Cecil Parker

This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Cecil Parker
Born	Cecil Schwabe (1897-09-03)3 September 1897 Hastings, Sussex, England
Died	20 April 1971(1971-04-20) (aged 73) Brighton, Sussex, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1928–1969
Spouse(s)	Muriel Ann Randall Brown ​ ​ (m. 1927)​
Children	1

Cecil Parker (born Cecil Schwabe, 3 September 1897 – 20 April 1971) was an English character and comedy actor with a distinctively husky voice, who usually played supporting roles, often characters with a supercilious demeanour, in his 91 films made between 1928 and 1969.

Career[]

Parker was born in Hastings, Sussex, the second son (and fifth of six children) of German-born Charles August Schwabe (1860–1915), manager of the Albany Hotel, Hastings, and his English wife Kate (née Parker), a church organist.^[1][2] He was educated at St Francis Xavier College, and at Bruges in Belgium.^[3] He served with the Royal Sussex Regiment in the First World War, reaching the rank of sergeant.^[4] He began his theatrical career in London in 1922, adopting the surname "Parker" from his mother's maiden name. He made his first film appearance in 1928 and subsequently became a familiar face in British and occasionally American films until his death. He appeared less often on television, but many of his films have remained popular and are often shown.

He acted in two adaptations of A. J. Cronin's novels, The Citadel (1938) and The Stars Look Down (1940), in addition to appearing in The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Under Capricorn (1949). Both of these latter films were directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Other roles were in Storm in a Teacup (1937), The Weaker Sex (1948), 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956), Dangerous Moonlight (1941), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), and I Was Monty's Double (1958), as well as the comedies A French Mistress (1960), The Ladykillers (1955), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Court Jester (1955) (in which he played an evil, usurping king of England), Indiscreet (1958) and I Believe in You (1952). Parker was also the original Charles Condomine in the West End production of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit.

He often played a touchy senior officer or British upper class character, and his last two films were true to form: The Magnificent Two (1967) with the British comedy double act Morecambe and Wise and Richard Attenborough's version of Oh! What a Lovely War (1969).

On November 20, 1950, he co-starred with Margaret O'Brien in "The Canterville Ghost", on Robert Montgomery Presents on TV.^[5] He played an evil, scheming butler on one episode of The Avengers ("The £50,000 Breakfast"). In 1957 he played Dr. Morelle in BBC radio series, "A Case for Dr. Morelle" (13 episodes).

Personal life[]

Parker was married to Muriel Anne Randell-Brown (born 20 August 1899, Seacombe, Cheshire died 1985),^[3] from September 1927 until his death in 1971, in Brighton.^[6]

Filmography[]

References[]

External links[]

• Cecil Parker at IMDb
• Cecil Parker at the Internet Broadway Database

• Cecil Parker's performances in the Theatre Archive, University of Bristol