Roger Livesey

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Roger Livesey
Livesey in the 1943 film The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Born(1906-06-25)25 June 1906
Barry, Wales
Died4 February 1976(1976-02-04) (aged 69)
Watford, England
OccupationActor
Years active1921–1975
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1937; died 1973)​

Roger Livesey (25 June 1906 – 4 February 1976) was a British stage and film actor. He is most often remembered for the three Powell & Pressburger films in which he starred: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, I Know Where I'm Going! and A Matter of Life and Death. Tall and broad with a mop of chestnut hair, Livesey used his highly distinctive husky voice, gentle manner and athletic physique to create many notable roles in his theatre and film work.

Early life

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Livesey was born in Barry, Wales, son of actor Joseph Livesey (1880-1911) and Mary Catherine ("Cassie"), née Edwards.[1] It had previously been believed and reported that his father was in fact Joseph's brother, actor Samuel Livesey, to whom Mary Catherine Edwards was married after Joseph's death. Her sister was Samuel Livesey's first wife.[citation needed] Roger Livesey was educated at Westminster City School, London.[2]

Acting career

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Roger Livesey and his canine co-star in the Theatre Guild production Storm Over Patsy (1937)

Livesey studied under Italia Conti.[3][4] His first stage role was as the office boy in Loyalty at St James's Theatre in 1917.[5] He then appeared in a wide range of productions from Shakespeare to modern comedies.[6] He played various roles in the West End from 1920 to 1926, toured the West Indies and South Africa, and then returned to join the Old Vic/Sadler's Wells company from September 1932 until May 1934.[7] In 1936 he appeared in New York City in Wycherley's comedy The Country Wife.[8] While in New York he married actress Ursula Jeans, whom he had known previously in England[9] (Livesey's sister Maggie was already married to Ursula Jeans' brother Desmond).[10]

At the outbreak of the Second World War Livesey and Jeans were among the first volunteers to entertain the troops.[11] He then applied for flying duties in the Royal Air Force but due to his age was rejected.[12] Instead he worked in an aircraft factory at Desford aerodrome near Leicester to "do his bit for the war effort".[13]

Livesey was chosen by Michael Powell to play the lead in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) after Powell was denied his original choice, Laurence Olivier (Winston Churchill had objected to the film and the Fleet Air Arm refused to release Olivier, who had been a Hollywood film star before returning to England to take a Navy commission).[14][15] The film was shown in New York and established Livesey's international reputation as a talented character actor.[16] In 1945, he was the first choice for the male lead role in Brief Encounter, which in the end went to Trevor Howard.[17]

He toured Australia from 1956 to 1958 playing Jimmy Broadbent in The Reluctant Debutante[18] and continued playing many theatrical roles during his film career until 1969.[19] One of his last roles was as the Duke of St Bungay in The Pallisers television series.[20] His final television appearance was in the series Benjamin Franklin in 1975.[21]

Death

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Memorial plaque in St Paul's, Covent Garden to Livesey and his wife Ursula Jeans

Livesey died in Watford from colorectal cancer at the age of 69 on 4 February 1976. He shares a memorial plaque with his wife Ursula Jeans in the actors' church St Paul's in Covent Garden.

Livesey family

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Brothers Joseph and Samuel Livesey married, respectively, sisters Margaret Ann Edwards (in 1900) and Mary Catherine Edwards (in 1905).[22] Following the deaths of Joseph in 1911 and Margaret Ann in 1913, Samuel Livesey married Mary Catherine.[23] The four children from both first marriages, in addition to the daughter born in 1915 of the second marriage, were all raised as one large family.[24]

The family tree was further complicated when Roger Livesey married the actress Ursula Jeans, whose brother, Desmond Jeans, was already married to Roger's sister, Maggie.[25]

Many of the family formed a touring company of actors, performing in regional theatres and from the back of an old wagon, one side of which could be dropped to form a stage. This peripatetic lifestyle meant they did not regard themselves as particularly Welsh, or English.[26]

Roger EdwardsMary DavidThomas Carter LiveseyMary Wright
Margaret AnnSam LiveseyMary CatherineJoseph Livesey
Jack LiveseyBarrie LiveseyStella LiveseyRoger LiveseyUrsula JeansDesmond JeansMaggie Livesey

