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{{short description|English actor}} {{Short description|English actor (1888–1946)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}

{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| name = Miles Mander | name = Miles Mander
| image = Miles Mander in The Little Princess.jpg | image = Miles Mander Londoners 1922.jpg
| caption = Mander in '']'' (1939) | caption = Miles Mander in about 1922
| birthname = Lionel Henry Mander | birthname = Lionel Henry Mander
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1888|5|14}} | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1888|5|14}}
| birth_place = ], ], England | birth_place = ], Staffordshire, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1946|2|8|1888|5|14}} | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1946|2|8|1888|5|14}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting_place = Ocean View Burial Park, ], ], Canada
| othername = Luther Miles | othername = Luther Miles
| yearsactive = 1920–1946 | yearsactive = 1920–1946
| spouse = {{Plainlist| | spouse = {{Plainlist|
* Princess Pratibha Devi * {{marriage|Princess Prativa Devi|1912}}
* {{marriage|Kathleen French|1923}}}} * {{marriage|Kathleen French|1923}}}}
| children = 1 | children = 1
}} }}
'''Miles Mander''' (born '''Lionel Henry Mander'''; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as '''Luther Miles'''.


'''Miles Mander''' (born '''Lionel Henry Mander'''; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor, writer, director and producer in the post-war period of early British cinema during the 1920s to mid-1930s, as well as a playwright and novelist.
==Early life==
Miles Mander was the second son of Theodore Mander, builder of ], of the prominent ], industrialists and public servants of ], ], England. He was the younger brother of <!-- Not knighted until New Year's Honours, 1945. -->], the Liberal ]. He was educated at ], ] (The Grove House 1901- Easter 1903), Loretto School (in Canada)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-press-release-bfi-london-film-festival-archive-gala-screening-world-premiere-of-bfi-national-archive-restoration-the-first-born-1928-dir-miles-mander-2011-09-29.pdf |title=The First Born (1928) dir. Miles Mander: Rediscovery of a stunning late 1920s melodrama |publisher=] |access-date=24 September 2018}}</ref> and ] in ]. But he soon broke away from the predictable mould of business and philanthropy. He was an early aviator, a captain in the ] in ]. He spent his twenties in New Zealand farming sheep, with his uncle, Martin Mander.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32902836 |title=Miles Mander |newspaper=] |location=Perth |date=6 November 1935 |access-date=19 February 2012 |page=19 |via=]}}</ref>


From a privileged upper middle-class background, as a young man Mander engaged in motor sports, aviation and ballooning. In ] he served in France with tethered ] used for military observation. From 1920 to 1936 Mander was involved in the British film industry in various capacities. He acted in both silent and sound films and was involved with several film production companies. He began writing screenplays and directing in the mid-1920s, working on early ]. Mander directed his first feature film in 1928. With the advent of sound films he established an international reputation as a character actor. After directing '']'' in Australia in 1936, Mander lived and worked in ], where he was cast in over 60 feature films until his death in 1946.
==Film career==
Miles Mander entered the British film industry as a writer, producer, and actor, often working with ]. In 1925, he appeared in two ] productions: ''The Prude's Fall'' (1925) and ''The Pleasure Garden'' (1926). The former was ] last film as an assistant director to ] and the latter was Hitchcock's directorial debut. In 1926–7 he made a series of pioneering sound films.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/oct/27/miles-mander-sound-films |title=Miles Mander: the true pioneer of sound films |first=Henry K |last=Miller |work=] |location=London |date=2011-10-27 |access-date=2019-11-19}}</ref> Later he collaborated with ], Hitchcock's wife, on the script of '']'' (1928), his feature debut as director, in which he co-starred with ]. Carroll reappeared in his third film, '']'' (1931).


==Biography==
Mander is better remembered for his character portrayals of oily villains, many of them English gentlemen or upper crust cads – such as ] in the musical film '']'' (1939), a spoof in which the ] played lackeys who substituted for the real Musketeers. In his Hollywood debut, he had portrayed King ] in the much more serious 1935 version of that same ] classic. One of his meatiest performances came as a dual role in the 1939 serial '']'', in which he played both a kindly industrialist and the ruthless villain who impersonates him (played "out of makeup" by ]). Other famous film credits included '']'' (1939) with ] and ], in which he played Mr. Lockwood, the new tenant at the Grange, who is told the story of Cathy and Heathcliff. In the English version of ]'s '']'' (1933), he played the Duke who invites Don Quixote and Sancho Panza to his castle, and in the original '']'' (1942), he was one of the two British officers to whom ] first reveals his suspicions about the treacherous Professor Siletsky (]).


==Personal life== ===Early life===
]'' (1937)]]


Lionel Henry Mander was born on 14 May 1888 at ] in ], the second son of S. Theodore Mander and Flora (''née'' Paint). The family lived at ]; his father was a paint manufacturer who served as mayor of Wolverhampton, a member of the prominent ], industrialists and public servants of the ] region.<ref>'Deaths', ''The Times'' (London), 17 September 1900, page 1.</ref><ref name=burke>Charles Mosley (editor), ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes (Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2589, sub Mander baronetcy of the Mount , cr. 1911.</ref>{{Ref|NoteA|}} His father died in September 1900, when Lionel was aged twelve, and his mother died in April 1905.<ref name=ancestry>Family records, Ancestry.com.</ref>
His first wife was ], a princess of ]. She was the daughter of ] ] and ] ] of Cooch Behar and paternal aunt of ], Maharani of Jaipur.


From 1901 to early 1903 Mander was educated at ] in ], where he resided at ] ].{{Ref|NoteB|}} After leaving Harrow Mander was educated in ], where his mother had family connections. He attended the Loretto School and ] in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-press-release-bfi-london-film-festival-archive-gala-screening-world-premiere-of-bfi-national-archive-restoration-the-first-born-1928-dir-miles-mander-2011-09-29.pdf |title=The First Born (1928) dir. Miles Mander: Rediscovery of a stunning late 1920s melodrama |publisher=] |access-date=24 September 2018}}</ref><ref name=Londoners>'', ''Notable Londoners, an Illustrated Who's Who of Professional and Business Men'' (1922), London: London Publishing Agency, page 66; accessed 11 October 2024.</ref> Mander had early acting experience in musical comedy, including tours in Canada and the United States.<ref name=Londoners/>
His second wife was Kathleen ('Bunty') French, of Sydney, Australia, by whom he had a son, Theodore,<ref>Mosley, Charles, editor, ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes (Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2589, sub Mander baronetcy of the Mount , cr. 1911.</ref> to whom he dedicated a book of memoirs and advice, ''To My Son—in Confidence'' (1934). He died suddenly of a heart attack at the ] restaurant in Los Angeles, aged 57.

===Aviation and motoring===

By 1907 Mander was employed as a mechanic in the ] workshops in London. He showed an early interest in driving automobiles at speed and was a competitor in the first race meeting at the motor racing circuit at Brooklands, near ] in ], the first purpose-built 'banked' racing track which opened in June 1907. Mander drove a 60 horse-power Mercedes on the Brooklands racing circuit.<ref name=DTfeb1936>, ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Sydney), 13 February 1936, page 4.</ref><ref name=Londoners/>

In 1908 Mander visited his uncle Martin Mander in ] and for a short period took up sheep farming on his uncle's station.<ref name=obit>'Mr. Miles Mander' (obituary), ''The Times'' (London), 11 February 1946, page 6.</ref><ref>, ''The West Australian'' (Perth), 11 February 1946, page 6.</ref> Martin Mander had emigrated to New Zealand in 1890 and established the 'Horoeka-Waimata' sheep station in the ], near ] on the north-east coast of New Zealand's North Island.<ref name=ancestry/> In early 1909 Lionel Mander lived briefly in Australia.<ref name=WA>, '']'', 6 November 1935, page 19.</ref> He left Australia aboard the ''R.M.S. India'', which departed from Sydney for London in May 1909.<ref>, ''Evening News'' (Sydney), 7 May 1909, page 7.</ref>

]

