Edmund Gwenn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edmund Gwenn
Gwenn in 1953
Born	Edmund John Kellaway (1877-09-26)26 September 1877 Wandsworth, London, England
Died	6 September 1959(1959-09-06) (aged 81) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Resting place	Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Education	St. Olave's School
Alma mater	King's College London
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1895–1959
Spouse(s)	Minnie Terry (m. 1901–c. 1916)
Family	Arthur Chesney (brother) Cecil Kellaway (cousin)
Awards	Academy Award, 2 Golden Globes

Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. He is best known for playing Kris Kringle in the Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street (1947). For this role, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe Award. He also received another Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for the comedy movie Mister 880 (1950). Many people also remember him for appearing in four movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Edmund Gwenn was also a successful stage actor in London's West End and on Broadway in New York. He performed in many plays by famous writers like Bernard Shaw and J. B. Priestley. After the Second World War, he moved to the United States. There, he had a very successful career in Hollywood movies and on Broadway.

Edmund Gwenn's Acting Journey

Early Life and First Roles

Edmund Gwenn was born in Wandsworth, London. His parents were John and Catherine Kellaway. His brother, Arthur Chesney, and his cousin, Cecil Kellaway, were also actors. Gwenn went to St. Olave's School and later to King's College London.

He started acting in the theatre in 1895. He learned a lot by joining Willie Edouin's acting group. In 1901, he married Minnie Terry, who was the niece of a famous actress named Dame Ellen Terry. That same year, he traveled to Australia and acted there for three years. His wife went with him. When one of his plays, Ben Hur, did not do well, his wife helped them by getting an acting job. Later, they acted together in London in a play called What the Butler Saw in 1905.

When Gwenn came back to London, he started acting in more serious plays at the Court Theatre. He played important roles, including Straker in Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman. He also appeared in plays by other writers like John Galsworthy. In 1912, Gwenn started his own acting company with Hilda Trevelyan. His acting career was paused when he served as an officer in the British Army during the First World War.

Becoming a Star on Stage and Screen

After the war, Gwenn took on many main roles in London's West End. Some of his memorable roles included Old Bill in Old Bill, M.P. (1922) and the main character in A. A. Milne's The Great Broxoff (1923). He was also well-known for playing Hornblower in Galsworthy's The Skin Game and Samuel Pepys in And So to Bed in 1926.

Gwenn started his film career in 1916. One of his early film roles was playing Hornblower again in the 1921 silent movie The Skin Game. He played this role again ten years later in Alfred Hitchcock's early sound version of The Skin Game. His first movie with sound was How He Lied to Her Husband in 1931. In Britain, he was famous for movies like The Good Companions (1933) and Laburnum Grove (1936). His last British movie was Cheer Boys Cheer (1939).

Gwenn appeared in over eighty films! His first Hollywood movie was Sylvia Scarlett (1935), where he played Katharine Hepburn's father. He moved to Hollywood in 1940. He had a small part in Hitchcock's movie Foreign Correspondent in 1940.

His most famous role was as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street (1947). For this, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for another Oscar for his role in Mister 880 (1950). Towards the end of his career, he played important roles in the sci-fi movie Them! (1954) and in Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955).

On Broadway, Gwenn starred in a famous 1942 play called Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. He acted alongside other great stars like Katharine Cornell and Judith Anderson.

Later Years and Legacy

Edmund Gwenn remained a British citizen his whole life. When he first moved to Hollywood, he lived in a hotel. His home in London was destroyed during the bombings in the Second World War. He was very sad about losing his collection of items from the actor Henry Irving. Later, Gwenn bought a house in Beverly Hills, which he shared with a former Olympic athlete named Rodney Soher.

When he was 78, he traveled from California to London to see his ex-wife. He told a reporter that he never married again because he was very happy with his first wife. He said he stayed true to the memory of that happiness.

Edmund Gwenn passed away from pneumonia after having a stroke. He died in Woodland Hills, California, just twenty days before his 82nd birthday. His ashes were placed at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles. Edmund Gwenn has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street. This star honors his amazing work in movies.

Filmography

Radio Appearances

• This was an audition program for the Suspense radio show.

See also

In Spanish: Edmund Gwenn para niños