Skelton Knaggs

Skelton Barnaby Knaggs (27 June 1911 – 30 April 1955) was an English stage and film actor born in the Hillsborough district of Sheffield, England. After relocating to London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to work as a Shakespearean actor, including a stage appearance in Shakespeare's Cymbeline.

Knaggs appeared in British films before establishing himself in Hollywood as a character actor. His early film work included an uncredited role as a German orderly in Michael Powell's The Spy in Black. His physical appearance — diminutive in stature, with a strongly featured pock-marked face — along with his English Midlands provincial accent made him a distinctive presence on screen, and he was frequently cast in sinister roles, particularly in horror films. His Hollywood credits ranged from small uncredited parts to more prominent roles, among them the Sherlock Holmes thriller Terror by Night, the monster ensemble film House of Dracula, and three productions for Val Lewton, including The Ghost Ship. In The Ghost Ship, Knaggs provided a voice-over narration representing the inner thoughts of his character, a mute seaman. His final film appearance was in Fritz Lang's period adventure Moonfleet, based on J. Meade Falkner's novel of the same name.

His Broadway career spanned 1942 to 1944 and included two productions: the drama Heart of a City and the play Hand in Glove. In 1949, while back in London, Knaggs married Thelma Crawshaw before returning to Hollywood.

Knaggs died on 30 April 1955 in Los Angeles at the age of 43 from cirrhosis of the liver. He was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.