Sam Livesey

Samuel Livesey was born on 14 October 1873 in Flintshire, Wales, and died on 7 November 1936. He worked as both a stage and film actor across a career that spanned several decades.

Livesey came from a theatrical family. His father, Thomas, had worked as a railway engineer before establishing a travelling theatre with his wife Mary. The couple raised six children, all of whom grew up working in the theatre. Following Thomas's death in 1893, Mary opened a purpose-built venue, the Prince of Wales theatre in Mexborough, where the family continued to perform in stage and touring productions.

In 1900, Livesey married actress Margaret Ann Edwards. The couple had two children, Jack and Barry Livesey, both of whom became actors. His brother Joseph married Margaret Ann's sister, Mary Catherine Edwards, in 1905. By 1913, both Joseph and Margaret Ann had died. Livesey subsequently married Mary Catherine and adopted her son Roger, his nephew, as his own child. Roger Livesey went on to build a prominent career as a stage and screen actor. Sam and Mary Catherine also had a daughter together in 1915, whom they named Stella.

Livesey appeared on Broadway in 1921 in the play Bulldog Drummond. His stage work was part of a broader career that extended into film, encompassing both the silent and sound eras. He frequently portrayed authority figures on screen, including a cuckolded headmaster in Young Woodley, a dictatorial father in Maisie's Marriage, and various police inspectors and military officers. Alfred Hitchcock cast him as the Chief Inspector in the original silent version of Blackmail, though when a sound version was subsequently produced, the role was recast with Harvey Braban.

Livesey collaborated with director Anthony Asquith on Moscow Nights and worked with producer Alexander Korda on several productions, including Dark Journey and a cameo appearance in The Private Life of Henry VIII. He appeared alongside his stepson Roger in Rembrandt, also produced by Korda. Sam and Roger had previously shared the screen in the 1923 silent film Maisie's Marriage, in which they played father and son. In 1935, Livesey appeared in the film revue Variety, directed by Adrian Brunel, alongside his wife Mary Catherine and his sons Jack and Barry, with the family collectively portraying the Boyd family. Among his final screen roles was Mr. Tulliver in The Mill on the Floss, with James Mason playing his son Tom.