Henry Stephenson

Born Harry Stephenson Garraway on 16 April 1871 in Grenada, British West Indies, Henry Stephenson emerged as one of the most recognizable character actors of the early twentieth‑century screen, celebrated for his dignified portrayals of wise, respectable gentlemen. After an education in England, he began acting in his twenties, making a successful transition from the British stage to the bustling Broadway scene, where his debut came in 1901 as a messenger in A Message from Mars alongside Charles Hawtrey, and he would eventually appear in more than thirty Broadway productions, including the long‑running Cynara in 1931‑1932. Stephenson’s film career launched with a silent debut in 1917, yet it was the arrival of sound that cemented his niche; his refined British bearing made him a natural choice for roles such as Sir Joseph Banks in the Oscar‑winning Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and the kindly Mr Brownlow in David Lean’s Oliver Twist (1948). Throughout the 1930s and 1940s he became a fixture in Hollywood, contributing to classics like Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, often portraying paternal mentors or authoritative figures opposite stars such as Errol Flynn. In addition to his historical parts, he demonstrated versatility in literary adaptations, appearing as the benevolent lawyer Havisham in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) and the dignified Mr Laurence in Little Women (1933). Though principally cast in genteel roles, Stephenson occasionally explored darker territory, notably as the snobbish Mr Bryant in Mr Lucky (1943). His prolific output includes ninety films between 1917 and 1951, supplemented by a handful of television appearances before his retirement in 1950, after which he withdrew from the stage following his performance as Cardinal Gaspar de Quiroga in That Lady. Stephenson’s personal life was marked by two marriages, first to Australian actress Roxy Barton in 1906, with whom he had a daughter, actress Jean Harriet Stephenson, and later to American actress Ann Shoemaker. He passed away on 24 April 1956 in San Francisco, California, at the age of eighty‑five, leaving a legacy of grace and gravitas that continues to enrich classic cinema.