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James Stephenson (actor)

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James Stephenson
Featured in trailer for The Letter (1940)
Born
James Albert Stephenson

(1889-04-14)14 April 1889
Selby, West Riding of Yorkshire,[1] England
Died29 July 1941(1941-07-29) (aged 52)
Pacific Palisades, California, US
OccupationActor
Years active1937–1941
SpouseLorna Anderson Stephenson

James Albert Stephenson (14 April 1889 – 29 July 1941) was a British stage and film actor. He took up film acting at 49 and after a typically slow start delivered an Academy Award-nominated performance in the William Wyler-directed melodrama, The Letter in 1940. The roles offered to Stephenson dramatically improved following this performance, but he died just a year later at 52.

Early life

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Stephenson was the son of chemist and druggist John G. Stephenson and his wife Emma. He grew up in the West Riding of Yorkshire and Burnley, Lancashire, with his brothers, Alan and Norman. He became a bank clerk and later had a career as a merchant. In the 1930s, he emigrated to the United States and took U.S. nationality in 1938.

Career

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After acting on the stage, Stephenson made his film debut in 1937 at age 48, initially making films in Britain. Warner Bros. signed him the following year, and he began playing urbane villains and disgraced gentlemen.[2] His big break came when director William Wyler cast him as a conscience-stricken lawyer, in spite of studio resistance, in The Letter (1940), opposite Bette Davis.[3] He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role.[4] Later that year, he played the title role in Calling Philo Vance.[5] In 1941 he was first-billed in Shining Victory, in which he played the character of Dr. Paul Venner.[6]

Just as Stephenson's acting career was starting to rise, he died of a heart attack at the age of 52.[7] He is interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park.[8]

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Before 1 April 1974 Selby was in the West Riding of Yorkshire
  2. ^ "James Stephenson – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie". AllMovie.
  3. ^ "Overview for James Stephenson". tcm.com. 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  4. ^ Bergman, Paul; Asimow, Michael (1 April 2006). Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 9780740754609 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Calling Philo Vance (1940)". Archived from the original on 9 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Shining Victory (1941) – Irving Rapper – Cast and Crew – AllMovie". AllMovie.
  7. ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (1 May 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. ISBN 9780786450190 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 71. ISBN 9780786450190. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
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