After returning to Britain Mander took an interest in aviation. He attended ]'s pilot training school at ] in southern France and purchased a ] ].<ref name=WWBA>, ''Grace's Guide To British Industrial History'' website; accessed 12 October 2024.</ref> In early 1910 Mander took flying lessons with ] at the ] aerodrome (adjoining the motor racing circuit). His aircraft crashed at Brooklands requiring a new wing to be fitted. In May 1910 a man named Alfred Hooper was riding his bicycle to work when a car driven by Mander "ran into him and knocked him down". Mander was living at Wolverhampton at the time. Hooper was injured to such an extent that he was absent from work for twelve weeks. In October 1910 he was awarded £60 damages in a ] court.<ref>'Damages for Motor-Car Collisions', ''The Times'' (London), 8 October 1910, page 12.</ref> Mander was an entrant in the first all-British aviation meeting at Dunstall Park in Wolverhampton, held from 27 June to 2 July 1910.<ref>'British Aviation', ''Evening Standard'' (London), 27 June 1910, page 14.</ref> He was one of four novice pilots yet to receive their aviator's certificate from the ], necessary for participation in the events. In the end Mander did not qualify in time and had to withdraw. On the second day of the meeting strong winds demolished Mander's temporary canvas hangar housing his monoplane.<ref>, ''The First Air Races'' website; accessed 12 October 2024.</ref>

Mander invested in Grahame-White's company that developed the ] in London.<ref name=obit/><ref name=DTfeb1936/> Mander also engaged in boxing promotions during this period.<ref name=guardian>Henry K. Miller (2011), , ''The Guardian'', 28 October 2011; accessed 14 October 2024.</ref>

On 21 February 1912 Mander and ] were married at ] in India.<ref name=TT8jun1921>'Law Report, June 7: High Court of Justice', ''The Times'' (London), 8 June 1921, page 5.</ref> Prativa was an Indian princess of the ] of ], ], the second daughter of ] ] and ] ] of Cooch Behar.<ref>, ''The Sun'' (Sydney), 8 April 1914, page 5.</ref><ref>, ''Sunday Times'' (Sydney), 31 March 1912, page 29.</ref> The couple celebrated their marriage at the residence of the bride's father, dressed in Indian costume and married in the Hindu ] rites.<ref>Rachael Lennon (2023), ''Wedded Wife: A Feminist History of Marriage'', United Kingdom: Aurum, page 98.</ref> After the marriage the couple returned to England, initially living in ] in London. Mander later claimed that the marriage was "unhappy owing to his wife's violent temper".<ref name=TT8jun1921/> In 1914 Mander's brother Alan married Princess Sudhira, Prativa's sister, in Calcutta.<ref>, ''The World's News'' (Sydney), 18 April 1914, page 9.</ref><ref>, ''National Trust'' website; accessed 12 October 2024.</ref>

Mander began ] in 1912. In early 1913 Mander, in company with the aviator Claude Grahame-White, made his first ascent in a ], launched from ] in the western suburbs of ].<ref>, ''The World's News'' (Sydney), 9 October 1926, page 12.</ref> He received his ]'s certificate from the Royal Aero Club in June 1913.<ref name=WWBA/><ref name=ancestry/>

===War service===

In late September 1914 Lionel Henry Mander was declared to be bankrupt. He was described as a financier of Trafalgar House in Regent Street, London.<ref>'In the High Court of Justice...', ''The Times'' (London), 26 September 1914, page 2; 'The Bankruptcy Acts...', ''The Times'', 2 October 1914, page 16.</ref>

Mander enlisted in the British armed forces (]) on 20 September 1914. He was promoted to sergeant soon after enlisting. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant in February 1915 in the ] (RND), made up of volunteers and reservists not needed for service at sea. A month later Mander was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Supply and Transport Company of the RND.<ref>World War I service record: '', Ref. No.: WO 339/34652, The National Archives, Government of the United Kingdom; Ancestry.com.</ref><ref name=Londoners/>

In the autumn of 1915 responsibility for ] in France was transferred from the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC).<ref>'', ''Western Front Association'' website; accessed 14 October 2024.</ref> In 1915 Mander was transferred to the ].<ref>, ''The National Archives'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref> Mander served with tethered kite balloons, which were extensively used for military observation during World War I.<ref name=WWBA/>

===Business ventures===

After he was demobilised from the armed services Mander made a living by selling motor vehicles.<ref name=WA/> His wife Prativa Mander had travelled to India in 1916; she returned to England in 1919, but Mander and her did not live together when she did. Mander later claimed that the reason they lived apart was that "he had heard a report about her conduct while she was in India".<ref name=TT8jun1921/>

In March 1920 Mander participated in the Kop Hill Trial, organised by the Essex Motor Club, driving a ] automobile.<ref>, ''Grace's Guide To British Industrial History'' website; accessed 13 October 2024.</ref> A year or two after the war ended, Mander travelled in ] after which he was elected as a fellow of the ].<ref>, ''Dominion'', 23 June 1939, page 14.</ref> In 1925 he published ''Albania Today'', a book based on his travels in that country.<ref name=albania>, ''New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors'' website; accessed 30 October 2024.</ref>

With the motor industry in the doldrums in the immediate post-war years, at the suggestion of a friend Mander found occasional work in the British film industry, initially as an extra.<ref name=WA/> Mander made his credited film acting debut in a small role in '']'', a drama released in September 1920 by George Clark Productions. The film featured ] and ] in the leading roles and was directed by the actor ] (his directorial debut).<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 13 October 2024.</ref> In 1921 Mander appeared in two films produced by ], credited under the name of '''Miles Mander'''. He played the role of 'Lieutenant Devereaux' in '']'' (released in June 1921) and as 'Godfrey Norton' in ''A Scandal in Bohemia'' (released in July 1921), the seventh in a ] of films based on Sir ]'s ']' stories.<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 13 October 2024.</ref><ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 13 October 2024.</ref>

In June 1921 Mander petitioned for the dissolution of his marriage to Prativa "on the ground of her adultery with Mr. Reginald de Beer" (described as a clerk "employed in a Government office"). Mander gave evidence in the divorce court of having observed, in August 1920, Prativa and De Beer in bed together through the window of Prativa's flat in Wellington Court, ].<ref name=TT8jun1921/> A ''decree nisi'' was granted in about June 1922 (in which Mander was described as "a motor salesman" of High Street, St. John's Wood).<ref>, ''The Express and Telegraph'' (Adelaide), 10 July 1922, page 1.</ref>

Mander was the general manager of Solar Films Ltd, a company with directors that included ].<ref name=Londoners/><ref name=SF>'Travel Films and Lectures', ''The Times'' (London), 18 February 1922, page 8.</ref> Early in 1922 Solar Films took a twelve month lease of the Philharmonic Hall in order to present a series of travel film-lectures. The films were produced by "expert photographers on expeditions carried out on behalf of the company by distinguished travellers and explorers". The company planned to present the films accompanied by a lecture delivered by a traveller associated with the actual expedition.<ref name=SF/> In February 1922 Solar Films Ltd. presented the first in a series of "film-lectures" at the Albert and Philharmonic Halls, on the subject of ] delivered by ].<ref>'The Film World', ''The Times'' (London), 27 February 1922, page 8.</ref> The film-lectures were not a success.<ref>'New Plans for Philharmonic Hall', ''The Times'' (London), 6 April 1922, page 10.</ref>

===Film career===

In 1922 Mander played roles in two films directed by ], '']'' released in June 1922 and '']'' released in December 1922.<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 13 October 2024.</ref><ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 13 October 2024.</ref> In the early 1920s Mander was a member of a group described by the film producer ] as "the Pack". The group, which included ] and ], often "assembled at the Legrain coffee shop in Brewer Street, Soho, on the days we were not working (which were all too frequent)".<ref name=guardian/>

]

In about October 1922 Mander, together with Brunel, ] and ], formed a film production company called the Atlas Biocraft Company Ltd., financed by ].<ref name=WA/><ref>, ''Motion Picture Studio'', 28 October 1922, pages 10-12; , ''Pictires and Picturegoer'', November 1922, page 24.</ref> The company's first film was '']'', filmed in Italy and directed by Brunel, with Novello in the lead male role.<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 29 October 2024.</ref><ref>Review of ''The Man Without Desire'': '', ''Motion Picture Studio'', 22 December 1923, page 5.</ref> Atlas Biocraft made a series of "ultra-cheap" short films during 1923 and 1924.<ref name=AB>Adrian Brunel, '' (in) ''Close Up'', Vol. III No. 4, October 1928, pages 43-46.</ref>

