Reginald Denham

Reginald Denham
Portrait of Reginald Denham in the 1920s.
Born	(1894-01-10)10 January 1894 London, England
Died	4 February 1983(1983-02-04) (aged 89) Tenafly, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Writer Theatre actor Film director Producer
Spouse(s)	Moyna Macgill ​ (m. 1919⁠–⁠1924)​ Lilian Oldland Mary Orr ​ (m. 1947)​
Relatives	Tamara Ustinov (granddaughter)

Reginald Denham (10 January 1894 – 4 February 1983) was an English writer, theatre and film director, actor and film producer.

Biography

Reginald H. F. Denham was born in London, England,^[1] in 1894.

He spent a good part of his career directing Broadway theatre, with a career spanning from the melodrama Rope's End (1929) by Patrick Hamilton, to the courtroom drama Hostile Witness (1966). In 1930 he produced the First World War drama Suspense in the West End.^{[citation needed]} He began working in the United States in 1943.^[2]

Denham's marriage to Irish actress Moyna Macgill ended in divorce in 1924. On November 15, 1924, he married English actress Lilian Oldland.^[3] They were divorced, and he married American actress and writer Mary Orr^[1] (from 1947 until his death). While they were married, Denham and Orr were writing partners. His daughter with Macgill, Isolde Denham, married actor Peter Ustinov when they were both 19.^{[citation needed]}

Denham's autobiography, Stars In My Hair, was publshed by Crown Publishers in 1958.^[2]

He died following a stroke in Tenafly, New Jersey.^[1]

Credits

Writer

• Paradies der alten Damen (1971) (TV) (criminal play)
• The Mad Room (1969) (earlier screenplay) (play Ladies in Retirement)
• Lux Video Theatre (2 episodes, 1954–1957)

Dark Hammock (1957) TV episode (play, with Mary Orr)

Ladies in Retirement (1954) TV episode (play, with Mary Orr)

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1 episode, 1956)

Help Wanted (1956) TV episode (adaptation, with Mary Orr)

• The Motorola Television Hour (1 episode, 1954)

A Dash of Bitters (1954) TV episode (teleplay, with Mary Orr)

• Broadway Television Theatre (1 episode, 1952)

Suspect (1952) TV episode (play, with Mary Orr)

• Mr. & Mrs. North (1952) TV series (unknown episodes)
• Suspense (4 episodes, 1949–1950)

The Suicide Club (1950) TV episode

Help Wanted (1949) TV episode (with Mary Orr)

Murder Through the Looking Glass (1949) TV episode (teleplay)

Dead Ernest (1949) TV episode

• Wallflower (1944) (play, with Mary Orr)^[4]
• Ladies in Retirement (1941) (play) (screenplay)
• Suspect (1939) (TV)
• Trunk Crime (1939) (play)
• Calling the Tune (1936)
• Ebb Tide (1932)
• Hombre que asesinó, El (1931) (adaptation)
• Stamboul (1931)

Director

• Blind Folly (1940)
• Flying Fifty-Five (1939)
• Kate Plus Ten (1938)

a.k.a. Queen of Crime (USA)

a.k.a. The Vanishing Train (USA: TV title)

• Dreams Come True (1936)
• The House of the Spaniard (1936)
• Calling the Tune (1936)
• The Crimson Circle (1936)
• Lucky Days (1935)
• The Silent Passenger (1935)
• The Village Squire (1935)
• The Price of Wisdom (1935)
• Lieut. Daring R.N. (1935)

a.k.a. Lieutenant Daring R.N.

• Borrow a Million (1934)
• Death at Broadcasting House (1934)

a.k.a. Death at a Broadcast (USA)

a.k.a. Death of a Broadcast

• The Primrose Path (1934)
• Brides to Be (1934)
• Lucky Loser (1934)
• Called Back (1933)
• The Jewel (1933)

Producer

• The Primrose Path (1934)
• Brides to Be (1934)

Actor

• Nothing Else Matters as Flash Harry (1920)

References

1. "Reginald Denham, 89; playwright€ actor, longtime theatrical director". The Boston Globe. 8 February 1993. p. 61. Retrieved 23 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Martin, Boyd (9 December 1958). "Denham's Biography Out". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. p. Section 2, page 3. Retrieved 23 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Stage Wedding: Moyna MacGill's former husband marries again". The Weekly Dispatch. England, London. 16 November 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 23 August 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Ohioana-authors.org". www.ohioana-authors.org.

External links

• Reginald Denham at IMDb
• Reginald Denham at the Internet Broadway Database
• "Reginald Denham by Sasha (Alexander Stewart) bromide print, 1920s". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 7 February 2022.