Herbert Rawlinson

Herbert Banemann Rawlinson was born on 15 November 1885 in New Brighton, Cheshire, England, the son of Robert Theodore Rawlinson and his wife Emily, one of four sons and three daughters in the family. He went on to build a career spanning stage, film, radio, and television across several decades.

Rawlinson sailed to America on the same ship as Charlie Chaplin and established himself as a leading man during Hollywood's silent film era. Following the advent of sound films, he transitioned into character roles in the talkies. Later in his career he appeared in Ed Wood's 1954 crime drama Jail Bait, one of his final screen appearances before his death from lung cancer on 12 July 1953. In recognition of his contributions to the motion picture industry, Rawlinson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6150 Hollywood Blvd, dedicated on 8 February 1960.

Alongside his film and broadcast work, Rawlinson maintained a presence on the Broadway stage between 1929 and 1934. His New York credits included the plays Baby Pompadour, When Ladies Meet, Right of Happiness, She Means Business, and City Haul.

In his personal life, Rawlinson married Roberta Arnold in 1917; the marriage ended in divorce in 1923, with desertion cited as the cause. He married Loraine Abigail Long in 1924, and that marriage also ended in divorce in 1927. He was subsequently married to Josephine Norman, who preceded him in death on 24 January 1951. Rawlinson died in 1953.