In 1923 Mander married for a second time. His second wife was Kathleen ('Bunty') French, of Sydney, Australia.<ref>, ''The Sun News-Pictorial'' (Melbourne), 29 May 1923, page 2.</ref>{{Ref|NoteC|}} The couple had a son named Theodore, born in 1926.<ref name=ancestry/>

In 1924 Mander played a lead role in '']'', an Atlas Biocraft film directed by Adrian Brunel. Mander and Brunel wrote the screenplay and much of the film was shot on location in ].<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 13 October 2024.</ref><ref>Rachael Low (1971), ''History of the British Film, 1918-1929'', George Allen & Unwin, pages 148-149.</ref> In 1925 Kathleen Mander appeared alongside her husband in a short comedy film, ''Cut It Out: A Day in the Life of a Censor'', another Atlas Biocraft production directed by Brunel, in which she was credited as 'Mrs. Miles Mander'.<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 23 October 2024.</ref><ref name=inter>, ''Interwar London'' website; accessed 11 October 2024.</ref><ref name=AB/>

In 1925 Mander was cast in '']'', directed by ], with ] as scenario writer, art director and assistant director.<ref>, ''The Hitchcock Zone'' website; accessed 27 October 2024.</ref><ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 27 October 2024.</ref> He was then cast as one of the male leads in '']'', Hitchcock's first feature film as director. The film was a collaboration between ] and the German ] and was filmed on location in Italy and in the studio in ].<ref>, ''The Hitchcock Zone'' website; accessed 27 October 2024.</ref><ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 27 October 2024.</ref>

In late 1926 Mander joined the staff of De Forest Phonofilms, initially operating from a small studio in ], and managed by the West End showman ]. The company was producing short ] called ']', using an ] ] system developed in the early 1920s by the American inventors ] and ]. Phonofilms, comprising mainly music hall sketches, songs and extracts from plays, began to be shown in the supporting programmes of British cinemas from October 1926.<ref name=guardian/> De Forest Phonofilms was later acquired by British Talking Pictures, with studios at ].<ref name=guardian/> Mander was employed to write and direct a series of short 'talkie' films at the Wembley studios, being paid ten pounds for a screenplay and twenty pounds for directing.<ref name=WA/> The sound quality of phonofilms was poor and was soon superseded by the superior ] process, used for early sound films from the late 1920s.<ref>, ''FilmsFatale'' website; accessed 27 October 2024.</ref>

Mander directed and acted in the first London performances of his own plays, ''Those Common People'' in 1927 and ''It's a Pity About Humanity'' in 1930.<ref name=obit/><ref name=kath>, ''News'' (Adelaide), 1 July 1933, page 5.</ref> He established a reputation as a film actor "by his studies of dissipated characters, such as drunkards or dope-addicts" in such films as '']'' (1927) and '']'' (1928).<ref name=obit/>

] in ''The First Born'' (1928).]]

In 1928 Mander collaborated with ], Hitchcock's wife, on the script of '']'', the scenario of which was based on Mander's stage play ''Those Common People'' and his novel ''Oasis''.<ref>Aimee Pavy (2013), '', ''San Francisco Silent Film Festival'' website; accessed 25 October 2024.</ref><ref name=TA>Tony Aldgate, Chapter 11: 'Loose Ends, Hidden Gems and the Moment of "Melodramatic Emotionality"' (in) Jeffrey Richards (1998), ''The Unknown 1930s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema 1929–39'', London: I.B. Taurus, pages 220, 259.</ref> ''The First Born'' was directed by Mander, his first major film as director, and he also played the lead male role as the dissolute 'Sir Hugo Boycott', alongside ] as his wife.<ref>, ''IMBd'' website; accessed 25 October 2024.</ref> The film critic ] wrote that ''The First Born'' "provided evidence of his wit and intelligence in filmic expression... being almost entirely the product of Mander's creative mentality". However in the copy of the film released to the public, "much of Miles Mander's original conception was destroyed" when the film was edited by the distributing firm without the director's control.<ref>Paul Rotha (1930, ''The Film Till Now: A Survey of the Cinema'', New York: Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, page 231.</ref>

In late 1930 and 1931 Mander directed two films for ], both of them sound films made at the company's ] near ]. '']'', adapted from a play by ], was released in January 1931.<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref> In the film '']'', released in July 1931, Mander once again directed Madeleine Carroll as the female lead.<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref>

In 1933 Miles and Kathleen Mander were living in Knightsbridge, with a "week-end place" in Kent.<ref name=kath/> In late 1934 Mander directed ''Youthful Folly'' for ].<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref> Soon afterwards, at ]'s ], he directed '']'' (released in February 1935).<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref>

In 1935 Mander travelled to the United States and lived in Hollywood for nine months, during which he acted in '']'' for the ] and '']'' for ].<ref name=WA/> ''The Three Musketeers'' was the first American ] adaptation of ]' 1844 novel. Mander played the role of 'King ]' in the film, directed by ].<ref>, ''IMBd'' website; accessed 25 October 2024.</ref>

Soon after Mander returned to Britain from Hollywood, he was asked by the ] to undertake direction of '']'', to be filmed in Australia.<ref name=WA/> Gaumont-British had links to the Australian company National Productions Ltd., which was to produce the film with the assistance of production personnel from Gaumont-British. Mander arrived in Sydney aboard the ''Strathnaver'' on 12 November 1935, accompanied by Gaumont-British staff members ] (scenario department) and Thomas D. Connochie (production manager). They were later joined by Derek Williams, a lighting and camera expert. Another technician, Leslie Fry, was already in place at the ] studios of National Studios Ltd. where the interior filming for ''The Flying Doctor'' was to take place.<ref>, ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 25 September 1935, page 7; , ''The West Australian'' (Perth), 5 November 1935, page 17; , ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 13 November 1935, page 9.</ref> In late December 1935 it was announced that the Hollywood actor, ] would play the lead in the film.<ref>, ''The Sun'' (Sydney), 29 December 1935, page 1.</ref> Farrell arrived in Sydney on 27 January and shooting commenced on ''The Flying Doctor'' soon afterwards.<ref>, ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 18 January 1936, page 10; , ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Sydney), 29 January 1936, page 15.</ref>

By early January 1936 Mander was driving in Sydney in a ] automobile.<ref>, ''Bega District News'', 9 January 1936, page 1.</ref> During his time in Sydney Mander was charged on two separate occasions with "driving at a speed dangerous to the public", on 3 February 1936 on ] and on 10 March "in the vicinity of ], ] and ]". On the first occasion Mander had been driving the car with the female lead ] as a passenger, returning from ] filming location scenes for ''The Flying Doctor''. He was convicted of the charges on 31 March 1936 and fines were imposed.<ref>, ''The Newcastle Sun'', 31 March 1936, page 7.</ref> The final day of shooting for the film was on 28 March.<ref>, ''The Labor Daily'' (Sydney), 30 March 1936, page 8.</ref> On 1 April 1936 Mander, together with Farrell and Orton, departed from Sydney for the United States aboard the ''Monterey''.<ref>, ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Sydney), 26 March 1936, page 21.</ref><ref>, ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Sydney), 1 April 1936, page 12.</ref>

Miles and Kathleen Mander divorced in 1936.<ref>, ''The Mail'' (Adelaide), 9 February 1946, page 9.</ref> In 1936 Mander left Britain to live in America, relocating to ].<ref name=obit/>

===Hollywood===

{{multiple image
| align = right
| total_width = 420
| image1 = Miles Mander in Youth on Parole.jpg
| caption1 = Miles Mander in '']'' (1937)
| image2 = Miles Mander in The Little Princess.jpg
| caption2 = Mander as 'Lord Wickham' in '']'' (1939).
}}

Mander was cast in more than 60 feature films after he went to live in Hollywood in 1936.<ref name=films>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref> Soon after his arrival he played a role in the historical drama '']'', released in November 1936.<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref> The film featured Madeleine Carroll in the female lead, an actress Mander had earlier directed in ''The First Born'' (1928) and ''Fascination'' (1931).<ref name=inter/> Mander was given opportunities to act in British roles in American films such as playing ] in ] (1938) and King ] in '']'' (1939). He acted alongside ] and ] in the ] film '']'' (1939).<ref name=inter/> In 1939 Mander played pivotal dual roles in '']'', a twelve-chapter ] made by ].<ref>, ''IMDb'' website; accessed 28 October 2024.</ref> During his career in Hollywood he was often given character roles playing unctuous villains, many of them of the unprincipled English upper-class type.<ref name=films/>

