Philip Merivale

Philip Merivale (2 November 1886 – 12 March 1946) was an English actor and screenwriter who worked in both stage and film. Born in Rehutia, Manickpur, India, to Walter Merivale (1855–1902), a railway engineer, and Emma Magdalene Merivale (née Pittman; 1854–1940), Merivale spent his early years in several countries as his father's profession took the family to Costa Rica and Barbados, where Walter Merivale served as Manager of the Barbados Railway, before the family eventually settled at Chiswick. His sister Dorothea married Sir Henry Bunbury, who served as Accountant-General of the Post Office.

Merivale established himself as a stage actor before entering the cinema during the silent era, ultimately appearing in twenty films and writing the screenplay for one. His Broadway career spanned from 1910 to 1944 and encompassed a wide range of productions. Among his notable stage roles, he played Henry Higgins in Pygmalion in 1914, John Pendleton in Pollyanna in 1916, Prince Albert in The Swan in 1923, and Hannibal in The Road to Rome in 1927. He starred in Mary of Scotland in 1933, portraying James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, and appeared as George Washington in Valley Forge in 1934. His Broadway work also included Call It a Day, Cynara, the drama Public Relations, and the drama The Duke in Darkness.

Merivale's film career included roles in Trilby (1914), Give Us This Night (1936), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941), Rage in Heaven (1941), Pacific Blackout (1941), This Above All (1942), Crossroads (1942), This Land Is Mine (1943), Lost Angel (1943), The Hour Before the Dawn (1944), The Stranger (1946), and Sister Kenny (1946), the last of which was his final film role. He also received a writing credit for the 1936 film All In.

Merivale was married twice, both times to actresses. His first marriage, to Viva Birkett, lasted from 23 July 1912 until 27 June 1934, and produced four children — two daughters and two sons, including the actor John Merivale. He subsequently married Gladys Cooper on 30 April 1937, a union that continued until his death. Merivale died on 12 March 1946 from a heart ailment at the age of 59.