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1921 The Four Feathers Harry Faversham Child role
1921 Where the Rainbow Ends Cubby the Lion Cub Uncredited
1923 Married Love Henry Burrows
1931 East Lynne on the Western Front Sandy
1933 A Cuckoo in the Nest Alfred
1933 The Veteran of Waterloo Sergeant MacDonald Short film
1934 Blind Justice Gilbert Jackson
1934 Lorna Doone Tom Faggus
1935 The Price of Wisdom Peter North
1935 Midshipman Easy Captain Wilson
1936 Rembrandt Beggar Saul
1938 The Drum Capt. Carruthers
1938 The Rebel Son Peter Bulba
1938 Keep Smiling Bert Wattle
1940 Spies of the Air Charles Houghton
1940 The Girl in the News Bill Mather
1943 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Clive Candy Lead role
1945 I Know Where I'm Going! Torquil MacNeil Lead role
1946 A Matter of Life and Death Doctor Frank Reeves
1948 Vice Versa Paul Bultitude / Dick Bultitude Dual role
1949 That Dangerous Age Sir Brian Brooke
1951 Green Grow the Rushes Capt. Cedric Biddle
1953 The Master of Ballantrae Col. Francis Burke
1956 The Intimate Stranger Ben Case
1958 The Stowaway Major Owens [27]
1958 It Happened in Broad Daylight Professor Manz English version, voice
1960 The League of Gentlemen Mycroft
1960 Upgreen – And at Em – Short film
1960 The Entertainer Billy Rice
1961 By Invitation Only Phillip Gordon-Davies TV film
1961 No My Darling Daughter General Henry Barclay
1964 Of Human Bondage Thorpe Athelny
1965 The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders Drunken Parson
1968 Oedipus the King Shepherd
1969 Hamlet First Player / Gravedigger
1970 Futtocks End The Artist Short film
1971 Justice Uncle George Episode: "To Help an Old School Friend"
1974 The Pallisers Duke of St Bungay TV serial

Vocal work

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In 1958, he, Judith Furse, Terry-Thomas, Rita Webb, Avril Angers and Miles Malleson, recorded Indian Summer of an Uncle, and Jeeves Takes Charge for the Caedmon Audio record label, (Caedmon Audio TC-1137). It was re-released in stereo in 1964.

References

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  1. ^ "Livesey, Roger (1906–1976)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/60311. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ The Great Stage Stars, by Sheridan Morley, Facts on File Publications, 1986, p. 235
  3. ^ Actor's bio, Theatre Programme, "Oh Clarence", Grand Theatre, Leeds, December 1970.
  4. ^ Higham, Charles (1973). The Films of Michael Powell and the Archers. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520022933. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  5. ^ Palmer, Scott (1981). A Who's Who of British Film Actors. The Scarecrow Press. p. 307.
  6. ^ "Roger Livesey, Stage and Screen Star". The New York Times. 5 February 1976.
  7. ^ Morley, Shirley (1983). The Old Vic 1914–1934. Faber & Faber.
  8. ^ "Roger Livesey". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  9. ^ A Who's Who of British Film Actors, by Scott Palmer, The Scarecrow Press 1981 p. 307
  10. ^ "Miss Ursula Jeans Wed". The Guardian. 16 January 1936.
  11. ^ McFarlane, Brian (2003). The Encyclopedia of British Film. BFI/Methuen.
  12. ^ "Roger Livesey Biography". AllMovie. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  13. ^ Low, Rachael (1997). History of the British Film, 1929–1939. Routledge.
  14. ^ Chapman, James. "'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' reconsidered". The Powell & Pressburger Pages. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  15. ^ "Film: 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'". BFI. 12 June 2015.
  16. ^ "The Screen in Review". The New York Times. 12 April 1945.
  17. ^ A Brief Encounter with Carnforth Station Archived 9 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Livesey in Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 March 1956.
  19. ^ Palmer, Scott (1981). A Who's Who of British Film Actors. The Scarecrow Press. p. 307.
  20. ^ "The Pallisers Cast & Crew". BFI. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Benjamin Franklin (TV Mini Series 1974)". IMDb. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  22. ^ Palmer, Scott (1981). A Who's Who of British Film Actors. The Scarecrow Press. p. 307.
  23. ^ "Obituary: Sam Livesey". The Times. 25 December 1936.
  24. ^ McFarlane, Brian (2003). The Encyclopedia of British Film. BFI/Methuen.
  25. ^ "Miss Ursula Jeans Wed". The Guardian. 16 January 1936.
  26. ^ Morley, Shirley (1983). The Old Vic 1914–1934. Faber & Faber.
  27. ^ Vagg, Stephen (22 June 2025). "The films of Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty Part 5: The Stowaway". Filmink. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
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