In addition to his film output, Mander became well known as a radio commentator with his own popular programme.<ref name=TA/><ref name=obit/>

By 1943 Mander was a member of the British Consulate War Services Advisory Board along with other members of the expatriate film community in Hollywood, including ], ], ], ], ] and the writer ].<ref name=TA/>

Miles Mander died on 8 February 1946 at his home at 7231 Pacific View Drive in Hollywood, aged 57. His death was attributed to "a heart attack".<ref name=death1>, ''Motion Picture Daily'', 11 February 1946, page 8.</ref><ref name=death2>, ''Evening Star'' (New Zealand), 30 March 1946, page 10.</ref>{{Ref|NoteD|}}


==Filmography== ==Filmography==
Line 40: Line 125:
{{div col|colwidth=26em}} {{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* '']'' (1920) (film debut) * '']'' (1920) (film debut)
* '']'' (1921) as Godfrey Norton * '']'' (June 1921) as 'Lt. Devereaux'
* '']'' (July 1921) as 'Godfrey Norton'
* '']'' (1921) as Lt. Devereaux * ''The Temporary Lady'' (short) (December 1921) as 'Monkton'
* '']'' (1922) as Marquis Sallast * '']'' (June 1922) as 'Marquis Sallast'
* '']'' (1922) as Honorable William Chevenix * '']'' (December 1922) as 'Hon. William Chevenix'
* '']'' (1924) as Derek Fare * '']'' (May 1924) as 'Derek Fare'
* '']'' (1925) as Levett * '']'' (November 1925) as 'Sir Neville Moreton'
* '']'' (1925) as Sir Neville Moreton * '']'' (March 1926) as 'Levett'
* '']'' (1926) as Sir James Daring * '']'' (July 1926) as 'Sir James Daring'
* '']'' (1927) as Rollo Stevens * '']'' (1927) as 'Rollo Stevens'
* '']'' (1927) as Honourable Gerald Pillick * '']'' (September 1927) as 'Hon. Gerald Pillick'
* '']'' (1928) as Armand de Marny * '']'' (1928) as 'Armand de Marny'
* '']'' (1928) as Mr. Borwick * '']'' (1928) as 'Mr. Borwick'
* '']'' (1928) as Borwick * '']'' (May 1928) as 'Walter Amphiel'
* '']'' (1928) as Walter Amphiel * '']'' (1928) as 'Captain Gardner'
* '']'' (1928) as Captain Gardner * '']'' (December 1928) as 'Sir Hugo Boycott'
* '']'' (1928) as Sir Hugo Boycott * '']'' (1929) as 'Adolf Sperber'
* '']'' (1929) as Adolf Sperber * '']'' (1929) as 'Guy Morrow'
* '']'' (1929) as Guy Morrow * '']'' (1930) as 'Raymond Carteret'
* '']'' (1930) as Raymond Carteret * '']'' (1930) as 'Gordon Druce'
* '']'' (1930) as Gordon Druce * '']'' (1931) as 'Gordon Moore'
* '']'' (1931) as Gordon Moore * '']'' (1932) as 'Claude Holford'
* '']'' (1932) as Claude Holford * '']'' (May 1932) as 'Ambatriadi'
* '']'' (1932) as Ambatriadi * '']'' (1932) as 'Harry Tresham'
* '']'' (1932) as Harry Tresham * '']'' (1933) as 'Captain Auguste Lutte'
* '']'' (1933) as Captain Auguste Lutte * '']'' (1933) as 'The Duke of Fallanga'
* '']'' (1933) as The Duke of Fallanga * '']'' (1933) as 'Capt. Ronald Dancy, DSO'
* '']'' (1933) as Capt. Ronald Dancy, DSO * '']'' (1933) as ']'
* '']'' (1933) as ] * '']'' (1933) as 'Harley Travers'
* '']'' (1933) as Harley Travers * '']'' (1934) as 'Rodney Fraser'
* '']'' (1934) as Rodney Fraser * '']'' (1934) as 'Feize'
* '']'' (1934) as Feize * '']'' (1934) as 'James L. Barton'
* '']'' (1934) as James L. Barton * '']'' (1935) as 'Garry Ames'
* '']'' (1935) as Garry Ames * '']'' (1935) as 'Bert'
* '']'' (1935) as Bert
* '']'' (1935) as King ] * '']'' (1935) as King ]
* '']'' (1936) as Spectator at boxing match (uncredited) * '']'' (1936) as a spectator at boxing match (uncredited)
* '']'' (1936) as Jukes * '']'' (1936) as 'Jukes'
* '']'' (1937) as Corey * '']'' (1937) as 'Corey'
* '']'' (1937) as James Stratton * '']'' (1937) as 'James Stratton'
* '']'' (1937) as Sparkler * '']'' (1937) as 'Sparkler'
* '']'' (1938) as Ebenezer Balfour * '']'' (1938) as 'Ebenezer Balfour'
* '']'' (1938) as Mr. Fred Thomas * '']'' (1938) as 'Mr. Fred Thomas'
* '']'' (1938) as ] * '']'' (1938) as ]
* '']'' (1939) as ] * '']'' (1939) as ]
* '']'' (1939) as Lord Wickham * '']'' (1939) as 'Lord Wickham'
* '']'' (1939) as ] * '']'' (1939) as ']'
* '']'' (1939, Serial) as Horace Granville * '']'' (1939; serial) as 'Horace Granville'
* '']'' (1939) as ] * '']'' (1939) as ']'
* '']'' (1939) as Sir John Gresham * '']'' (1939) as 'Sir John Gresham'
* '']'' (1939) as King ] * '']'' (1939) as King ]
* '']'' (1940) as Attorney General (uncredited) * '']'' (1940) as the Attorney General (uncredited)
* '']'' (1940) as Mr. Charles Pryor * '']'' (1940) as 'Mr. Charles Pryor'
* '']'' (1940) as Deacon Arnold Foster * '']'' (1940) as 'Deacon Arnold Foster'
* '']'' (1940) as Sir Malcolm Drake (uncredited) * '']'' (1940) as 'Sir Malcolm Drake' (uncredited)
* '']'' (1940) as Homer Adams * '']'' (1940) as 'Homer Adams'
* '']'' (1940) as Dr. Wallace Rankin * '']'' (1940) as 'Dr. Wallace Rankin'
* '']'' (1940) as Lt. Strope * '']'' (1940) as 'Lt. Strope'
* '']'' (1940) as Roger Smythe * '']'' (1940) as 'Roger Smythe'
* '']'' (1941) as Solicitor (uncredited) * '']'' (1941) as a solicitor (uncredited)
* '']'' (1941) as Tom Armitage * '']'' (1941) as 'Tom Armitage'
* '']'' (1941) as ] * '']'' (1941) as ']'
* '']'' (1941) as Doctor (uncredited) * '']'' (1941) as a doctor (uncredited)
* '']'' (1941) as Dr. John F. Lockberg * '']'' (1941) as 'Dr. John F. Lockberg'
* '']'' (1942) as Prof. Langner * '']'' (1942) as 'Prof. Langner'
* '']'' (1942) as Dr Hilary Wilton * '']'' (1942) as 'Dr Hilary Wilton'
* '']'' (1942) as ] (voice) (uncredited) * '']'' (1942) as ] (voice) (uncredited)
* '']'' (1942) as Maj. Cunningham * '']'' (1942) as 'Major Cunningham'
* '']'' (1942) as Dr. Kurt Immelman * '']'' (1942) as 'Dr. Kurt Immelman'
* '']'' (1942) as Major * '']'' (1942) as 'Major'
* '']'' (1942) as Portmaster * '']'' (1942) as 'Portmaster'
* '']'' (1942) as German Agent on Radio (voice) (uncredited) * '']'' (1942) as a German agent on the radio (voice) (uncredited)
* '']'' (1942) as Floyd Kirsten (uncredited) * '']'' (1942) as 'Floyd Kirsten' (uncredited)
* '']'' (1942) as Doctor Leonard V. Meecham * '']'' (1942) as 'Doctor Leonard V. Meecham'
* '']'' (1942) as James V. Thorne * '']'' (1942) as 'James V. Thorne'
* '']'' (1942) as Kilpatrick * '']'' (1942) as 'Kilpatrick'
* '']'' (1942) as Minor Role (uncredited) * '']'' (1942) in a minor role (uncredited)
* '']'' (1942) as Paul Panois * '']'' (1942) as 'Paul Panois'
* '']'' (1943) as Col. Herman Fournier * '']'' (1943) as 'Col. Herman Fournier'
* '']'' (1943) as Col. Fitzhume (uncredited) * '']'' (1943) as 'Col. Fitzhume' (uncredited)
* '']'' (1943) as Col. Wallace (uncredited) * '']'' (1943) as 'Col. Wallace' (uncredited)
* '']'' (1943) as Maurice Pleyel * '']'' (1943) as 'Maurice Pleyel'
* '']'' (1943) as Weatherby (uncredited) * '']'' (1943) as 'Weatherby' (uncredited)
* '']'' (1943) as Sir Frederick Fleet * '']'' (1943) as 'Sir Frederick Fleet'
* '']'' (1943) as Businessman (uncredited) * '']'' (1943) as a businessman (uncredited)
* '']'' (1944) as Col. Hartley (uncredited) * '']'' (1944) as 'Col. Hartley' (uncredited)
* '']'' (1944) as Man (uncredited) * '']'' (1944) as a man (uncredited)
* '']'' (1944) as Major Loring at hospital (uncredited) * '']'' (1944) as 'Major Loring' at hospital (uncredited)
* '']'' (1944) as Judge Brisson * '']'' (1944) as 'Judge Brisson'
* '']'' (1944) as Giles Conover * '']'' (1944) as 'Giles Conover'
* '']'' (1944) as Charles Seagrave * '']'' (1944) as 'Charles Seagrave'
* '']'' (1944) as Mr. Leuwen Grayle * '']'' (1944) as 'Mr. Leuwen Grayle'
* '']'' (1945) as Sir Robert Bentley * '']'' (1945) as 'Sir Robert Bentley'
* '']'' (1945) as Chief Inspector W.R. Allison * '']'' (1945) as 'Chief Inspector W.R. Allison'
* '']'' (1945) as Frederick Malone * '']'' (1945) as 'Frederick Malone'
* '']'' (1945) as British Secretary * '']'' (1945) as the British Secretary
* '']'' (1945) as Mr. Brigstock * '']'' (1945) as 'Mr. Brigstock'
* '']'' (1946) as Lord Warrick * '']'' (February 1946) as 'Lord Warrick'
* '']'' (1946) as Dr. Marko * '']'' (June 1946) as 'Dr. Marko'
* '']'' (1947) as Mr. Rogan (final film) * '']'' (April 1947) as 'Mr. Rogan' (final film)
{{div col end}} {{div col end}}


