Cedric Hardwicke

Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned more than five decades, earning him a reputation as one of the most versatile performers of the twentieth century. Born on 19 February 1893 in Lye, Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, he was the son of Edwin Webster Hardwicke and Jessie (née Masterson) and initially pursued a medical education before turning to the theatre, training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). After his first professional appearance at the Lyceum Theatre in 1912, Hardwicke quickly became a fixture of the London stage, excelling in Shakespearean roles such as Malcolm in Macbeth and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, as well as in the works of George Bernard Shaw, whose plays he mastered and for whom Shaw famously named him among his five favorite actors. His stage excellence was recognised when, at the age of 41, he was knighted in the 1934 New Year Honours, making him the youngest actor to receive a knighthood at that time. Hardwicke’s film career began in 1931 and flourished in both British and Hollywood productions; notable performances include David Livingstone in Stanley and Livingstone (1939), the villainous Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), and King Arthur in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949). He also appeared in seminal works such as Les Misérables (1935), Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope (1948), and Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956). Beyond film, he was active on radio, portraying Sherlock Holmes in a BBC adaptation of The Speckled Band, and on television, guest‑starring in series like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. A lifelong heavy smoker, Hardwicke suffered from emphysema and died in New York City on 6 August 1964; his remains were returned to England for cremation at Golders Green. His legacy endures through his memoirs, a public sculpture in Lye, and the Hardwicke Theatre at Thorns School, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.