Hugh Dempster

Hugh Dempster (3 August 1900 – 30 April 1987) was a British theatre and film actor born in London, England. Over the course of his career he appeared in more than 60 films and accumulated several dozen stage productions, with a Broadway presence that spanned thirty-six years.

Dempster made his stage debut in 1920 and entered the film industry during the silent era. His screen work ranged across decades and included such titles as Anna Karenina, The Winslow Boy, The Fan, Scrooge, Vice Versa, The House Across the Lake, and The Ghost Train. Among his earlier film appearances were The Great Well in 1924, Lord Babs in 1932, and the 1938 productions Crackerjack and Marigold. His later film credits included Anna Karenina in 1948, Flesh and Blood in 1951, Happy Go Lovely in 1951, and Scrooge in 1951. During World War II he served in the Royal Air Force.

On Broadway, Dempster first appeared in 1929 in Rope's End, a melodrama written by Patrick Hamilton. His Broadway career also included the production My Fair Ladies. In 1965 he returned to Broadway to replace Peter Sallis in the role of Dr. Watson in Baker Street, a musical inspired by the Sherlock Holmes stories. That final Broadway appearance came thirty-six years after his debut. Dempster died in Chicago, Illinois, on 30 April 1987.