Harry Beresford

Harry Beresford (4 November 1863 – 4 October 1944) was an English-born actor who built a career spanning the American stage and Hollywood film. Born in London to Henry George and Sarah Christie, he began performing in 1885 as a chorus member in Little Jack Sheppard at the Gaiety Theatre in London. He relocated to the United States in 1886 and spent the following three decades working in repertory theatre and with touring companies across the country, including companies of his own. Early in his career he performed under the professional name Harry J. Morgan.

Beresford made his Broadway debut in 1919 in Boys Will Be Boys, which marked his first major success on the New York stage. A starring role in Shavings followed in 1920. In August 1922 he originated the role of Clem Hawley, an alcoholic character in Don Marquis's comedy The Old Soak, a part he continued to play for two years and for which he became widely recognized. His Broadway work continued through the decade with appearances in The Undercurrent, Stolen Fruit (1925), The Perfect Alibi (1928), and Michael and Mary, among other productions, with his Broadway career extending from 1919 to 1929.

Between 1926 and 1938, Beresford appeared in supporting roles in more than 50 Hollywood films. His screen credits include Doctor X (1932), The Sign of the Cross (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), I Cover the Waterfront (1933), David Copperfield (1935), and Follow the Fleet (1936). His final film appearance came in 1938, and he received an original story credit for the 1939 horse racing film Long Shot.

In his personal life, Beresford married actress Emma Dunn on 4 October 1897, in Chicago, at a time when he was still using the name Harry J. Morgan. The marriage ended in divorce on 10 February 1909, in New York City, with Dunn receiving sole custody of their daughter, Dorothy. Dunn also pursued a Hollywood career in her later years, and the two former spouses crossed paths again professionally in 1935 when both were being considered for roles in the same film. In 1936, columnist Jimmie Fidler reported that Beresford, then 72, lost consciousness for two hours while working on an RKO Pictures soundstage and was attended to by Dunn, who was working on a nearby set at the time. Beresford later married actress Edith D. Wylie, who had appeared opposite him in The Other House, and the two remained married for the rest of his life.

Beresford died on 4 October 1944, at his home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, of a heart ailment, and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.