Herbert Bunston

Herbert Bunston (15 April 1874 – 27 February 1935) was an English stage and screen actor born in Charmouth who attended Cranleigh School in Surrey before pursuing a career in acting. In 1898 he married Emily Fox Chaffey (1866–1939), with whom he had two children, Margaret and John. Bunston emigrated to the United States in 1922, and his Broadway career spanned from 1903 to 1927.

Bunston's first Broadway appearance following his emigration was in Arthur Wing Pinero's The Enchanted Cottage in 1923. Shorter-running engagements in That Awful Mrs. Eaton and Simon Called Peter, both in 1924, preceded what became a critically noticed turn in Young Woodley in 1925, a production that ran for 260 performances. On 5 October 1927, Bunston opened in the Broadway production of Dracula, playing Dr. John Seward opposite Bela Lugosi. His Broadway credits also include the 1903 production Drink.

The success Bunston achieved on stage led to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. From 1929 to 1935 he appeared in mainly character roles across more than 30 films. In 1931 he reprised the role of Dr. John Seward in the film adaptation of Dracula, the same role that had defined his later Broadway career. Bunston died of a heart attack on 27 February 1935.