Leslie Banks

Born on 9 June 1890 in West Derby, Liverpool, Leslie James Banks grew up as the son of George and Emily (née Dalby) Banks and was educated at Glenalmond College before attending Keble College, Oxford with an initial ambition to become a parson. His passion for the stage, however, led him to join Frank Benson’s touring company, where he made his professional debut in October 1911 as Old Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice. After an early tour of North America with Henry V. Esmond and Eva Moore, he returned to London and appeared on the West End at the Vaudeville Theatre in May 1914. The outbreak of the First World War saw him serve in the Essex Regiment, sustaining facial injuries that would later become a distinguishing feature of his screen persona, allowing him to switch between a scar‑free, comic face and a grim, scarred countenance for dramatic roles. Following the war he honed his craft at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and re‑established himself as a leading dramatic actor in London by 1921, earning a reputation for powerful yet restrained performances that attracted trans‑Atlantic attention. His New York engagements brought him to the attention of producer Kenneth Macgowan, who persuaded him to travel to Hollywood, where he made a striking film debut as the villainous General Zaroff in The Most Dangerous Game (1932).

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s Banks became a familiar face in both British and American cinema, remembered most for his gravitas in roles such as the sinister mastermind in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), the charismatic leader in Erich Pommer’s Fire Over England (1937), and the authoritative Chorus in Laurence Olivier’s wartime adaptation of Henry V (1944). He also displayed versatility by playing the eccentric Inspector Anthony Slade in The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939) and the dignified schoolmaster in Goodbye, Mr Chips (1938). In addition to his film work, Banks continued to shine on stage, taking on iconic parts such as Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. Appointed CBE for services to theatre in 1950, he remained active until his sudden death from a stroke while walking in Kensington on 21 April 1952, leaving behind a legacy of distinguished performances across stage and screen.