia Brooks* Edgar Kennedy as Smiley Dugan* Cliff Edwards as Goldie Locke...
(1943) - I Walked with a ZombieI Walked with a ZombieI Walked with a Zombie is a 1943 horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur. It was the second horror film from producer Val Lewton for RKO Pictures; the first was the very successful Cat People, also directed by Tourneur...
(1943) - The Falcon in Danger (1943)
- The Seventh VictimThe Seventh VictimThe Seventh Victim is a 1943 horror and film noir starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter , and Hugh Beaumont, directed by Mark Robson, and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictures...
(1943) - The Falcon and the Co-eds (1943)
- The Falcon Out West (1944)
- A Night of Adventure (1944)
- The Falcon in Mexico (1944)
- The Falcon in Hollywood (1944)
- Two O'Clock CourageTwo O'Clock CourageTwo O'Clock Courage is an American film noir directed by Anthony Mann and written by Robert E. Kent, based on story written by Gelett Burgess...
(1945) - The Falcon in San Francisco (1945)
- Whistle Stop (1946)
- The Falcon's Alibi (1946)
- Criminal Court (1946)
- The Falcon's Adventure (1946)
- Lost HoneymoonLost Honeymoon- Cast :*Franchot Tone as Johnny Gray*Ann Richards as Amy Atkins / Tillie Gray*Tom Conway as Dr. Robert "Bob" Davis*Frances Rafferty as Lois Evans*Clarence Kolb as Mr. Evans *Una O'Connor as Mrs. Tubbs*Winston Severn as Johnny Gray Jr....
(1947) - Fun on a Weekend (1947)
- Repeat PerformanceRepeat PerformanceRepeat Performance is a film of the film noir style. It combines elements of a 1940s drama with a science fiction twist. The film was released by Poverty Row studio Eagle-Lion Films and directed by Alfred L. Werker.- Plot :...
(1947) - The Challenge (1948)
- 13 Lead Soldiers (1948)
- The Checkered Coat (1948)
- One Touch of VenusOne Touch of VenusOne Touch of Venus is a musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the novella The Tinted Venus by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygmalion myth. The show satirizes contemporary American suburban values,...
(1948) - Bungalow 13 (1948)
- I Cheated the Law (1949)
- The Great Plane Robbery (1950)
- Painting the Clouds with Sunshine (1951)
- Bride of the GorillaBride of the GorillaBride of the Gorilla is a 1951 B-movie film directed by Curt Siodmak and starring Raymond Burr, Lon Chaney Jr. and Barbara Payton. The pre-release working title was The Face in the Water.-Plot:...
(1951)
- Confidence Girl (1952)
- Peter PanPeter Pan (1953 film)Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
(1953) – voice only - Tarzan and the She-DevilTarzan and the She-DevilTarzan and the She-Devil is a 1953 film starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Joyce MacKenzie as Jane. It also features Raymond Burr, Tom Conway and Monique van Vooren, who plays the "She-Devil," a colorful name for a female villain. The movie was directed by Kurt Neumann. Tarzan is held captive...
(1953) - Park Plaza 605Park Plaza 605Park Plaza 605 is a 1953 British crime film. A B movie, it starred Tom Conway, Eva Bartok and Sid James. It was based on the Norman Conquest series of novels by Berkeley Gray, the film sees a private investigator summoned to room 605 of the Park Plaza Hotel to meet a mysterious foreign blonde...
(1953) - Blood OrangeBlood Orange (film)Blood Orange is a 1953 British crime film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Tom Conway and Mila Parély.-Cast:* Tom Conway as Tom Conway* Mila Parély as Helen Pascall* Naomi Chance as Gina* Eric Pohlmann as Mr. Mercedes...
(1953) - Paris Model (1953)
- Prince ValiantPrince ValiantPrince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, or simply Prince Valiant, is a long-run comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 3700 Sunday strips...
(1954) - BreakawayBreakaway (1955 film)Breakaway is a 1955 British thriller film directed by Henry Cass from a script by Norman Hudis. It stars Tom Conway, Michael Balfour, Honor Blackman and Arthur Lowe. A Private eye is hot on the tail of a stolen secret formula and a kidnapped young woman....
(1955) - Barbados Quest (1955)
- The She-Creature (1956)
- Death of a ScoundrelDeath of a ScoundrelDeath of a Scoundrel is a 1956 film starring George Sanders, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Yvonne De Carlo. It was written and directed by Charles Martin.Death of a Scoundrel is a fictionalized adaptation of the life and mysterious death of Serge Rubenstein....
(1956) - The Last Man to Hang?The Last Man to Hang?The Last Man to Hang? is a 1956 crime film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Tom Conway and Elizabeth Sellars.-Cast:*Tom Conway as Sir Rodrick Strood*Elizabeth Sellars as Daphne Strood*Eunice Gayson as Elizabeth*Freda Jackson as Mrs. Tucker...
(1956) - Operation Murder (1957)
- Voodoo WomanVoodoo WomanVoodoo Woman is a horror film directed by Edward L. Cahn and released by American International Pictures.-Synopsis:A pair of treasure hunters, which includes the beautiful but ruthless Marilyn Blanchard , discover gold in the voodoo idol of a tribe of the African jungle...
(1957) - The Atomic SubmarineThe Atomic SubmarineThe Atomic Submarine is a 1959 science fiction film starring Arthur Franz, Dick Foran and Brett Halsey, with John Hillard as the voice of the alien. The film was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, the script was adapted by Orville H. Hampton from a short story by Jack Rabin and Irving Block...
(1959) - 12 to the Moon(1960)
- One Hundred and One DalmatiansOne Hundred and One DalmatiansOne Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
(1961) – voice only - What a Way to Go!What a Way to Go!What a Way to Go! is a 1964 American comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Margaret Dumont, Bob Cummings and Dick Van Dyke.-Plot:...
(1964)