===As director=== ===As director===
{{div col|colwidth=26em}} {{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* ''The Whistler'' (December 1926) short made in ] ] * ''The Whistler'' (December 1926) short made by ] ]
* '']'' (December 1926) short made in Phonofilm * '']'' (December 1926) short made by DeForest Phonofilm
* ''Knee Deep in Daisies'' (December 1926) short made in Phonofilm * ''Knee Deep in Daisies'' (December 1926) short made by DeForest Phonofilm
* '']'' (December 1926) short made in Phonofilm * '']'' (December 1926) short made by DeForest Phonofilm
* ''False Colours'' (April 1927) short made in Phonofilm * ''False Colours'' (April 1927) short made by DeForest Phonofilm
* ''The Sentence of Death'' (April 1927), short made in Phonofilm * ''The Sentence of Death'' (April 1927), short made by DeForest Phonofilm
* ''Packing Up'' (April 1927) short made in Phonofilm * ''Packing Up'' (April 1927) short made by DeForest Phonofilm
* ''As We Lie'' (April 1927) short film made in Phonofilm * ''As We Lie'' (April 1927) short film made by DeForest Phonofilm
* '']'' (1928) * '']'' (December 1928)
*'']'' (1931) *'']'' (January 1931)
* '']'' (1931) * '']'' (July 1931)
* '']'' (1934) * '']'' (December 1934)
* '']'' (1935) * '']'' (February 1935)
* '']'' (1936) * '']'' (1936)
{{div col end}} {{div col end}}
Line 163: Line 248:
* '']'' (1924) * '']'' (1924)
* ''As We Lie'' (1927) (story) * ''As We Lie'' (1927) (story)
* '']'' (1928) * '']'' (December 1928)
* '']'' (1931) * '']'' (1931)
* '']'' (1932) directed by ] * '']'' (1932) directed by ]
Line 174: Line 259:
{{div col|colwidth=26em}} {{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* '']'' (1923) * '']'' (1923)
* ''Knee Deep in Daisies'' (1926) * ''The Shimmy Sheik'' (short) (1923)
* ''Two-chinned Chow'' (short) (1923)
* '']'' (1928)
* ''Yes, We Have No - !'' (animated short) (1923)
* '']'' (1924)
* ''Crossing the Great Sagrada'' (short) (1924)
* ''Unnatural Life Studies'' (short) (1924)
* ''The Pathetic Gazette'' (short) (1924)
* ''Adam's Film Review'' (short) (1924)
* '']'' (December 1928)
* '']'' (1936) * '']'' (1936)
* ''Watchtower Over Tomorrow'' (1945) (uncredited) * ''Watchtower Over Tomorrow'' (1945) (uncredited)
{{div col end}} {{div col end}}


==Sources== ==Publications==

* Miles Mander, ''To my Son—in Confidence'', Faber, 1934
* Miles Mander, ''Gentleman by Birth'', 1933 * Lionel H. Mander (1925), ''Albania Today''.<ref name=albania/>
* Miles Mander (1927), ''Oasis'', London: Hutchinson & Co.
* Sir Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander (ed), ''The History of Mander Brothers'', Wolverhampton. 1955
* Miles Mander (1933), ''Gentleman By Birth'', London: Hutchinson & Co.
* ], ''Varnished Leaves: a biography of the Mander Family of Wolverhampton, 1750-1950'', ] Press, 2004
* Miles Mander (1934), ''To My Son – In Confidence'', Faber & Faber.
* Patricia Pegg, ''A Very Private Heritage: the private papers of Samuel Theodore Mander, 1853-1900'', Malvern, 1996


==Notes== ==Notes==

:A.{{Note|NoteA}}{{resize|Lionel Mander had three siblings, an older brother Geoffrey (born in March 1882), older sister Margery (born in June 1883) and a younger brother named Alan (born in January 1891).<ref name=ancestry/> His older brother <!-- Not knighted until New Year's Honours, 1945. -->] became a Liberal ].}}

:B.{{Note|NoteB}}{{resize|Mander's book of memoirs and advice, ''To My Son – in Confidence'', was published in 1934. The book included "an outspoken attack" on British public schools, for which the headmaster of Harrow publicly rebuked the author.<ref name=obit/>}}

:C.{{Note|NoteC}}{{resize|Kathleen French was born in 1900 at Marrickville in Sydney, the daughter of William and Kathleen French.<ref>NSW Birth registration, Kathleen B. French; Reg. No.: 14148/1900.</ref> She was educated at ] in ], England.<ref>, ''The Newcastle Sun'', 29 May 1923, page 5.</ref>}}

:D.{{Note|NoteD}}{{resize|The claim that Miles Mander died suddenly at the ] restaurant in Los Angeles, as stated in various websites, is not supported by the evidence.<ref>For example: , ''The Hitchcock Zone'' website; accessed 24 October 2024.</ref> Contemporary newspaper and magazine reports, as cited in the above article, clearly state that Mander died at his Hollywood home of a heart condition. One of the reports specifies that he died "while he was asleep".<ref name=death1/><ref name=death2/>}}

==References==

{{reflist}} {{reflist}}

==Further reading==

* Sir Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander (ed.) (1955), ''The History of Mander Brothers'', Wolverhampton.
* ] (2004), ''Varnished Leaves: A Biography of the Mander Family of Wolverhampton, 1750-1950'', ] Press.
* Patricia Pegg (1996), ''A Very Private Heritage: The Private Papers of Samuel Theodore Mander, 1853-1900'', Malvern.


