George Arliss

Lore & Background

Arliss was born in London, and commonly listed as George Augustus Andrews. His relatives referred to him as Uncle Gus. He started work in the publishing office of his father, William Joseph Arliss Andrews, but left at age 18 to go on the stage. His brother Fred Andrews studied art, and is known for his work with Sir Aurel Stein. His sister, Anita Arliss, taught acting in Los Angeles. Arliss began his theatre career in the British provinces in 1887 and by 1900 was playing London's West End in supporting roles. He embarked for a tour of America in 1901 in Mrs. Patrick Campbell's troupe, intending to remain in the United States only for the length of the tour. Arliss stayed for twenty years, making his Broadway debut in Magda (1902). He eventually became a star in 1908 in The Devil. Producer George Tyler commissioned Louis Napoleon Parker in 1911 to write a play specifically tailored for Arliss, and the actor toured in Disraeli for five years, eventually becoming closely identified with the 19th-century British prime minister. Writing in Vanity Fair in 1919, he outlined his plan for a nonprofit called the Theatre Annex, which would allow new plays to be tested under special conditions. He began his film career with The Devil (1921), followed by Disraeli and four other silent films. All six of these silent films are known to have survived. He remade both The Green Goddess and Disraeli in sound in 1929 (and won the Best Actor Academy Award for Disraeli), converting successfully at the age of 61 from a star of the legitimate theatre, and then silent films, to sound films. Arliss made 10 sound films exclusively for Warner Bros. under a contract that gave the star an unusual amount of creative control for the time. Curiously, his casting of actors and rewriting of scripts were privileges granted him by the studio that are not even mentioned in his contract. One of these films, The Man Who Played God (1932), was Bette Davis's first leading role. Until the end of her life, she credited Arliss for personally insisting upon her as his leading lady and giving her a chance to show her abilities. The two also co-starred in The Working Man in 1933. Arliss built a production unit at Warners' both in front of and behind the cameras. Maude T. Howell, his stage manager, became an assistant producer and was one of the few female film executives in Hollywood at that time. After h

Reader's Guide

Arliss wrote the autobiography Up the Years from Bloomsbury in 1927. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6648-1/2 Hollywood Boulevard. He was a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. The 1931 short film Impressions of Disraeli was made in England for the Conservative Party and was introduced by Stanley Baldwin. The film is extant.

Did You Know?

• He was the earliest-born actor of any category to win an Academy Award.
• He was a strict vegetarian who said 'I eat nothing I can pat'.
• His gravestone highlights his honorary Master of Arts degree from Columbia University, not his acting career.
• He founded the National Anti-Vivisection Society of Chicago.