Lennox Pawle

John Lennox Pawle was born on 27 April 1872 in Marylebone, Middlesex, the son of John Christopher Pawle, a London solicitor, and his wife Maria. Before pursuing a career in performance, Pawle worked as a newspaper reporter. He subsequently trained at Sarah Thorne's Dramatic School and built his early reputation as a comic actor on the London stage, where he was recognized in that capacity before the turn of the century. He eventually became a member of Maude Adams's Playhouse company.

Pawle arrived in the United States in 1910 and began working on Broadway, where his career spanned from that year through 1932. His Broadway credits include the plays Collision, Mima, The Matrimonial Bed, The Harem, and the musical Simple Simon, among other productions. He returned to England in 1914, having married Dorothy Parker during that period. This was his second, and possibly third, marriage, following a divorce from Janet Mary Pawle granted in 1909. Pawle remained in England throughout the First World War before returning to Broadway in 1919 to appear in André Messager's operetta Monsieur Beaucaire. He remained active on Broadway throughout the 1920s while also appearing in silent films during that era.

Pawle resumed his film career in 1929 and went on to appear in a number of Hollywood productions during the 1930s. He is perhaps most recognized by contemporary audiences for his portrayal of Mr. Dick in George Cukor's 1935 adaptation of David Copperfield. Pawle died in Los Angeles on 22 February 1936 at the age of 63, one year after that film's release.