==External links== ==External links==
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Latest revision as of 13:31, 5 January 2025

English actor (1888–1946)

Miles Mander
Miles Mander in about 1922
BornLionel Henry Mander
(1888-05-14)14 May 1888
Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Died8 February 1946(1946-02-08) (aged 57)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesLuther Miles
Years active1920–1946
Spouses
Princess Prativa Devi ​ ​(m. 1912)
Kathleen French ​(m. 1923)
Children1

Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor, writer, director and producer in the post-war period of early British cinema during the 1920s to mid-1930s, as well as a playwright and novelist.

From a privileged upper middle-class background, as a young man Mander engaged in motor sports, aviation and ballooning. In World War I he served in France with tethered kite balloons used for military observation. From 1920 to 1936 Mander was involved in the British film industry in various capacities. He acted in both silent and sound films and was involved with several film production companies. He began writing screenplays and directing in the mid-1920s, working on early sound films. Mander directed his first feature film in 1928. With the advent of sound films he established an international reputation as a character actor. After directing The Flying Doctor in Australia in 1936, Mander lived and worked in Hollywood, where he was cast in over 60 feature films until his death in 1946.

Biography

Early life

Lionel Henry Mander was born on 14 May 1888 at Wolverhampton in Staffordshire, the second son of S. Theodore Mander and Flora (née Paint). The family lived at Wightwick Manor; his father was a paint manufacturer who served as mayor of Wolverhampton, a member of the prominent Mander family, industrialists and public servants of the Midlands region. His father died in September 1900, when Lionel was aged twelve, and his mother died in April 1905.

From 1901 to early 1903 Mander was educated at Harrow School in Greater London, where he resided at The Grove boarding house. After leaving Harrow Mander was educated in Canada, where his mother had family connections. He attended the Loretto School and McGill University in Montreal. Mander had early acting experience in musical comedy, including tours in Canada and the United States.

Aviation and motoring

By 1907 Mander was employed as a mechanic in the Daimler workshops in London. He showed an early interest in driving automobiles at speed and was a competitor in the first race meeting at the motor racing circuit at Brooklands, near Weybridge in Surrey, the first purpose-built 'banked' racing track which opened in June 1907. Mander drove a 60 horse-power Mercedes on the Brooklands racing circuit.

In 1908 Mander visited his uncle Martin Mander in New Zealand and for a short period took up sheep farming on his uncle's station. Martin Mander had emigrated to New Zealand in 1890 and established the 'Horoeka-Waimata' sheep station in the Waimata Valley, near Gisborne on the north-east coast of New Zealand's North Island. In early 1909 Lionel Mander lived briefly in Australia. He left Australia aboard the R.M.S. India, which departed from Sydney for London in May 1909.

Photograph of Lionel Henry Mander in about 1913.

After returning to Britain Mander took an interest in aviation. He attended Louis Blériot's pilot training school at Pau in southern France and purchased a Blériot XI monoplane. In early 1910 Mander took flying lessons with Claude Grahame-White at the Brooklands aerodrome (adjoining the motor racing circuit). His aircraft crashed at Brooklands requiring a new wing to be fitted. In May 1910 a man named Alfred Hooper was riding his bicycle to work when a car driven by Mander "ran into him and knocked him down". Mander was living at Wolverhampton at the time. Hooper was injured to such an extent that he was absent from work for twelve weeks. In October 1910 he was awarded £60 damages in a West Bromwich court. Mander was an entrant in the first all-British aviation meeting at Dunstall Park in Wolverhampton, held from 27 June to 2 July 1910. He was one of four novice pilots yet to receive their aviator's certificate from the Royal Aero Club, necessary for participation in the events. In the end Mander did not qualify in time and had to withdraw. On the second day of the meeting strong winds demolished Mander's temporary canvas hangar housing his monoplane.

Mander invested in Grahame-White's company that developed the Hendon Aerodrome in London. Mander also engaged in boxing promotions during this period.

On 21 February 1912 Mander and Prativa Sundari Devi were married at Calcutta in India. Prativa was an Indian princess of the princely state of Cooch Behar, British India, the second daughter of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan and Maharani Suniti Devi of Cooch Behar. The couple celebrated their marriage at the residence of the bride's father, dressed in Indian costume and married in the Hindu Brahmo Samaj rites. After the marriage the couple returned to England, initially living in Buckingham Gate in London. Mander later claimed that the marriage was "unhappy owing to his wife's violent temper". In 1914 Mander's brother Alan married Princess Sudhira, Prativa's sister, in Calcutta.

Mander began free ballooning in 1912. In early 1913 Mander, in company with the aviator Claude Grahame-White, made his first ascent in a gas balloon, launched from Saint-Cloud in the western suburbs of Paris. He received his aeronaut's certificate from the Royal Aero Club in June 1913.

War service

In late September 1914 Lionel Henry Mander was declared to be bankrupt. He was described as a financier of Trafalgar House in Regent Street, London.

Mander enlisted in the British armed forces (Royal Marines) on 20 September 1914. He was promoted to sergeant soon after enlisting. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant in February 1915 in the Royal Naval Division (RND), made up of volunteers and reservists not needed for service at sea. A month later Mander was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Supply and Transport Company of the RND.

In the autumn of 1915 responsibility for kite balloons in France was transferred from the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) to the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). In 1915 Mander was transferred to the Royal Army Service Corps. Mander served with tethered kite balloons, which were extensively used for military observation during World War I.

Business ventures

After he was demobilised from the armed services Mander made a living by selling motor vehicles. His wife Prativa Mander had travelled to India in 1916; she returned to England in 1919, but Mander and her did not live together when she did. Mander later claimed that the reason they lived apart was that "he had heard a report about her conduct while she was in India".

In March 1920 Mander participated in the Kop Hill Trial, organised by the Essex Motor Club, driving a Mathis automobile. A year or two after the war ended, Mander travelled in Albania after which he was elected as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 1925 he published Albania Today, a book based on his travels in that country.

With the motor industry in the doldrums in the immediate post-war years, at the suggestion of a friend Mander found occasional work in the British film industry, initially as an extra. Mander made his credited film acting debut in a small role in Testimony, a drama released in September 1920 by George Clark Productions. The film featured Ivy Duke and David Hawthorne in the leading roles and was directed by the actor Guy Newall (his directorial debut). In 1921 Mander appeared in two films produced by Stoll Pictures, credited under the name of Miles Mander. He played the role of 'Lieutenant Devereaux' in The Place of Honour (released in June 1921) and as 'Godfrey Norton' in A Scandal in Bohemia (released in July 1921), the seventh in a series of films based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' stories.

In June 1921 Mander petitioned for the dissolution of his marriage to Prativa "on the ground of her adultery with Mr. Reginald de Beer" (described as a clerk "employed in a Government office"). Mander gave evidence in the divorce court of having observed, in August 1920, Prativa and De Beer in bed together through the window of Prativa's flat in Wellington Court, Knightsbridge. A decree nisi was granted in about June 1922 (in which Mander was described as "a motor salesman" of High Street, St. John's Wood).

Mander was the general manager of Solar Films Ltd, a company with directors that included Adrian Brunel. Early in 1922 Solar Films took a twelve month lease of the Philharmonic Hall in order to present a series of travel film-lectures. The films were produced by "expert photographers on expeditions carried out on behalf of the company by distinguished travellers and explorers". The company planned to present the films accompanied by a lecture delivered by a traveller associated with the actual expedition. In February 1922 Solar Films Ltd. presented the first in a series of "film-lectures" at the Albert and Philharmonic Halls, on the subject of Burma delivered by Major-General Dunsterville. The film-lectures were not a success.

Film career

In 1922 Mander played roles in two films directed by Sinclair Hill, Half a Truth released in June 1922 and Open Country released in December 1922. In the early 1920s Mander was a member of a group described by the film producer Michael Balcon as "the Pack". The group, which included Alfred Hitchcock and Adrian Brunel, often "assembled at the Legrain coffee shop in Brewer Street, Soho, on the days we were not working (which were all too frequent)".

Miles Mander, published in Motion Picture Studio, October 1922.

In about October 1922 Mander, together with Brunel, Hugo Rumbold and Ivor Novello, formed a film production company called the Atlas Biocraft Company Ltd., financed by Jimmy White. The company's first film was The Man Without Desire, filmed in Italy and directed by Brunel, with Novello in the lead male role. Atlas Biocraft made a series of "ultra-cheap" short films during 1923 and 1924.

