Austin Trevor

Claude Austin Trevor Schilsky, known professionally as Austin Trevor, was born on 7 October 1897 and died on 22 January 1978 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. An Irish actor, Trevor built a career spanning film, television, and stage work on both sides of the Atlantic.

Trevor's Broadway career extended from 1927 to 1948, encompassing productions including The Patriot, Escape, Once is Enough, and Don't Listen, Ladies. His connection to the Broadway production of Escape was distinctive: he had originated the role of the parson in John Galsworthy's play at its world premiere in London's West End in 1926, and was the sole cast member to cross to New York City for the Broadway staging the following year.

On the West End, Trevor appeared in Noël Coward's Fallen Angels in 1925 and later took the role of Captain August Lutte in Coward's Bitter Sweet, which ran in London from 1929 to 1931. He also appeared in Dodie Smith's Call It a Day in 1935 and Harold Purcell's Her Excellency in 1949.

Trevor holds a notable place in screen history as the first actor to portray Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot in film, appearing in three British productions: Alibi and Black Coffee, both in 1931, and Lord Edgware Dies in 1934. Trevor attributed his casting in the role to his ability to perform with a French accent. He returned to Poirot material decades later in a character part in The Alphabet Murders in 1965.

During the 1960s, Trevor worked extensively in television, taking on roles in series including The First Churchills, in which he portrayed Lord Halifax, and appearing in an episode of the legal drama The Main Chance.