In 1923 Mander married for a second time. His second wife was Kathleen ('Bunty') French, of Sydney, Australia. The couple had a son named Theodore, born in 1926.

In 1924 Mander played a lead role in Lovers in Araby, an Atlas Biocraft film directed by Adrian Brunel. Mander and Brunel wrote the screenplay and much of the film was shot on location in North Africa. In 1925 Kathleen Mander appeared alongside her husband in a short comedy film, Cut It Out: A Day in the Life of a Censor, another Atlas Biocraft production directed by Brunel, in which she was credited as 'Mrs. Miles Mander'.

In 1925 Mander was cast in The Prude's Fall, directed by Graham Cutts, with Alfred Hitchcock as scenario writer, art director and assistant director. He was then cast as one of the male leads in The Pleasure Garden, Hitchcock's first feature film as director. The film was a collaboration between Gainsborough Pictures and the German Emelka Studios and was filmed on location in Italy and in the studio in Munich.

In late 1926 Mander joined the staff of De Forest Phonofilms, initially operating from a small studio in Clapham, and managed by the West End showman Vivian Van Damm. The company was producing short sound films called 'phonofilms', using an optical sound-on-film system developed in the early 1920s by the American inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case. Phonofilms, comprising mainly music hall sketches, songs and extracts from plays, began to be shown in the supporting programmes of British cinemas from October 1926. De Forest Phonofilms was later acquired by British Talking Pictures, with studios at Wembley. Mander was employed to write and direct a series of short 'talkie' films at the Wembley studios, being paid ten pounds for a screenplay and twenty pounds for directing. The sound quality of phonofilms was poor and was soon superseded by the superior Vitaphone process, used for early sound films from the late 1920s.

Mander directed and acted in the first London performances of his own plays, Those Common People in 1927 and It's a Pity About Humanity in 1930. He established a reputation as a film actor "by his studies of dissipated characters, such as drunkards or dope-addicts" in such films as The Fake (1927) and The Physician (1928).

Miles Mander and Madeleine Carroll in The First Born (1928).

In 1928 Mander collaborated with Alma Reville, Hitchcock's wife, on the script of The First Born, the scenario of which was based on Mander's stage play Those Common People and his novel Oasis. The First Born was directed by Mander, his first major film as director, and he also played the lead male role as the dissolute 'Sir Hugo Boycott', alongside Madeleine Carroll as his wife. The film critic Paul Rotha wrote that The First Born "provided evidence of his wit and intelligence in filmic expression... being almost entirely the product of Mander's creative mentality". However in the copy of the film released to the public, "much of Miles Mander's original conception was destroyed" when the film was edited by the distributing firm without the director's control.

In late 1930 and 1931 Mander directed two films for British International Pictures, both of them sound films made at the company's Elstree Studios near London. The Woman Between, adapted from a play by Miles Malleson, was released in January 1931. In the film Fascination, released in July 1931, Mander once again directed Madeleine Carroll as the female lead.

In 1933 Miles and Kathleen Mander were living in Knightsbridge, with a "week-end place" in Kent. In late 1934 Mander directed Youthful Folly for Sound City Films. Soon afterwards, at Julius Hagen's Twickenham Studios, he directed The Morals of Marcus (released in February 1935).

In 1935 Mander travelled to the United States and lived in Hollywood for nine months, during which he acted in Here's to Romance for the Fox Film Corporation and The Three Musketeers for RKO Radio Pictures. The Three Musketeers was the first American sound film adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel. Mander played the role of 'King Louis XIII' in the film, directed by Rowland V. Lee.

Soon after Mander returned to Britain from Hollywood, he was asked by the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation to undertake direction of The Flying Doctor, to be filmed in Australia. Gaumont-British had links to the Australian company National Productions Ltd., which was to produce the film with the assistance of production personnel from Gaumont-British. Mander arrived in Sydney aboard the Strathnaver on 12 November 1935, accompanied by Gaumont-British staff members John O. C. Orton (scenario department) and Thomas D. Connochie (production manager). They were later joined by Derek Williams, a lighting and camera expert. Another technician, Leslie Fry, was already in place at the Pagewood studios of National Studios Ltd. where the interior filming for The Flying Doctor was to take place. In late December 1935 it was announced that the Hollywood actor, Charles Farrell would play the lead in the film. Farrell arrived in Sydney on 27 January and shooting commenced on The Flying Doctor soon afterwards.

By early January 1936 Mander was driving in Sydney in a V-8 Vauxhall automobile. During his time in Sydney Mander was charged on two separate occasions with "driving at a speed dangerous to the public", on 3 February 1936 on Parramatta Road and on 10 March "in the vicinity of Bankstown, Warwick Farm and Liverpool". On the first occasion Mander had been driving the car with the female lead Mary Maguire as a passenger, returning from Leura filming location scenes for The Flying Doctor. He was convicted of the charges on 31 March 1936 and fines were imposed. The final day of shooting for the film was on 28 March. On 1 April 1936 Mander, together with Farrell and Orton, departed from Sydney for the United States aboard the Monterey.

Miles and Kathleen Mander divorced in 1936. In 1936 Mander left Britain to live in America, relocating to Hollywood.

Hollywood

Miles Mander in Youth on Parole (1937)Mander as 'Lord Wickham' in The Little Princess (1939).

Mander was cast in more than 60 feature films after he went to live in Hollywood in 1936. Soon after his arrival he played a role in the historical drama Lloyd's of London, released in November 1936. The film featured Madeleine Carroll in the female lead, an actress Mander had earlier directed in The First Born (1928) and Fascination (1931). Mander was given opportunities to act in British roles in American films such as playing Benjamin Disraeli in Suez (1938) and King Henry VI in Tower of London (1939). He acted alongside Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier in the Samuel Goldwyn Productions film Wuthering Heights (1939). In 1939 Mander played pivotal dual roles in Daredevils of the Red Circle, a twelve-chapter movie serial made by Republic Pictures. During his career in Hollywood he was often given character roles playing unctuous villains, many of them of the unprincipled English upper-class type.

In addition to his film output, Mander became well known as a radio commentator with his own popular programme.

By 1943 Mander was a member of the British Consulate War Services Advisory Board along with other members of the expatriate film community in Hollywood, including Brian Aherne, Ronald Colman, Cedric Hardwicke, Herbert Marshall, Basil Rathbone and the writer R. C. Sherriff.

Miles Mander died on 8 February 1946 at his home at 7231 Pacific View Drive in Hollywood, aged 57. His death was attributed to "a heart attack".

Filmography

As actor

As director

As writer

As producer

  • The Man Without Desire (1923)
  • The Shimmy Sheik (short) (1923)
  • Two-chinned Chow (short) (1923)
  • Yes, We Have No - ! (animated short) (1923)
  • Lovers in Araby (1924)
  • Crossing the Great Sagrada (short) (1924)
  • Unnatural Life Studies (short) (1924)
  • The Pathetic Gazette (short) (1924)
  • Adam's Film Review (short) (1924)
  • The First Born (December 1928)
  • The Flying Doctor (1936)
  • Watchtower Over Tomorrow (1945) (uncredited)

Publications

  • Lionel H. Mander (1925), Albania Today.
  • Miles Mander (1927), Oasis, London: Hutchinson & Co.
  • Miles Mander (1933), Gentleman By Birth, London: Hutchinson & Co.
  • Miles Mander (1934), To My Son – In Confidence, Faber & Faber.

Notes

A. Lionel Mander had three siblings, an older brother Geoffrey (born in March 1882), older sister Margery (born in June 1883) and a younger brother named Alan (born in January 1891). His older brother Geoffrey Mander became a Liberal Member of Parliament.
B. Mander's book of memoirs and advice, To My Son – in Confidence, was published in 1934. The book included "an outspoken attack" on British public schools, for which the headmaster of Harrow publicly rebuked the author.
C. Kathleen French was born in 1900 at Marrickville in Sydney, the daughter of William and Kathleen French. She was educated at Worthing in West Sussex, England.
D. The claim that Miles Mander died suddenly at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, as stated in various websites, is not supported by the evidence. Contemporary newspaper and magazine reports, as cited in the above article, clearly state that Mander died at his Hollywood home of a heart condition. One of the reports specifies that he died "while he was asleep".

References

  1. 'Deaths', The Times (London), 17 September 1900, page 1.
  2. Charles Mosley (editor), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 2, page 2589, sub Mander baronetcy of the Mount , cr. 1911.
  3. ^ Family records, Ancestry.com.
  4. "The First Born (1928) dir. Miles Mander: Rediscovery of a stunning late 1920s melodrama" (PDF). British Film Institute. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  5. ^ 'Miles Mander', Notable Londoners, an Illustrated Who's Who of Professional and Business Men (1922), London: London Publishing Agency, page 66; accessed 11 October 2024.
  6. ^ Race Track to Silver Screen, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 13 February 1936, page 4.
  7. ^ 'Mr. Miles Mander' (obituary), The Times (London), 11 February 1946, page 6.
  8. Miles Mander Dead, The West Australian (Perth), 11 February 1946, page 6.
  9. ^ Miles Mander: Actor, Author and Director, The West Australian, 6 November 1935, page 19.
  10. Passengers for London, Evening News (Sydney), 7 May 1909, page 7.
  11. ^ 1933 Who's Who in British Aviation: Name M, Grace's Guide To British Industrial History website; accessed 12 October 2024.
  12. 'Damages for Motor-Car Collisions', The Times (London), 8 October 1910, page 12.
  13. 'British Aviation', Evening Standard (London), 27 June 1910, page 14.
  14. Midlands Aviation Meeting Wolverhampton, UK, June 27th - July 2nd, 1910, The First Air Races website; accessed 12 October 2024.
  15. ^ Henry K. Miller (2011), Miles Mander: the true pioneer of sound films, The Guardian, 28 October 2011; accessed 14 October 2024.
  16. ^ 'Law Report, June 7: High Court of Justice', The Times (London), 8 June 1921, page 5.
  17. Hindoo Brides of White Brothers, The Sun (Sydney), 8 April 1914, page 5.
  18. Princess Married in Native Dress, Sunday Times (Sydney), 31 March 1912, page 29.
  19. Rachael Lennon (2023), Wedded Wife: A Feminist History of Marriage, United Kingdom: Aurum, page 98.
  20. Anglo-Indian Marriage, The World's News (Sydney), 18 April 1914, page 9.
  21. Wightwick's Royal Connections, National Trust website; accessed 12 October 2024.
  22. The Thrills of Ballooning, The World's News (Sydney), 9 October 1926, page 12.
  23. 'In the High Court of Justice...', The Times (London), 26 September 1914, page 2; 'The Bankruptcy Acts...', The Times, 2 October 1914, page 16.
  24. World War I service record: 'Lieutenant Lionel Henry Mander Royal Army Service Corps', Ref. No.: WO 339/34652, The National Archives, Government of the United Kingdom; Ancestry.com.
  25. 'Balloonatics during the First World War 1914-1918', Western Front Association website; accessed 14 October 2024.
  26. Lieutenant Lionel Henry MANDER Royal Army Service Corps, The National Archives website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  27. 1920/03/27 Kop Hill Trial, Grace's Guide To British Industrial History website; accessed 13 October 2024.
  28. Miles Mander Formerly an Explorer, Dominion, 23 June 1939, page 14.
  29. ^ Author names starting with Maf - Man, New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors website; accessed 30 October 2024.
  30. Testimony, IMDb website; accessed 13 October 2024.
  31. The Place of Honour, IMDb website; accessed 13 October 2024.
  32. A Scandal in Bohemia, IMDb website; accessed 13 October 2024.
  33. An Amazing Story, The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide), 10 July 1922, page 1.
  34. ^ 'Travel Films and Lectures', The Times (London), 18 February 1922, page 8.
  35. 'The Film World', The Times (London), 27 February 1922, page 8.
  36. 'New Plans for Philharmonic Hall', The Times (London), 6 April 1922, page 10.
  37. Half a Truth, IMDb website; accessed 13 October 2024.
  38. Open Country, IMDb website; accessed 13 October 2024.
  39. Adrian Brunel, Motion Picture Studio, 28 October 1922, pages 10-12; British Studio Gossip, Pictires and Picturegoer, November 1922, page 24.
  40. The Man Without Desire, IMDb website; accessed 29 October 2024.
  41. Review of The Man Without Desire: 'Screen Values', Motion Picture Studio, 22 December 1923, page 5.
  42. ^ Adrian Brunel, 'Experiments in Ultra-cheap Cinematography' (in) Close Up, Vol. III No. 4, October 1928, pages 43-46.
  43. Sydney Girl Wed, The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne), 29 May 1923, page 2.
  44. Lovers in Araby, IMDb website; accessed 13 October 2024.
  45. Rachael Low (1971), History of the British Film, 1918-1929, George Allen & Unwin, pages 148-149.
  46. Cut It Out: A Day in the Life of a Censor, IMDb website; accessed 23 October 2024.
  47. ^ Miles Mander, Interwar London website; accessed 11 October 2024.
  48. The Prude's Fall (1924), The Hitchcock Zone website; accessed 27 October 2024.
  49. Dangerous Virtue, IMDb website; accessed 27 October 2024.
  50. The Pleasure Garden (1925), The Hitchcock Zone website; accessed 27 October 2024.
  51. The Pleasure Garden, IMDb website; accessed 27 October 2024.
  52. Sound History in Film: Early Recording, FilmsFatale website; accessed 27 October 2024.
  53. ^ Wife of Author-Film Director, News (Adelaide), 1 July 1933, page 5.
  54. Aimee Pavy (2013), 'The First Born', San Francisco Silent Film Festival website; accessed 25 October 2024.
  55. ^ Tony Aldgate, Chapter 11: 'Loose Ends, Hidden Gems and the Moment of "Melodramatic Emotionality"' (in) Jeffrey Richards (1998), The Unknown 1930s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema 1929–39, London: I.B. Taurus, pages 220, 259.
  56. The First Born, IMBd website; accessed 25 October 2024.
  57. Paul Rotha (1930, The Film Till Now: A Survey of the Cinema, New York: Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, page 231.
  58. The Woman Decides, IMDb website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  59. Fascination, IMDb website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  60. Youthful Folly, IMDb website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  61. The Morals of Marcus, IMDb website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  62. The Three Musketeers, IMBd website; accessed 25 October 2024.
  63. National Studios, Sydney Morning Herald, 25 September 1935, page 7; National Films, The West Australian (Perth), 5 November 1935, page 17; Film Experts, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 November 1935, page 9.
  64. Charles Farrell to Act Here, The Sun (Sydney), 29 December 1935, page 1.
  65. Charles Farrell, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 January 1936, page 10; Film Star Has Itch to Work, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 29 January 1936, page 15.
  66. Visiting Film Director Chooses Vauxhall, Bega District News, 9 January 1936, page 1.
  67. Film Men Fined, The Newcastle Sun, 31 March 1936, page 7.
  68. Big Crowd at Studio, The Labor Daily (Sydney), 30 March 1936, page 8.
  69. Leaving on the Monterey, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 26 March 1936, page 21.
  70. On the Air, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 1 April 1936, page 12.
  71. Miles Mander, Star of Silents, Dead, The Mail (Adelaide), 9 February 1946, page 9.
  72. ^ Miles Mander, IMDb website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  73. Lloyd's of London, IMDb website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  74. Daredevils of the Red Circle, IMDb website; accessed 28 October 2024.
  75. ^ Miles Mander Dead, Motion Picture Daily, 11 February 1946, page 8.
  76. ^ Miles Mander Dead, Evening Star (New Zealand), 30 March 1946, page 10.
  77. NSW Birth registration, Kathleen B. French; Reg. No.: 14148/1900.
  78. Australian Belle, The Newcastle Sun, 29 May 1923, page 5.
  79. For example: Brown Derby, Los Angeles, California, The Hitchcock Zone website; accessed 24 October 2024.

Further reading

  • Sir Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander (ed.) (1955), The History of Mander Brothers, Wolverhampton.
  • C. Nicholas Mander (2004), Varnished Leaves: A Biography of the Mander Family of Wolverhampton, 1750-1950, Owlpen Press.
  • Patricia Pegg (1996), A Very Private Heritage: The Private Papers of Samuel Theodore Mander, 1853-1900, Malvern.

External links

The films of Miles Mander
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